Drab Fold, bright Pro predicted for fall iPhone event

For reasons known only to itself, Apple has historically followed a strategy of releasing budget smartphones in bright and vibrant colors while keeping its premium phones to a more muted palette. However, this changed last year with the launch of the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and Apple was immediately rewarded with huge commercial success, which was mainly due to the color’s popularity in China.

With that in mind, all eyes will be on Apple’s color choices this September when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold are unveiled. It is highly unlikely that we will get exactly the same options for the second year in a row; Apple likes to add a new color with each generation (while usually removing one or more that may not have sold as well) so buyers can advertise the fact that they have a new model. But Apple has certainly learned its lesson and will make sure it includes at least one bright surface.

One analyst who agrees is Mark Gurman, who discusses the likely colors in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. He’s not 100 percent sure what we’ll see in September — which isn’t unreasonable when he’s predicting a cosmetic detail nearly seven months from launch — but he thinks this year’s new surface will be red.

It’s worth noting that it probably won’t be as striking as Cosmic Orange: Gurman describes it as a “deep red,” and the Deep Blue variant for the iPhone 17 Pro is a dark blue that’s closer to black than the oceanic mid-blue that was available for the iPhone 13. (A non-Pro phone, of course.) So we’ll likely be looking at more of Apple’s rich scarlet hue. (Product) Red device.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be any bright colors, as Gurman thinks one option currently on the table is to offer both Cosmic Orange. and Dark red.

“Given the success of orange, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company kept that option and added red as another option,” explains Gurman. “But red and orange might be too close on the color wheel to have both. We’ll see how that goes.”

While the structural and internal details of Apple’s annual phone updates are decided well in advance (and then ideally, but not always, kept secret), colors are tested and considered until they’re very close to launch. As Gurman notes, there have been rumors that we could see purple and/or brown iPhones at the end of 2026, and he believes they could just be variations of the same red tone that Apple has been testing.

So in conclusion, it looks like the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro will be sold in three or four colors: Silver, Deep Blue, Deep Red and possibly Cosmic Orange. We won’t know the exact shade of red until closer, because Apple probably hasn’t decided yet.

As for the iPhone Fold, Gurman thinks Apple will revert to its earlier philosophy of punishing wealthy customers for buying its most expensive phone. The Fold might cost $2,399, but it won’t come in orange or red. Just “some kind of dark gray or black and a variation of white or light silver,” similar to how Apple supplied the iPhone X.

For all the latest news and rumors leading up to the September launch, bookmark our regularly updated iPhone 18 superguide.