New leak suggests fourth iPhone 16 Pro lineup color is more 'dark gold' than 'brown'
A new photo from frequent leaker Maijin Bu on X.com shows color samples purported to be from the forthcoming iPhone 16 Pro lineup. The report suggests that earlier photos of a brownish "desert titanium" option may be misleading.
The iPhone 16 Pro lineup will be replacing the blue titanium option with a new color.
In his report, Bu lists the colours as "white, black, gold, and gray." He notes that the gold color is a very dark gold, "relatively discreet and deep." The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to continue using titanium as the body material, as the iPhone 15 Pro lineup did.
An earlier photo from fellow leaker Sonny Dickson showed alleged iPhone 16 Pro models with white, black, gray and a much more bronze or brownish shade that has since been referred to as "desert titanium." It's likely that this shade will replace the current blue titanium color seen on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If accurate, the iPhone 16 Pro lineup will retain the white, black, and natural titanium color options. Commenters on Bu's post indicated that a bronzish-gold option might end up looking better than the browner tone seen in Dickson's photo of the possible finishes.
Photo posted by Maijin Bu showing alleged iPhone 16 Pro lineup colors.
Previous rumors have maintained that the fourth titanium color option for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max would be a "rose" or "rose gold" option. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was among the first to make the prediction of a rose-colored titanium color.
Apple is expected to hold a September event to announce the full iPhone 16 lineup. Also expected are some new Mac and iPad models, along with updated AirPods and new software.
Rumor Score: Possible
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Comments
Except the iPhone 15 Pro lineup doesn't have a titanium body. What it has is a piece of titanium trim -- the band that wraps around the phone -- which replaced the stainless steel trim that Apple previously used. That is it. But you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an all Ti body thanks to Apple's ubiquitous "TITANIUM" marketing campaign. They sure do know how to promote a piece of metal trim.
The 15 (non pro) was the most boring bad looking color lineup since the iPhone 3G (it came in black).
15 pro had titanium which was also extremely boring but it was new and it looked good in poster size marketing pictures where they show the brush strokes (which you can't see on real devices since they're too tiny.... but thanks to the marketing images, you could kind of imagine your bland, grey brick, which kinda looks like concrete, was actually a sexy brush stroke metal. I guess you could also see it with a loupe.
I bought it anyway because I needed a new phone but ... yeah. I'd rather have a cool looking phone. Making up for it with the case.
Samsung followed suit and so now everyone's phones have bland toned down boring colors.
As the owner of a Titanium Pro Max, I think the Titanium is also inside - because these phones are noticeably lighter.
The lightness is probably the biggest improvement on the 14 as day to day use is concerned, especially in the max, the 14 pro max was just really heavy.
Is it kinda sad that losing a few grams is now the something to get excited about ? Yes in some ways since phones really have topped out and now the improvements are getting ever more marginal. The iPhone XS is still good, for example - still a very good phone. Only the camera is significantly better on newer devices. But the XS still had a camera that's just fine for 90% of use cases. Sending silly snaps to friends, etc. Not every photo is an art piece, and not every art piece gains from improved sensors and lenses.
Anyway, the titanium was a huge marketing thing, the lie here was that you get this sexy brushed aluminium piece, looks like a ferrari - but in real life, these brush strokes on the metal, if they even exist, are not visible to the naked eye. You'd have to look really closely and have really good eyes - to all others, it just looks like a uniform grey slab. So that was a marketing lie, which made a big difference, but it was so prevalent I am sure many simply imagine the brush strokes on their phones....