In summary:
- Macworld reports that Apple’s 2026 iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to feature a new ‘Dark Cherry’ color, described as a deep wine-red shade replacing the iPhone 17 Pro’s ‘Cosmic Orange’.
- The iPhone 18 lineup will include Pro, Pro Max, and a revolutionary foldable iPhone Ultra that’s 4.7mm thick when unfolded, resembling an iPad mini.
- Design refinements include a smaller Dynamic Island for increased screen space and reduced gaps between camera glass and bump for a more seamless appearance.
It’s iPhone leaks season again. In just a couple of months, Apple is expected to unveil three new phones: the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, and a new foldable iPhone now rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra. But as always, one of the most important questions for buyers will be, What colors will Apple release this time?
Like last year, Macworld has received information from a source familiar with Apple’s supply chain regarding the color options for the iPhone 18 lineup. We can now reveal an inside look at the colors Apple is planning to release in 2026, along with our own renders to show what to expect.
Dark Cherry is the new Cosmic Orange
Every year, Apple introduces a new signature color for the iPhone Pro models. With the iPhone 17 Pro, the color that stood out the most was the vibrant Cosmic Orange. What about this year’s models?
While other sources have previously reported on a “Dark Red” color, the information we’ve heard suggests that Apple has been working on a Dark Cherry option to serve as the headline new color for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Previously, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other leakers had suggested that Apple has been experimenting with a shade of red for this year’s phones, but we can reveal the hue will be much closer to wine than fruit punch.
While Dark Cherry color won’t be as bright and striking as Cosmic Orange in person, it will still be unique enough to distinguish it as the new iPhone 18 Pro. As always, Apple is expected to discontinue the current lineup of colors, including Cosmic Orange.
Foundry
Apple has also been reportedly experimenting with two other new color options for this year’s Pro lineup. One of them is Light Blue, which would resemble the current Mist Blue color of the base iPhone 17. The other color in development is a dark shade of gray. Finally, our source also reports on the existence of a silver variant of the iPhone 18 Pro, similar to the current generation.
Once again, our source notes that the colors are all in development, but since the iPhone 18 Pro hasn’t gone into mass production yet, Apple still has time to change them. Also, bear in mind that Apple doesn’t always offer four color options for the Pro models, so one of these hues could be dropped.
Last year, both Macworld and the reliable leaker Sonny Dickson reported that Apple had also considered launching the iPhone 17 Pro in black or steel gray. However, those color options never saw the light of day.
Here are the Pantone color codes our says are being used internally by Apple:
- Light Blue (Pantone 2121)
- Dark Cherry (Pantone 6076)
- Dark Gray (Pantone 426C)
- Silver (Pantone 427C)
We used these codes to generate the image above. Of course, colors may look a bit different in real life due to the material and lighting conditions.
A very familiar design with minor changes
Macworld’s sources also had access to the CAD drawings of the new iPhones. These documents support the rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look very similar to their predecessors, with only minor changes.
Most notably, the renders show a smaller Dynamic Island on the screen, which has been rumored to be one of the changes for this year’s models. This means the display will have more screen space for content when the Dynamic Island isn’t showing Live Activities.
Foundry
Another interesting change noted by our source is that, in one of the renders, the gap between the glass cutout on the back and the camera bump is a bit smaller. Our source was unable to verify whether this is an old render, or if Apple is moving forward with a design change.
Last year, a Weibo leaker known as Instant Digital reported that Apple would adopt a new process to minimize the color difference between the glass and the aluminum frame, so perhaps that change also involves reducing the gap between the glass and the camera bump at some point.
More neutral colors for the foldable iPhone
We’ve also received details about the color options for the rumored foldable iPhone. The device, which will reportedly look like an iPad mini when unfolded, won’t come in fun colors like the base iPhone and may have even fewer options than the iPhone Pro.
For the foldable iPhone, Apple has been working on a classic silver and white model, as well as an Indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro’s Deep Blue.
Foundry
The source also corroborates leaked CADs and renders showing the potential design of the foldable iPhone, which is expected to feature two rear cameras, a selfie camera on the outer display, and another selfie camera in the upper-left corner of the inner display. The schematics seen by our source reveal that the foldable iPhone will be just 4.7 millimeters thick when unfolded, making it significantly thinner than the 5.6mm iPhone Air.
The iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone are all expected to launch in September, while some analysts suggest that the foldable model will hit stores at a later date. The base model of the iPhone 18, the iPhone 18e, and a new Air have been rumored to arrive in the first half of 2027, which has also been confirmed by our source.