Updated July 20 with further color details for more upcoming iPhones.
With less than two months until the release of the next iPhones (read full details of the exact date expected here), there’s a lot that has been reported by now. But now it looks like the colors of the iPhones are coming into focus. The latest data has information about the regular iPhone 17, too. Plus, there’s some surprising information about the fourth model, the so-called iPhone 17 Air — if accurate it’s unprecedented in Apple’s iPhone design changes.
A new report from Macworld claims that the colors have been confirmed in what it describes as the “definitive lineup thanks to our sources.”
Why are colors so important? Well, for a start they’re a way to show everyone that you have the new model if you pick this year’s hero color. And in a less shallow reason, it’s a way to express yourself, especially if you’re one of those brave (foolhardy) people who don’t clad their expensive phone in a case.
As the report says, recently a reputable leaker, Sonny Dickson, has said that the iPhone 17 Pro range will include two colors not in the iPhone 16 Pro range: dark blue and copper.
“ Independent sources who requested anonymity told Macworld that we can indeed expect these new colors for the iPhone 17 lineup. The same source independently verified the Desert Titanium color for the iPhone 16 Pro before last year’s launch,” the report says.
Although the publication says that its list is definitive, it’s worth noting that there is still some uncertainty about the exact color list. Macworld says there are two colors which will be the same as the iPhone 16 Pro, black and white. Let me stop you there: Apple almost always tweaks its colors from generation to generations so don’t be surprised if even black and white turn out to be different this year, especially if rumors of different case materials prove to be true.
But for sure, versions of black and white are likely to be present.
A new report from leaker Majin Bu says that these four will be the iPhone 17 Pro range, disagreeing with Macworld which says there’ll be a gray option, too.
It’s worth noting that four is the number of colors that Apple has stuck to for its Pro models for years. The only recent exception was the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, when the initial September 2021 range of four colors had a handsome alpine green hue added six months later. And, to add, whatever colors the iPhone 17 Pro will have, the Pro Max will exactly mirror it.
Majin Bu claims the copper will be “a bold new orange”. Pro shades are invariably muted, so this would be a big departure. Personally, I think copper is more likely.
Even so, these four shades look like being the iPhone 17 Pro color range.
So, how about the regular iPhone 17? Macworld claims six colors are coming — again, this is one more than is usual and the only time there have been six was also 2022 when the iPhone 13 series added a green version. Which means it’s possible that one of these colors will be missing in September, to be added later.
The current range is one of the best in recent years, I’d say, with black and white supplemented by pink and the two standouts: teal and aquamarine.
Macworld says white and black, will stay (which seems very likely) while the rest of the range will be steel gray, green, purple and light blue. How they will compare to the iPhone 16 shades in terms of vividness remains to be seen.
Finally, what about the fourth phone of the series, the super- slim version that’s expected, possibly called the iPhone 17 Air? According to Macworld, something is coming that has never happened before: the fourth iPhone will have its own range of colors rather than aping the regular iPhone.
The fourth model first appeared in 2020, when the iPhone 12 was matched with a smaller sibling, the iPhone 12 mini. Both it and the 2021 iPhone 13 mini offered a form factor similar to the iPhone SE, but with a much bigger display thanks to its all-screen front. However, in terms of colors, it exactly matched the larger base iPhone.
Then in 2022 Apple ditched the smaller model and replaced it with a bigger one, called the iPhone 14 Plus, similarly sized to the iPhone 14 Pro Max but with fewer cameras and components that weren’t quite so cutting-edge. The same thing happened with the iPhone 15 Plus and the current iPhone 16 Plus.
Again, in terms of color, the bigger phone matched the regular iPhone.
So, it’s a sign of how different Apple is hoping the iPhone 17 Air will be, as it will have its own color palette. Macworld claims there will be four colors (though again it’s possible that one of them might be held back for a mid-cycle addition).
First, there’ll be black — always the easiest shade to predict — and this will be the same as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17. However, the second color, white, will not look the same as the iPhone 16 or this year’s base model. If you’re wondering how white can be different, the report says it’s brighter and/or colder in its design than the iPhone 16’s white option. Apple first introduced a white iPhone with the iPhone 3G and it was strikingly different from other phones on the market. This sounds like it could be similarly eye-catching.
The other two predicted colors are light blue and light gold. According to these reports, “the blue iPhone 17 Air will be slightly lighter than the base iPhone 17. Apple reportedly wants less saturated colors for the iPhone 17 Air to reinforce the lightness of the device,” Macworld says.
If correct, we now know the complete range of iPhone colors and, therefore, strong ideas of what this year’s models will look like.
