Subj : The rumored iPhone 17 colors are nothing special but an old Appl To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Mon Sep 08 2025 13:45:10 The rumored iPhone 17 colors are nothing special but an old Apple strategy could set things right Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:32:36 +0000 Description: Apple used to release a new color for the iPhone at the midpoint of each release cycle, but for the last few years, there have been no mid-year refreshes I want to see this trend return, especially if the bland rumored colors turn out to be accurate. FULL STORY ====================================================================== The iPhone 17 series is right around the corner barring any super-last-minute rumors, weve pretty much heard everything were likely to hear about Apples next-generation handsets before the company's Awe Dropping event kicks off on September 9. As such, weve seen some reasonably likely rumored colors for the iPhone 17 , iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Ive got to say Im a bit underwhelmed. Weve seen the usual black, white, grey, and silver options for each handset, but for want of better phrasing, the other choices just arent doing it for me. Now, these upcoming iPhones are likely to be the best iPhones ever released and some of the best phones on the market. But aesthetics matter, and they go a long way in making an iPhone fashionable in the short term and memorable over the years. The rumored iPhone 17 Air, for example, seems to be getting an off-white or gold-tinged color that looks similar to the iPhone 16 Pros Desert Titanium finish, as well as some sort of blue colorway. Neither gives the first new iPhone variant in three years as much pop as you might expect. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Majin Bu) Image 2 of 3 (Image credit: Majin Bu) Image 3 of 3 (Image credit: Majin Bu) As for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the only really notable color is the orange finish floated by various online tipsters. Its fine. The new orange color is neither as audacious as the glowing gold iPhone Pros of years past, or as beautifully subtle as something like the iPhone 14 Pros Midnight Purple finish. Things are slightly better for the base-model iPhone 17, which could be getting a blue, purple, and green option alongside the typical black and white. By the looks of supposedly leaked images, these hues strike a mid-point between the pastels of the iPhone 15 and the near-neon tinge of the iPhone 16. These do have a bit more pizzazz than the higher-tier models, but that raises its own question (more on that later). So, none of these colors are leaping out at me. Whats a tech fan to do? The lost art of the mid-year refresh The bright yellow iPhone 14 made waves when it launched midway through the iPhone 14 release cycle. (Image credit: Apple) Up until recently, a lack of compelling colors at launch wasnt the end of the story. In the era of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 lineups, Apple was known to release a new color halfway through the cycle, usually one that stood out from the rest of the bunch. For the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, this was a bold purple, while the entire iPhone 13 series got a new green option half a year after release. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, meanwhile, got a very bright yellow. As well as pushing the current-gen iPhone back into the news cycle, saving a new color for a mid-year refresh gave hope to those who werent so taken with the launch colors. However, the iPhone 15 series came and went with no new mid-cycle color option, and unless Apple wants to drop a new iPhone 16 color weeks before launching the iPhone 17, the current generation will likewise have come and gone without a post-launch update. I think thats a shame. Apple is at its best when it embraces a sense of fun, and the mid-year colors were genuinely some of the most appealing on the lineup (for as loud as the yellow iPhone 14 is, I do know some people who sought it out). Id love to see the mid-cycle refresh make a comeback for the iPhone 17 series, from the base-model iPhone 17 up to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Pro phones deserve fun colors The iPhone 16 Pro comes in four sophisticated, but very muted, colors (Image credit: Apple) You might have noticed that Apples previous mid-year colors were most often released to the base-model iPhones, with only the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max getting a nice new Alpine Green color option. This raises another question why is it that the more expensive iPhones usually lack variety when it comes to color options? Surely there are power users who would enjoy using a more vibrant handset. Some might say that the new orange color I complain about above fills this role, but to my eye, this looks like more of a muted 'burnt' orange than anything too vibrant. The saving grace of the iPhone 17 lineups aesthetic profile may prove to be the standard model if the rumored colors referenced above turn out to be accurate itd be nice to see Apple bring some continuity to the lineup and add a muted green iPhone 17 Pro, or perhaps a lilac variant. Its not like the grey and black models are going anywhere, nor should they. At the end of the day, what color your phone comes in doesn't have any bearing on how well it runs, but for some users, self-expression ranks as highly as function. Im keen to see Apple revive the mid-year refresh to bring some more personality to the next generation of iPhone let us know your thoughts in the comments. You might also like New Galaxy S26 leaks point to a curvier Ultra model and an iPhone 17-like design I've not bought an iPhone since 2012, but Apple could win me back in one key area Hands on: I spent time with the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE and it absolutely crushes the iPhone 16e in every way that matters ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/the-rumored-iphone-17-colors-are-nothi ng-special-but-an-old-apple-strategy-could-set-things-right --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .