The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models are rumored to be available in a refreshed range of color options, including an all-new purple color. Most expectations about the iPhone 14 lineup's color options come from an unverified post on Chinese social media site Weibo earlier this year.
Overall, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro's selection of color options could look fairly similar to those of the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 Pro, headlining with the re-introduction of a purple shade. Excluding mid-cycle color additions, such as Green and Alpine Green for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro earlier this year, it initially looked like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro would launch with the same number of color options as their predecessors, but there have since been rumors about a new Blue shade.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max
Compared to the selection of color options available with the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are said to be available in the following colors:
iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13
- Midnight
- Starlight
- Blue
- PRODUCT(RED)
- Pink
- Green
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max
- Black (Midnight?)
- White (Starlight?)
- Blue
- Red (PRODUCT(RED)?)
- Purple
Assuming that the Weibo post's black and white options for the iPhone 14 actually refer to Midnight and Starlight, the new color lineup would mean the discontinuation of the iPhone 13's Pink and Green.
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
For the high-end models, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will apparently feature a similar selection of colors to the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max:
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Graphite
- Silver
- Gold
- Sierra Blue
- Alpine Green
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Graphite
- Silver
- Gold
- Blue
- Purple
This would mean that the iPhone 13 Pro's Sierra Blue and Alpine Green would not be carried over this year. For its "Pro" models, Apple also usually offers an all-new color alongside its standard Graphite or Space Gray, Silver, and Gold at launch. For the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro, this included Midnight Green, Pacific Blue, Sierra Blue, and Alpine Green, and this year it looks like Apple plans to continue the trend of offering a some standout colors.
Recently shared images of iPhone 14 Pro dummy models showed similar Gold, Graphite, and Silver color options from recent years. Two other color options depicted in the images would be new to the current "Pro" iPhone lineup: a dark purple and a blue.
Dummy models usually do not represent the exact tone of Apple's options with a high level of accuracy since they are often made of plastic, but the selection of colors on show could provide a basic overview of what to expect. Dummy models are used to display, demonstrate, and test accessories like cases, so they strive to provide a relatively accurate overall substitute for the actual physical device. As such, it is reasonable to expect the color options to be based on legitimate information.
New Purple Finish
In recent years, Apple has offered eye-catching new color options alongside more neutral tones when launching new iPhone models. The purple color option for both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro is said to be a unique finish that shifts tone based on lighting conditions.
A purple color option for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro seems plausible given that Apple introduced a Purple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a mid-cycle refresh in April last year to a positive response from customers, and the 24-inch iMac, sixth-generation iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPad Air are all available in Purple.
It is not clear if the unique purple finish is actively supposed to have a kaleidoscopic effect to change based on lighting conditions, or simply use the technique behind the iPhone 13 Pro's Sierra Blue, which varies in appearance more than the other color options. This is because Apple adopted a new production process exclusively for Sierra Blue that uses "multiple layers of nanometer-scale metallic ceramics applied across the surface for a stunning and durable finish."
A brief video of an iPhone 14 Pro dummy model, showing a larger rear camera bump and a relocated front-facing camera in line with rumors about the device so far, provides a closer look at what the striking dark purple color could look like.
Purple only appears at certain angles.
source: https://t.co/K6WqjdBKgM pic.twitter.com/7fySSCoAN4 — DuanRui (@duanrui1205) August 25, 2022
Color Option Rumors
The main iPhone 14 color option rumor from Weibo got traction on Twitter and the information has seemingly been mirrored by other unverified posts from elsewhere. Nevertheless, the post came from a source without a known track record and it is not clear why it was deleted, so it should still be viewed with a level of skepticism.
Color option rumors are typically an area of low accuracy for Apple rumors, likely since color options are chosen relatively late in Apple's product development process. Last year, Max Weinbach and Ukrainian e-commerce website KTC said that the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 would be available in Black, Blue, Purple, Pink, White, and PRODUCT(RED), while the the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max would be available in Black, Silver, Gold, and Bronze. The Purple, Black, and Bronze color options did not emerge, while the actual new shade of Sierra Blue was largely unexpected.
Illustrative of this is a recent post from user "yeux1122" on Korean blog Naver, citing "vendor sources." The post said that "very few colors are actually being released" for the iPhone 14 lineup, and that previous rumors about the device's color options were only derived from samples. It added that Apple is searching for the source of leaks using approximately three different color samples. In addition, "rather than the purple currently being discussed," Apple is reportedly planning to use "a completely different color that was prepared from the iPhone 12."
As such, it is difficult to glean much reliable information about the iPhone 14 lineup's color options. As it stands, the Weibo rumor and the emphasis on purple as the new headline shade still seem plausible, but only time will tell.
