iPhone 18 Pro colours in the wild: Neither beats Cosmic Orange: A Practical Look

A video has surfaced on Korean site Naver Blog, showing two colour options for the soon-to-launch iPhone 18 Pro models. The footage shows someone handling the new phone in the hero Dark Cherry colourway. Next to it on a display stand is the Light Blue colour variant.  

The phones are due to debut at Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, 9 September. The keynote will kick off at 6pm BST/10am PT/1pm ET.

But in spite of the event’s title, it feels as though few surprises are left in store, after extensive spoiling from manufacturing line gossip and leaks.

As a result, we’re fairly confident that, in the phones department, Apple will be announcing its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, as well as its first-ever foldable, which is currently known as the iPhone Ultra (but the name is up for debate).

Contrary to tradition, the more affordable iPhone 18 models, including the iPhone 18 base model and 18e, are expected to launch in a dedicated spring event.

We’ve even got a good idea of the specs of all the upcoming models. What’s more, we’ve been anticipating the new Pro colours for a long time, thanks to a scoop by our sibling publication Macworld. They are:

• Light Blue (Pantone 2121)
• Dark Cherry (Pantone 6076)
• Dark Gray (Pantone 426C)
• Silver (Pantone 427C) – though sources are divided as to whether this final colourway will make it to market

Foundry

But in the just-leaked video, we can see two of the colourways in the wild for the first time: not as a mock-up or a render, but in motion and under electric light. And – it’s a disappointment.

Apple took a chance with the vibrant Cosmic Orange last year, available on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. It was one of the three options available, and was showcased alongside the more conservative Deep Blue and Silver options.

Accounts vary as to which phone colour sold best but even if Cosmic Orange wasn’t Apple’s bestseller, it was the signature colour of the year, and highly influential. Just about every other tech brand in the mobile space subsequently launched phones in orange colourways.

Some people theorised that Cosmic Orange was a success because of its luxe associations: it’s reminiscent of the signature colour of fashion house Hermès.

Dark Cherry is this year’s replacement offering. With cherry’s colour associations of prosperity and good luck in Asia, it’s possible that Apple is trying to echo the luxe connotations of Cosmic Orange, in a quieter, more office-friendly form.

But I have to say it: I’m underwhelmed. While, hopefully, the colour will look richer and brighter in real life, it looks a little dark and drab on video. Meanwhile, Light Blue appears bland, although it may be more attractive in the hand.

란즈크

There’s another design issue that I haven’t quite come around to: the tonal panels. In the run-up to the launch of the phones, most renders have been eliding the colour difference between the phone’s panel and frame in a way that’s much more flattering to the look (see the Macworld renders above). Seeing them on video, the panels really stand out, in a jarring way.

Still, we’ll have to wait until we see the phones in person to deliver a final verdict.