Were you planning to get a black iPhone 17 Pro last year, only to be sideswiped with the revelation that there was no black iPhone 17 Pro? Well, if you were hoping that Apple would come to its senses and release a black iPhone 18 Pro later this year, then we have more bad news for you.
According to one Apple leaker, Apple has no plans to release a black iPhone 18 Pro.
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The leaker, known as Instant Digital on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, has a good track record when it comes to advance knowledge of Apple’s upcoming devices. Instant Digital has previously shared accurate information in previous iPhone leaks.
This would mark the second year in a row that Apple decided to pass on a black color option for its premium iPhone models. Apple shocked its fans last year when it released the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max without a standard black option (the phones were offered in silver, deep blue, and cosmic orange).
The iPhone 17 Pro line had an anodized aluminum body (instead of titanium), which proved to be extremely scratch-prone, and “scratchgate” could explain the lack of a black color option. Scratches were more visible with the darker deep blue colors.
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As 9to5Mac points out, while the cosmic orange offering caught consumers off guard, the color option was actually widely popular and may have partially led to Apple having its best fiscal quarter in its history.
It appears Apple may be trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice. As Bloomberg‘s Apple insider Mark Gurman previously reported, the company is currently working on a “Deep Red” color offering for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. This would be the first iPhone to come in any shade of red since the iPhone 14 was offered in red as part of the (PRODUCT)RED lineup.
For iPhone users who must have a black color smartphone, the iPhone 18 base model will likely still come in black. In addition, Apple is reportedly passing on any fun colors for the much-talked-about iPhone Fold, which is rumored to launch by the end of the year. Apple appears to be opting for more traditional Apple colors for its first foldable mobile device (think space gray and, yes, black).
With all that being said, Apple could still change its mind or even unveil a completely different color lineup for the new iPhone 18 line come September.
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