Apple's 20 Color Options Show Fragmented Offerings Across Devices

While Apple's color options have been a source of considerable discussion in recent years, complaints about the company's color offerings started to gain traction following the launch of the iPhone 13 and the aluminum Apple Watch Series 7, which are not available in Space Gray or Silver. With 2021 drawing to a close, we have examined Apple's entire selection of colors across its devices to take a look at the growing fragmentation that seems to be occurring.


Overall, Apple offers a total of 20 different color options across 22 of its main hardware devices, excluding AirPods and AirPods Pro. As the above table shows, while many products are available in multiple color options, there is very little consistency across product lines.

Apple's most omnipresent color option is Silver, with 15 devices available. Space Gray is the second most prevalent, offered on 11 devices. Green is the next most common, with seven devices available, followed by Blue and PRODUCT(RED) with five devices.

imac color optionsThe 24-inch iMac in Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Silver.

Mismatching Devices

While inconsistent color options between individual products is not a significant issue, users with multiple devices may face problems matching their devices. For example, customers hoping to get all of their devices in Silver will be disappointed with the iPad mini's colors, while Space Gray fans will struggle with the 24-inch ‌iMac‌. More strikingly, neither the ‌iPhone 13‌ or the aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 have a Silver or a Space Gray color option.

ipad mini colorsThe ‌iPad mini‌ in Space Gray, Pink, Purple, and Starlight.

It may be understandable that Apple does not offer bright-colored options, such Yellow or Orange, for all of its product lines, since users can theoretically look to neutral colors that should not contrast with the rest of their device setup. However, while it may be expected that Apple does not offer a consistent range of vibrant color options for all of its devices, clear issues emerge with matching Apple's neutral colors.

apple watch series 7 colorsThe Apple Watch Series 7 in Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, and (PRODUCT)RED.

Apple offers Silver/White and Starlight as equivalent light neutral colors, in the same way that it offers dark neutral colors of Space Gray, Black, Midnight, and Space Black. These multiple variants often contrast, with Starlight's warm, champagne-tone clashing with Apple's cool, monochrome Silver. Similar issues may be seen with the contrast between Black, the navy blue-tinted Midnight, and Space Gray.

iphone 11 colorsThe iPhone 11 in Black, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Yellow, and Purple.

iphone 12 colorsThe ‌iPhone‌ 12 in Black, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Blue, and Purple.

Without a consistent or matching set of neutral tones to use as the base color options across the product lineups, creating a visually congruent setup becomes extremely difficult, depending on your exact range of devices and choice of colors. While this may not be bothersome to some users, others who have appreciated the company's famed attention to detail have bemoaned the lack of consistency on social media.

iphone 12 colors 3The ‌iPhone 13‌ in (PRODUCT)RED, Pink, Blue, Midnight, and Starlight.

'Pro' Devices Only?

Some pundits have suggested that it is Apple's intention to offer a more limited color palette of just Silver and Space Gray for its "Pro" products, reserving more vibrant color options for its consumer-level devices. While it is true that devices like the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro are only available in Silver and Space Gray, the disparities begin to emerge when looking at the inconsistency of Silver and Space Gray among consumer-level devices.

A large number of standard-level devices, such as the Mac mini, ‌iPad mini‌, iPad Air, entry-level iPad, ‌iMac‌, HomePod mini, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple Watch SE, are available in either Silver, Space Gray, or both. Some devices, such as the ‌iMac‌, are available in Silver, with no Space Gray option, while devices like the ‌iPad mini‌ are available in Space Gray, but not Silver. So while it holds true that Pro devices have fewer color options, there seems to be no clearly discernible pattern of color offerings to separate Apple's product lines.

iphone 12 pro colorsThe ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro in Silver, Sierra Blue, Gold, and Graphite.

Multiple Shades

Though Apple now offers a total of 20 color options across 22 devices, in reality, there are multiple shades of Space Gray, Blue, and Purple within Apple's labelled colors. Space Gray is infamous for its inconsistent finish on different devices, looking considerably lighter on MacBooks and darker on the AirPods Max, for example. While the ‌iMac‌, ‌iPhone‌ 12, and ‌iPhone 13‌ are offered in Blue, they are all very different shades, and similar problems may be seen with the company's Purple.

ipad air colorsThe ‌iPad Air‌ in Space Gray, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue.

Naming Choices

Apple's 20 color options also seem to feature some similar shades with no clear differences. For example, the White iPhone SE, ‌iPhone‌ 11, and ‌iPhone‌ 12 are effectively Silver, while Pink and Rose Gold also seem to be effectively the same. Sky Blue is much lighter than Blue, but it looks very similar to Sierra Blue. Apple seems to use "Graphite" to delineate a gray stainless steel device from Space Gray aluminum devices, despite effectively being the same. Other names, such as "Starlight," have come under fire for a purported lack of clarity.

Colors in 2022

Initially, it seemed like there could have been some consolidation of Apple's color options in late 2020 to early 2021, with broad color matches between the ‌iPad Air‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌, and loose congruity with the ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 12, and 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

The fall 2021 releases of the ‌iPad mini‌, ‌iPhone 13‌, Apple Watch Series 7, MacBook Pro, and refreshed ‌HomePod mini‌ shattered any pattern, however. Even the assumption that Midnight would replace Space Gray was dispelled by the launch of the ‌iPad mini‌, which is available in Space Gray instead. Similarly, Starlight has not proven to be a replacement for White and Silver, with Apple sticking to its traditional light neutral colors for the high-end MacBook Pro and refreshed ‌HomePod mini‌.

Apple often refreshes the colors of some of its products mid-way through their cycle, and this seems plausible for the ‌iPhone 13‌ and AirPods Max in particular going into 2022. With an updated ‌iPad Air‌, MacBook Air, the iPhone 14 and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro, as well as three new Apple Watch models, expected to launch with multiple color options next year, 2022 could give greater clarity and consistency to Apple's color palette going forward.

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
anker new gold

Anker Begins Countdown to Christmas Sale With Up to 50% Off Popular Charging Accessories

Thursday December 7, 2023 7:55 am PST by
Anker has launched its newest holiday sale, this one offering a special deal every day in the lead-up to Christmas. These sales offer up to 50 percent off select products, and include discounts on USB-C chargers, portable batteries, and much more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which ...