Dark Cherry and More: Every iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra Color Rumor

We’re probably about a month away from Apple releasing new iPhone models, and color has been a major talking point. There will be a dramatic new color for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, but Apple plans to play it safe with the foldable iPhone.

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max

With the iPhone 17 Pro lineup, Apple introduced a bold new Cosmic Orange color. This year, Cosmic Orange is retired for a darker, moodier shade.

Dark cherry is the color Apple would use, and it looks like a cross between red and purple.

Apple colors always look different when lighting conditions change, which can be confusing. At first, rumors described the color as a deep red.

We’ve also heard rumors about the possibility of burgundy, purple, and brown color options, with Apple ready to choose one.

In April, Macmonde has shared the exact Pantone colors Apple reportedly intends to use, describing the color as Dark Cherry for the first time. The site says the other three colors would include silver, dark gray and light blue. We used Pantone shades to create a mock-up.

• Light blue (Pantone 2121), resembling the Mist Blue of the current iPhone 17
• Dark Cherry (Pantone 6076), the new flagship color
• Dark gray (Pantone 426C)
• Silver (Pantone 427C), similar to current generation

Dummy models quickly surfaced, showing similar colors, but with a slightly more pink tone to the Dark Cherry shade.

The color Apple chooses will likely be close to the Pantone shade, with purple or red tones depending on the lighting. It’s not quite burgundy as it leans more towards purple. It is redder than a true purple, but more purple than a dark red or brown. It’s more of a wine or plum color, so if Dark Cherry is indeed the name of the color, it’s an appropriate choice.

An alleged ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ SIM tray in Dark Cherry

We’ve had iPhones in lavender, pink, deep purple, (Product)RED, and purple, but nothing like what Apple is planning for 2026.

There were only three color options for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, but it looks like there will be four for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. Along with silver and dark gray there is a blue color.

Blue is a shade that Apple has used several times for iPhone models in the past. The rumored blue is probably closest to the Sierra Blue color Apple uses for the iPhone 13 Pro, but it’s more saturated with less red and green to tone it down. Most of the blues Apple has used in the past have been lighter or much darker, but this shade still won’t be as unique as the Dark Cherry color.

Uniform back

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models have a two-tone design where the glass on the back is a noticeably lighter shade than the color of the aluminum frame. With ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models, the color difference between the frame and the glass panel on the back may be less pronounced.

Rumors suggest that Apple will minimize the color difference between the two components for a more unified appearance.

iPhone Ultra

While the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max will have two colors offering options beyond the standard silver or gray, Apple doesn’t plan to experiment with the foldable iPhone (which might be called iPhone Ultra).

The expensive new device will apparently only be available with a limited color palette. White has been mentioned a few times, probably meaning a white/silver type shade, while rumors have been a bit mixed on the second color (if it exists).

Macmonde said in April that Apple would use silver and indigo, with the latter shade similar to the Deep Blue color used for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌. In May, Weibo leaker Instant Digital said white was the only confirmed color, and in June, dummy models leaked alongside a rumor that the foldable iPhone might only come in white.

Leaked camera accessories in August suggest the foldable iPhone will come in silver/white and a dark blue, almost black shade. Given that the foldable iPhone will cost upwards of $2,000, it’s no surprise that Apple doesn’t want to make it in colors that might have narrower appeal.

Color Cautions

We are currently working with rumors and fake models. Colors leaked ahead of a new iPhone launch are generally accurate, but lighting and materials affect the appearance of colors. Apple devices often look much better than fake models and renders.

With the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, mockups and dummy models featuring the Cosmic Orange color were a duller shade than what we actually got, and nothing really captured the two-tone look of the glass back and frame. Before the iPhone 16 Pro launched, there were rumors of a titanium desert shade. The mockups and dummy models were a darker, uglier brown than the soft gold, almost pink, shade Apple used.

It’s unusual for color rumors to be false, but it happens. Last year, rumors suggested there would be a black ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, but that was a color Apple had apparently discontinued.

And the iPhone 18?

The iPhone 18 will not launch in the fall alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models and the foldable iPhone. Apple is keeping it until spring 2027, and since that’s still months away, we haven’t heard what its color options might be. With standard iPhones, Apple often releases a range of colors.

There are five ‌iPhone 17‌ colors, including black, white, and three pastel shades in blue, lavender, and green. Apple tends to go back and forth between pastels and more saturated shades for the standard iPhone, so the 2027 ‌iPhone 18‌ could have more vibrant colors than Apple uses for the ‌iPhone 17‌ line.

The ‌iPhone 18‌ is rumored to launch alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2, and we also don’t know what colors Apple will use for these devices.

Launch schedule

Apple is expected to introduce the foldable iPhone and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models at an iPhone event the week of September 9. Pre-orders could begin at the end of the same week, with a launch on September 18.