iPhone XR rebranded as 17 Pro Max
Nigerian digital space has been set ablaze by a growing controversy involving the resale of rebranded iPhones—specifically, older iPhone XR models made to look like the latest iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The drama began when entrepreneur and tech personality, Blord, publicly showcased a device he claimed was an iPhone XR “transformed” into a 17 Pro Max and priced at ₦450,000, not including delivery. His video stirred immediate backlash, with many accusing him of misleading the public.
Reports indicate that although the phone still runs on the internals of an XR, its physical appearance—ranging from the body casing and screen to the battery—has been modified to mimic Apple’s latest flagship model.
Critics have likened the process to “putting a new body on an old engine,” calling it deceptive and exploitative.
Social media influencer VeryDarkMan (VDM) waded into the discussion, releasing a video in which he claimed to have traced the root of the operation to China. In the clip, he shows what he describes as a factory where these “clone” iPhones are assembled, refurbished, and repackaged for sale.
VDM also revealed that a similar model—identical in build and design—was available for purchase from China for ₦280,000, a significant ₦170,000 less than Blord’s offering.
The revelation has since sparked widespread debate on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, with many Nigerians calling it a reflection of deeper societal issues surrounding status, materialism, and consumer behavior.
One X user, Real Chuno, called for Apple’s immediate intervention:
“Apple needs to start arresting those converting iPhone XR to iPhone 17 Pro Max and deceiving the public into buying it — that’s pure criminality.
Turning an iPhone XR into a fake iPhone 17 Pro Max and selling it? That’s not hustle, that’s a crime. Apple needs to step in for real.”
Another user, Brian David, questioned the practicality of the entire ordeal:
“I genuinely want to understand the rationale behind selling and buying an iPhone XR that has been upgraded to look like a 17 Pro Max.
What’s the sense in it?”
On Facebook, a user identified as Smith Olawale criticized the motivations behind such purchases, suggesting they stem from insecurity and societal pressure:
“It is lack of contentment of trying to prove to people what you are not that makes full-grown men and women knowingly buy a repackaged iPhone XR as an iPhone 17 Pro Max, just to pose as though they own one.
After acquiring an iPhone 17 Pro Max and showing it to the world, what next? It will give you long life, bah?”
Instagram user Anita Brown described the practice as both “embarrassing and deceitful,” pointing to the nation’s economic struggles:
“We’re a poor country; why do you want to give someone the impression that you’re using an iPhone 17 when you’re holding an XR?
Why are human beings competing for prices of a fake product?”
As the conversation continues to trend, it raises larger questions about authenticity, value, and how far some are willing to go just to appear trendy in a world dominated by optics.
(NAN)
