Apple iPhone 18 Pro Design Latest: 4 New Colors And Updated Case Style
https://www.forbes.com/video/e2fb7658-d57e-4a46-aecd-36033a133db4/
Aug. 25 update. This post, first published on Aug. 22, was updated to reflect more information about the predicted iPhone 18 Pro design changes, including the next processor.
When the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are unveiled (likely on Sept. 9 — read full details here ), the design will be a central focus for would-be customers. Here's what's known and what colors are expected.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro: What will replace Cosmic Orange?
iPhone 18 Pro Overall Design
Although Apple no longer has an "S" year for the iPhone, this year's design is expected to look very similar to the current model.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Discounted Day Re-Enters The September Schedule
Last September, the design changes introduced for the Pro models were considerable. Out went the titanium edge and all-glass back of the 16 Pro, in came aluminum for the frame and part of the back. There was also a new full-width camera panel for the first time.
These changes are expected to remain live for the iPhone 18 Pro series. However, there will be differences.
For a start, while the colors of the glass panel and aluminum surround are noticeably distinct, it's thought there will be greater uniformity this time.
To be clear, the two elements will still be distinguishable — it would be hard to make them look identical as they are different materials — but there's likely to be more alignment this time.
Note also that there have been reports about the size of the next iPhones — you can read full details of this here . While the most recent notes that Otterbox is selling a case already which it says is compatible with both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro, suggesting an identical size for both phones, that still leaves room for design changes.
For instance, it's been rumored by Fixed Focus Digital that camera upgrades may lead to a thicker camera plateau. This report specifically said that the aluminum alloy back plate size increased by 2mm.
Could this mean Otterbox is right? That will come down to how big the protective lip on the case around the camera panel is. Personally, I still feel Otterbox was pretty bold to release the case already, but we'll see.
There's another design change which absolutely won't affect third-party cases, and that's the size of the Dynamic Island in the iPhone 18 Pro display. Several reports have suggested that the next models will have a cut-out that's 35% smaller than at present.
iPhone 18 Pro Processor Design
The latest Mac mini and Mac Studio chips could reveal details of what the next iPhone processor will be like.
The surprise release of the M6 and M5 Ultra chips today for the Mac mini and Mac Studio — read this for full details — could reveals what we can expect from the A20 Pro processor which is expected to land with the iPhone 18 Pro.
"Because M6 and A20 Pro are part of the same family of chips, the upgrades announced for M6 are expected to reflect changes coming in A20 Pro too.," 9to5Mac reported on Aug. 25.
"And most notably, A20 Pro will use the new 2-nanometer process Apple highlights as enabling "a major leap in performance and power efficiency" with M6. We've suspected that the transition to 2nm will bring bigger than usual gains. But the M6 details confirm that," it went on.
The 2nm process is designed for major gains. The "2 nm process technology, packing greater transistor density into a smaller die for a major leap in performance and power efficiency," Apple said in a Newsroom post today.
And the post, focused on the Mac, repeatedly said how the new 2nm Mac chip was evolved to allow on-device AI processes to thrive. It's likely that the same logic will apply to the iPhone.
iPhone 18 Pro Predicted Colors
Apple's colors are always a strong source of interest, for customers and rival brands alike.
Where the current Cosmic Orange for the iPhone 17 Pro has been a very big hit, Apple won't carry it over to the 2026 series. It will want a new hero color and the most consistent reports are that it will be something quieter and darker. It's predicted to be a dark cherry color, though it will probably have a different name.
Mock-ups from publications like MacRumors show a dark, wine-like red with strong purple undertones. Think burgundy with a hint of oxblood. Plum could be another name for it, based on what it may look like, though I don't for a second think that's the name it will have.
Of course, it may be different: color is one of the elements Apple can keep as a surprise better than almost anything. Cosmic Orange was tipped to be a golden or bronze color until we actually saw it.
While that is likely to be the hero color, reports suggest that there will be a total of four colors this year, not the three (Cosmic Orange, Silver and Deep Blue) currently on the shelves. You'll notice there's no dark gray or black in the current range, which was a break from tradition, but it looks like the traditional and perennially popular shade will be back this fall. Silver will remain, though is highly likely to be a different shade — Apple rarely duplicates colors between years.
And the fourth color is likely to be a light blue, a color the Pro range has seen before and there's a similar light blue in the iPhone 17 range, too.
iPhone Foldable Colors
Apple is also releasing its first folding iPhone, though it's not thought there will be anything bright or gaudy.
As for the widely expected foldable iPhone, it's thought there will be a silver or white model. If there's a second shade it might be black or a dark navy.
Whatever the colors, they're likely to be more restrained and businesslike than the iPhone 18 Pro. Apple may want to release a straightforward version, color-wise, first and branch out into more striking shades in any future version.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Event: Predicted September Keynote Schedule
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
