Android brands already copying iPhone 18 Pro’s burgundy colour — Explained
Yesterday was Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event, at which the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models made their debut, as well as the launch of Apple’s first foldable phone.
But Android rivals didn’t even even wait for the new models to arrive before stealing design elements for their own handsets.
Samsung got the jump on Apple’s iPhone Ultra when it released its own “passport-style” foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, in August. Meanwhile, Xiaomi has this week launched its own Ultra design rip-off rival, the very familiar-looking Xiaomi 18 Fold.
Xiaomi 18 Fold
But the shape isn’t the only key Apple element you can expect to see copied across hundreds of handsets this year. Just as recognisable is Apple’s signature or “hero” phone colour for this year.
Last year, the iPhone Pro models were available in three colour options: Silver, Deep Blue, and the hero – the attention-grabbing Cosmic Orange.
Before you could say radioactive pumpkin, the Android phone world was cluttered up with vividly orangey rivals. There was the Honor 600 – we called it the Android iPhone in our review – the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Redmi Turbo 5 Max, to shame but a few (and it went way beyond phones).
Honor, Oppo, Redmi
This year, Apple launched its Pro models in four colour options. There’s black, silver, “Glacier” – a light blue, and the hero colour, burgundy. Prior to the launch, we expected a more purple shade under the name “Black Cherry”. But we were close.
Screenshot
Apple
The burgundy colourway is this year’s answer to Cosmic Orange and we expect it to be a hit. It may not get quite as much press attention as its counterpart from last year (for a start, journos won’t be able to use “orange is the new black” in their headlines) but it has the potential to be even more appealing to buyers as it’s not only a new, recognisably iPhone Pro colour but it’s also more appropriate for corporate settings than its Wotsits/Cheetos-inspired predecessor.
But Android rivals aren’t even waiting to see if it takes off. There are already several competitors in the mix. The hues may differ slightly, but the trend is clear.
Take a look at the Poco F9 Ultra, the Tecno Camon Slim 5G, the Huawei Pura X View, even the aforementioned Xiaomi 18 Fold. And these are just phones I’ve seen in the news this week. Xiaomi is even launching its Pad 9 Pro Max in an all-new burgundy colourway.
Poco, Tecno, Huawei
In fact, the only brands we don’t expect to launch copycat colourways are Samsung and Google Pixel, who wouldn’t stoop to such an obvious steal. Ahem.
We have thoughts on the new Pixel 11 colours and the Galaxy S26 FE colour options, too. Grandma’s bathroom, anyone?
