New iPhone 16 Colors Looking Increasingly Unlikely

In recent years, Apple has often released new iPhone color options as a mid-product cycle refresh, but the chances of a similar announcement in 2025 are looking increasingly unlikely.

iphone 16 lineup colors
Apple has added new ‌iPhone‌ colors on six occasions in the past, consistently in either the March or April following an ‌iPhone‌'s launch:

  • iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: (PRODUCT)RED (Tuesday, March 21, 2017)
  • iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: (PRODUCT)RED (Monday, April 9, 2018)
  • iPhone 12 and 12 mini: Purple (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)
  • iPhone 13 and 13 mini: Green (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)
  • iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max: Alpine Green (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)
  • iPhone 14 and 14 Plus: Yellow (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)

The last two times Apple released new ‌iPhone‌ color options midway through the year, it did so on the second Tuesday in March—which falls today in 2025.

There are currently no rumors about new color options for the iPhone 16, and it's possible Apple could skip this year like it did for the ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, and ‌iPhone‌ 15 in 2019, 2020, and 2024. That being said, Apple has released new colors many more times than it has chosen not to do so since 2017.

The ‌iPhone 16‌ is available in Black, White, Teal, Pink, and Ultramarine. A new red, yellow, purple, or grey seem possible since these have all been offered on ‌iPhone‌ models in the past and are not too similar to any of the existing shades.

Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, as well as a range of new iPads and Macs, we're swiftly approaching the latest likely period for Apple to announce a new color option. There are usually rumors that point to which new color to expect, but with no sign of this, it looks like Apple will probably skip this year's new color option just like it did for the ‌iPhone‌ 15.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
top stories 2025 12 04a

Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

Saturday December 6, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public. There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...

Top Rated Comments

freezelighter Avatar
10 months ago
We need a new iPhone Mini.
No matter which color.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arkitect Avatar
10 months ago
Aw rats!

I was holding out for Tim Cook's favourite colour:

Bean Counter Beige…
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
10 months ago
The colors are bland just like Tim.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VisceralRealist Avatar
10 months ago
I think Apple is done with "new spring colors" as well as Product Red. It's too bad. Maybe the 17 Pros will have more interesting colors than just four shades of gray.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0049190 Avatar
10 months ago
I prefer bold colours to the pastel colours we keep getting year after year on every Apple product but I don’t think anything will change while Tim Cook is CEO.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hieranonymous Avatar
10 months ago
I just wish Apple would stop regarding “tasteful” muted colors as a “premium” feature. If they deployed the next Pro phones in full ROYGBIV, the Seventeens would fly off the shelves. I’m sure Tim Cook, the most beige human being alive, believes otherwise, but I can feel it in my bones.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)