Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro colour lineup is coming into focus months ahead of its expected September 2026 launch, and if the leaks are accurate, the headline shade this year is a deep, wine-toned finish called Dark Cherry.
From Cosmic Orange to Something More Understated
Macworld, citing a source familiar with Apple’s supply chain, reports that Dark Cherry will serve as the flagship new colour for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, replacing last year’s Cosmic Orange on the iPhone 17 Pro. Where Cosmic Orange was bold and divisive, Dark Cherry appears to be Apple moving in a more restrained direction. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other leakers had previously suggested Apple was testing a shade of red, but the colour is reportedly much more muted than Cosmic Orange, considerably closer to wine than to a brighter red.
The Full Four-Colour Lineup
According to the leak, the four iPhone 18 Pro colour options are Light Blue, Dark Grey, Silver, and Dark Cherry. The Light Blue hue looks similar to the colour of the same name used on the MacBook Air, while Silver is reportedly identical to the Silver option on the current iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Dark Grey rounds out the slate as the predictable professional option for buyers who want nothing flashy.
Notably, black is once again absent from the lineup, which would make it the second consecutive year Apple has dropped what many consider its most classic colour option for the Pro models.
Hardware Changes Beyond Colour
The colour news arrives alongside other early details on the iPhone 18 Pro’s design. Leaked CAD drawings show a smaller Dynamic Island, aligning with recently leaked dummy units, and suggest a slightly reduced gap between the rear glass and the camera bump, though it is unclear whether the latter reflects a finalised change.
Android manufacturers are already expected to copy Dark Cherry quickly, as happened with Cosmic Orange after the iPhone 17 Pro launched. That Apple’s colour choices now set trends for the broader smartphone market says something about the influence the Pro lineup still carries.
Still Early Days
All four colours are said to still be in development, and since the iPhone 18 Pro has not yet entered mass production, Apple still has time to adjust or drop a colour entirely before launch. September 2026 remains the expected announcement window, but for now, Dark Cherry has already sparked more excitement than its predecessor managed.
