The new iPhone 16 won’t be here until September, but we already know a lot about it. More than the new chip, slimmer bezels, and better cameras, the most anticipated feature of each year’s iPhones is the new colors Apple has in store. Here’s what we know so far about what’s coming this year.
iPhone 15: Will there be a new mid-cycle color?
For the past several years, Apple has introduced a new iPhone color midway through the cycle to boost sales and interest a bit before the next model arrives in the fall. Here are the most recent examples of this:
- March 2023: Yellow (iPhone 14/14 Plus)
- March 2022: Green (iPhone 13/13 mini); Alpine Green (iPhone 13 Pro/13 Pro Max)
- April 2021: Purple (iPhone 12/12 mini)
- April 2018: (PRODUCT)RED (iPhone 8/8 Plus)
- March 2017: (PRODUCT)RED (iPhone 7/7 Plus)
There haven’t been any rumors of a new iPhone 15 color coming this year, though last year’s yellow color was a surprise release. So Apple may still launch a new color in April or May alongside the rumored iPad Air and iPad Pro.
It’s been many years since Apple hasn’t offered an iPhone in a PRODUCT(RED) colorway.
Foundry
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus: What new colors are coming?
According to a Weibo leak, the iPhone 16 will expand on the iPhone 15’s offerings, with a total of seven colors: blue, pink, yellow, green, black, white, and purple.
Apple currently offers the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus in five colors: blue, pink, yellow, green, and black. However, they are the palest iPhone colors Apple has ever offered and can almost look white in some lighting. Notably, the iPhone 15 is the first year Apple hasn’t offered an iPhone in (PRODUCT) RED since this finish debuted with the iPhone 7 in 2017.
Apple also still sells the iPhone 14 in blue, purple, yellow, midnight, starlight, and red, as well as the iPhone 13 in blue, pink, midnight, starlight, green, and red. Finally, the iPhone SE is available in midnight, starlight, and red.
Apple turned to a metallic palette for the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max: What new colors are coming?
A rumor by Majin Bu on X (formerly Twitter) claims Apple will shake up the color options for the iPhone 16 Pro this year with two new hues: desert yellow and cement gray. The colors will reportedly be reminiscent of the classic gold and space gray options last seen on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Like the iPhone 15, Apple’s color palette for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max was somewhat muted this year. Apple took its cue from the phones’ use of titanium for the first time to create four metal-themed colors: natural, blue, white, and black titanium.
Apple doesn’t sell older Pro models, so these are the only colors sold this year. Previously, Apple offered the iPhone 14 Pro in space black, silver, gold, and deep purple.
2024 iPhone: What’s the new color trend?
According to the rumors, Apple will be going a little retro with its colors in 2024. The iPhone 16 Pro is expected to get two new shades that closely resemble the gold and space gray hues of old, while the iPhone 16 will see the return of purple and white, which were last seen with the iPhone 12 in 2021 and iPhone 11 in 2020, respectively.
Stay up to date with all the latest news and rumors in our iPhone 16 roundup.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.