Each year, iPhone rumor season reveals new color choices long before Apple is ready to unveil its next-gen smartphones. The same goes for the iPhone 16, whose colors already appeared in various leaks.
It’s now time for well-known Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo to chime in. He detailed his predictions in a new post on X, with the iPhone 16 Pros getting a surprising new color option. Apparently, Apple will bring a shade of pink to the iPhone 16 Pro lineup, though we can expect it to be called something like “rose titanium.”
But, overall, the iPhone 16 Pros might continue to remain just as boring as their predecessors when it comes to color choices. This won’t be the year when Apple does anything special with the Pro colors, and it’s annoying to see the trend continue.
As a longtime iPhone user, I’ll say that the iPhone Pro colors continue to be underwhelming. There’s nothing “pro” about the color options, and I’d rather Apple use a palette more similar to the non-Pro models.
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If Kuo’s prediction turns out to be true — and they almost always do — the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will come in “black, white (or silver), grey (I think it’s natural titanium), [and] rose.”
2H24 iPhone 16系列機殼顏色預測
iPhone 16 Pro & Pro Max：黑色、白色 (或銀色)、灰色 (應該是原色鈦金屬)、玫瑰
iPhone 16 & 16 Plus：黑色、綠色、粉紅、藍色、白色Apple可能對顏色會有不同的稱呼 (如先前稱呼白色為星光色)。此外，即便顏色名稱與既有機種相同，但看起來可能會不一樣。
–…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 19, 2024
Expect the word “titanium” to follow each color designation. Apple named the iPhone 15 Pro colors Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. All four are incredibly uninspired, and I say that as someone who doesn’t care much about iPhone color.
I will have favorites, but if the iPhone I want (model and capacity) isn’t in stock in the color I pick, I’ll just go with whatever they have in stock when I pre-order. As someone eying an iPhone 16 upgrade this year, I might pick the new pink iPhone 16 Pro — if pink is an option and if I go with a Pro version.
iPhone 15 Pro color options. Image source: Apple Inc.
But I don’t expect Rose Titanium to look that great. Instead, I’d prefer the pink hue Apple gave the iPhone 15 series. Pink is one of the five options. The others are Blue, Yellow, Green, and Black. Admittedly, last year’s iPhone 15 color palette was duller than in previous years. Rather than bright, vivid colors, we got more muted colors.
Kuo says the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus colors will be almost identical, with white replacing yellow: That’s “black, green, pink, blue, [and] white.”
iPhone 15 colors are more muted than usual. Image source: Apple Inc.
He notes that Apple might rename colors from time to time, and colors may look different even if they have the same name. Hopefully, that will be the case for the non-Pro iPhone 16 variants.
The change I’d like to see concerns the iPhone Pros. They don’t have to be so incredibly boring just because titanium is in play. The metal might be more difficult to paint, but the rear-facing glass could always deliver more exciting colors.
Whoever said that “professionals” who buy iPhone Pro models don’t deserve a better color palette? I put professionals in quotes because the iPhone Pros aren’t made only for Pros. These are the best-sold iPhones Apple makes, and most people don’t get an iPhone Pro to use for work purposes.
The Galaxy S24 color options you’ll find in most stores. Image source: Apple Inc.
There might be a better case for restricting the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro to black, grey, and white versions than the iPhone.
Samsung copied Apple’s move to titanium for the Galaxy S24 Ultra this year. Some of the colors Samsung offers resemble the iPhone 15 Pros, but Samsung went for a wider palette. However, some options are only available online.
While Kuo’s predictions can’t be verified, his leaks are often accurate, and Apple has surely chosen its iPhone 16 color options by now. The phones will head to production in the coming months, after all.
These Galaxy S24 colors are exclusive to Samsung.com. Image source: Apple Inc.
If the iPhone 16 colors are boring like last year, there’s always hope that Apple will fix things with the iPhone 17 series. Then again, it’s not like color choices stopped Apple from selling millions of increasingly more expensive iPhones every year.