The user has yet to contact Apple support or go to an Apple Store for assistance, so there is no concrete explanation for the chameleon act. Theories in the comments, however, range from the banal — like chemical reactions to the OPs skin prolonged exposure to UV, which OP denies — to outlandish claims like radiation exposure from orphan sources. Of course, there are the usual accusations that the poster has manipulated images of the iPhone or deliberately tampered with the anodising for attention online, and to that the poster has said “I could not imagine a sadder existence than photoshopping iPhone pics.” There has been at least one other report of this happening to another orange iPhone 17 Pro Max (via @TheGalox on X).

A chemical reaction or a botched dye or anodising process seem likely, although the discolouration would likely be far more widespread than one single recorded instance if it were simply a bad batch of pigment. The most likely explanation is that there is some combination of environmental variables and an error in Apple’s new anodising process. Variables like heat and similar cannot be ruled out but seem unlikely, given that brightly coloured anodised parts are regularly exposed to temperatures far exceeding the safe limits of human skin contact without issue. 

This wouldn’t be the first time Apple has had issues with the iPhone 17 series, with early reports of noticeable scratches on the aluminium backs of iPhone 17 models giving rise to Scratchgate. 

If you’re an iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, you might want to get hold of a case, like the Apple TechWoven case (curr. $59 on Amazon) to avoid scratches.Â