‘Rose Titanium’ Could Be This Year’s iPhone 16 Pro Color

For years, your iPhone color choices were limited to shades of grey, white, and gold. While that partially changed in 2018, when the iPhone XR introduced a much more vibrant array of colors, Apple’s higher-end iPhone XS models retained the more “serious” color palette.

However, Apple decided to change things up slightly in 2019 by giving us a mild splash of color with the Midnight Green iPhone 11 Pro. Thus began the tradition of introducing a unique new iPhone Pro color each year.

That was Pacific Blue for the iPhone 12 Pro, Sierra Blue for the iPhone 13 Pro, and Deep Purple for the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 13 Pro also got an Alpine Green version six months later, the only mid-cycle color update to ever come to Apple’s premium iPhone lineup that also brought it back into line with the darker finishes of the other Pro models.

With Apple’s switch to titanium in last year’s iPhone 15 Pro lineup, it learned into a “Titanium” color theme, with the usual neutrals — Black Titanium, White Titanium, and Natural Titanium — joined by a Blue Titanium colorway that was reminiscent of the Pacific Blue iPhone 12 Pro.

Now that the iPhone 16 Pro is on the horizon, this has sparked the usual debate and rumors about what color choices Apple will make this year — especially considering Apple essentially ditched its long-standing gold finish in favor of “Natural Titanium,” marking the first time since the 2017 iPhone X that color was left out of the mix.

However, the iPhone X was also uniquely available in only silver and space grey. That in itself hearkened back to the simpler era of the iPhone 5 and prior models. Apple added gold for the first time in the iPhone 5s, which perhaps not coincidentally came out alongside the ill-fated iPhone 5c — the only time during that era in which Apple tried to introduce a more colorful low-end iPhone model.

What Colors Will Come to the iPhone 16 Pro?

Last month, leaker Majin Bu shared reports from his sources that suggested Apple was working on two possible new colors for the iPhone 16 Pro: Desert Yellow (aka Desert Titanium) and a heavier Cement Gray (aka Titanium Gray).

These were said to be the most plausible options out of several colors that were discussed, and the implication was that “Desert Titanium” could be the new gold but “deeper and heavier.” Meanwhile, Titanium Gray was expected to have a more metallic sheen than the current matte finishes of the iPhone 15 Pro.

Majin Bu made it clear that this report was “just a rumor,” so it’s probably not surprising that we’re hearing another leak suggesting the gold shade could be more like Apple’s rose gold — a favorite of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 years.

This latest rumor comes from a Weibo source shared on Twitter/X by ShrimpApplePro. It’s unclear whether Apple will call it “Rose Titanium” or simply “Rose,” but it’s believed that it will replace not only the Blue Titanium but also the Natural Titanium of the iPhone 15 Pro.

That’s not necessarily a stretch. Apple made a big deal about titanium for last year’s iPhone 15 Pro lineup because it was new, but the branding is already starting to feel stale. Continuing that theme into the iPhone 16 Pro lineup would be a bit much.

The “Cement Gray” referred to by Majin Bu could still be on the table, as the Weibo post suggests it could be the replacement for “Natural Titanium.” Meanwhile, Black Titanium would get darker, giving us a return to the Space Black iPhone 14 Pro, while the successor to White Titanium is said to be closer to the silver white of the iPhone 14 Pro.

While the Weibo post includes some color swatches, these are based on descriptions rather than actual color samples, so the reality could be quite different from what we’re hearing. Rose, in particular, has a wide range of possibilities, from the deeply pinkish gold of the iPhone 6s to a lighter champagne-like shade with a slightly gold tinge.

The source for much of this information isn’t entirely clear, and it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard color rumors that turned out to be way off; around this time last year, leakers were predicting Dark Sienna, Pink, and Light Blue for the iPhone 15 Pro, and three years ago there was a lot of noise around an orange iPhone 13 Pro that never materialized.

Needless to say, we wouldn’t put too much stock in these reports just yet. As plausible as a return to Rose Gold may seem, it’s equally possible that it’s just wishful thinking on the part of those who miss the era of the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and original iPhone SE.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]