"Apple" Deep Cherry Is Coming! The New Color for iPhone 18 Pro Looks Even More Certain

The rumors around the color options for Apple’s next wave of new devices are already pointing in a pretty clear direction. According to macrumors, a source familiar with Apple’s supply chain revealed that Apple is planning a new color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the future foldable iPhone. To me, the most interesting part of this kind of leak isn’t just “whether there will be a new color,” but how Apple plans to keep the Pro series’ signature character: performance-focused, flagship-level, and restrained.

The headline color named this time is “Dark Cherry.” The report describes it as being close to a deep red wine tone, which lines up well with previous claims from multiple leakers about Apple testing red shades. Compared with the “Cosmic Orange” of the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro, Dark Cherry clearly isn’t the kind of flashy, attention-grabbing color meant to leap out at first glance. Instead, it feels more like the kind of dark paint finish you’d see on a race car with its center of gravity lowered—still full of speed, but with its aggressiveness refined into something more mature.

Based on the development information currently circulating, Apple is testing four colors: light blue, Dark Cherry, dark gray, and silver. The corresponding Pantone codes were also mentioned. The light blue is Pantone 2121, with a style similar to the current iPhone 17’s “Mist Blue”; Dark Cherry is Pantone 6076, and it’s also the most closely watched new signature color this time; in addition, there’s dark gray in Pantone 426C and silver in Pantone 427C, both of which are closer to the familiar safe choices preferred by Pro users.

But it’s worth tapping the brakes here first, because this color lineup hasn’t crossed the finish line yet. The source also made it clear that “however, the source emphasized that these four color options are still in the development stage.” That means that before the iPhone 18 Pro enters mass production, Apple can still adjust the plan, and it may not necessarily bring all four colors to the launch event in the end. In other words, what we’re seeing now is a test lineup, not the final launch roster.

If we’re only talking about trends, I actually think Dark Cherry looks very much like a continuation of the aesthetic Apple has been extending across its high-end product lines in recent years. It’s not meant to create an exaggerated talking point; rather, it seems aimed at finding a more balanced sweet spot between professionalism, texture, and recognizability. For people considering a Pro model, if you’ve found gold and silver too conventional before, but also think highly saturated colors are too loud, then Dark Cherry will most likely be that middle-ground option—distinctive, yet not easy to grow tired of.

From the perspective of user choice, my advice is straightforward. If you want something safe and strong in second-hand resale value, dark gray and silver remain the reliable options; if you want something fresh but don’t want a bright color that feels too scene-dependent, then Dark Cherry is the one worth waiting to see. As for the light blue, if it makes the final cut, it feels more like an attempt to add a touch of lightness to the Pro series. But in terms of premium positioning, its memorability will probably still fall short of this wine-red headline tone.

So what really makes this leak worth paying attention to isn’t simply that “Apple is releasing another new color,” but that the visual language of the Pro series may be shifting gears. It’s no longer relying solely on cool-toned metallic textures to carry the look, but is beginning to experiment with darker expressions that feel more emotional and layered. As long as Apple doesn’t change course at the last moment, this touch of Dark Cherry on the iPhone 18 Pro really does have a chance to become the most enduringly attractive lead color among the next generation of flagships.