Apple MacBook Pro 2017 models are susceptible to a similar display flaw as the "Stage Light" or "Flexgate" issue found in the 2016 models. Our mid-2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which features a 13-inch LED-backlit LCD Retina Display, is exhibiting similar symptoms to the 2016 models, which forced Apple to run a "Display Backlight Service Program" fixing the flaw for free. Unfortunately, the program does not cover 2017 (or later) models. The "Stage Light" flaw, observed in the 2016 model, can be described as a dark horizontal band that appears along the bottom edge of the display with individual LEDs casting a light similar in shape to those of theater stages.

The 2017 MacBook Pro model appears to routinely start failing on the bottom edge of the screen with a soft gray bar appearing. This flaw appears thin on a cold-booted device, and spreads over time with use, as the device heats up. It dissipates as you power the MacBook down or close the lid for a while. The band distorts all content in the region of the display that it affects, including the macOS Dock, and vertically-scrolling content such as web-pages or text documents, and can be particularly bad for content creators working on tasks that are sensitive to display quality, such as Photoshop. Apparently, a small PCB located near the base of the display panel, which handles connectivity of the display with the mainboard, heats up over time, causing the LED backlit film to distort or the display controller PCB to malfunction.Browsing through the Apple Community forums, iFixit threads, it was easy to find hundreds of users with mid-2017 models facing the same issue, with one such conversation dating back to May 2020. Most of the posts complaining about this flaw bunch up around that time (May-July 2020). Interestingly, both the 2016 and mid-2017 models of 13-inch MacBook Pro bear the same base model number of "A1706," meaning that barring updates to certain hardware such as the processor, the two MacBooks are based on a physically identical design, and evidently Apple hasn't corrected the flawed display. The company has reportedly fixed Flexgate with the 2018 model, by using a longer flex cable. However, this leaves those with 15-inch and 13-inch 2016 and all 2017 model owners with no recourse except to pay Apple $600 to get the screen replaced, just to have the flaw re-emerge down the line.

It remains to be seen if the Display Backlight Service Program is extended to cover 2017 models, but given that Apple has done precious little about since mid-2020, we temper our expectations. Back in August, Apple was hit by a class-action lawsuit (which both US and Canadian owners of the models in question may join here) over the "Stage Light" flaw, which included class members with 2017 models. However, as of this writing, the 2017 model continues to be excluded from the display service program. We also spoke with Apple customer support to confirm this.Update Jan 18th: Apple, on January 12th, through their Executive Services Team as well as their PR department, has responded to this issue. Officially, this remains an flaw that is not eligible for any out-of-warranty repair program, thus users with this or similar display issues are left to pay out of pocket if their device is out of warranty. Incidentally, Apple extended their current 2016 screen replacement program from 4 to 5 years less than a week after giving us their official response in regards to the 2017 model.