The iPhone 16 Pro May Come in Two New Shades of Titanium

Last year, Apple leaned heavily into its new titanium construction for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, going so far as to create a themed color palette that conspicuously used “Titanium” in the name of every color. While the iPhone 16 Pro lineup will undoubtedly keep the same titanium frame, Apple will naturally change up the colors at least a bit, and now we’re seeing an early report on what two of those might be.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max came in Natural Titanium, Black Titanium, White Titanium, and Blue Titanium, the last being the only splash of color on the current Pro lineup. However, that’s not surprising as Apple has typically adopted muted colors for its Pro iPhone lineup, saving the more vibrant and fun hues for the standard iPhone models.

For example, the years of basic blacks, silvers, whites, and golds were only broken in 2018 when the iPhone XR entered the ring as the first standard iPhone. The iPhone XS was a direct successor to the iPhone X and later morphed into the Pro models we know and love today.

It was the iPhone 11 Pro series that first gave us anything colorful in an Apple premium flagship — Midnight Green — but it was still a muted, earthy tone that seemed decidedly serious and only tangentially fun. That was followed by the Pacific Blue iPhone 12 Pro with a similarly dark tone before Apple changed things up a bit with the brighter Sierra Blue iPhone 13 Pro.

The iPhone 13 Pro also marked the only mid-cycle color update we’ve ever seen for an iPhone Pro with a new darkish Alpine Green that showed up in March 2022. Six months later, we got the Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro.

So, with the exception of Sierra Blue, iPhone Pro colors have always been somber affairs, and even the iPhone 13 Pro was brought into step with the rest thanks to the addition of Alpine Green.

The Blue Titanium iPhone 15 Pro continues that trend with a look eerily reminiscent of the Pacific Blue iPhone 12 Pro. Meanwhile, while Samsung seems to have shamelessly copied Apple, switching its Galaxy S24 Ultra over to titanium and adopting similarly titanium-themed colors, we have to give it props for having a bit more fun with those.

For example, while Blue Titanium is your only option for getting a colorful iPhone 15 Pro (other than slapping on a case), Samsung is offering the Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow in addition to the more muted Titanium Black and Titanium Gray (which roughly corresponds to Apple’s Natural Titanium finish). As usual, Samsung also has a few exclusive colors available directly from Samsung, including Titanium Green, Titanium Orange, and Titanium Blue.

While we’d love to see Apple get a bit more creative with the iPhone 16 Pro’s color palette this year, we’re not holding our breath. However, if news from leaker Majin Bu is accurate, we may at least see a return to a more gold-like hue.

While several possible colors were discussed, they were seemingly “less plausible.” The two that rose to the top of the list are a “Desert Titanium” or “Desert Yellow,” which could be a richer (“deeper and heavier”) version of the gold iPhone 14 Pro. This would be joined by a “Titanium Gray” or “Cement Gray” that’s said to be closer to the more metallic space gray of the iPhone 6 era and would probably suit a titanium-themed finish.

Like most rumors, we’d take this with a grain of salt; Majin Bu has a mixed track record, and the leaker admits this is “just a rumor” at this point. However, it’s interesting nevertheless, and it will be worth keeping an eye on what Apple might come up with in terms of finishes for this year’s iPhone Pro models.

[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.]