iPhone 15 Pro could kill the iconic gold color

Apple is reportedly ditching the gold option on the iPhone for the first time since its introduction with the iPhone 5s, according to a report by 9to5Mac.

It’s been long rumored that Apple plans to switch the iPhone Pro line from stainless steel edges to titanium, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple is now said to be designing colors that would complement the iPhone’s titanium finish. A new grey option is expected to replace gold on the iPhone 15 Pro, and a new dark blue option has also been tipped.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max came in dark blue, called Pacific Blue, while the 13 Pro Max came in a light Sierra Blue. With the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple switched to a purplish shade called Deep Purple. Taking into account all the iPhone 15 color predictions In other words, the iPhone 15 Pro is now expected to come in Silver, Space Black, Gray, and Dark Blue, to start with.

Apple could do a mid-year refresh as with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Alpine Green, but it didn’t do so this year for the Pro-series (the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus now come in questionable yellow), so we can’t really stake the farm on that for the 15 Pro.

Pour one out for gold

The gold iPhone was personally one of my favorite iPhone colors. I’ve owned a gold iPhone 7 Plus as my longest-serving iPhone, a gold iPhone 11 Pro Max, a gold iPhone 12 Pro Max, and a gold Pixel 6 Pro because iPhones got really expensive and I wasn’t down for that.

At the same time, Apple’s decision to retire the iconic gold option is definitely a big shift in the iPhone’s color palette. The gold variant had gained popularity over the years for its elegant and distinctive appearance, and it was a staple. No matter what new and funky colors Apple debuted, you knew you’d always have a black, silver, and gold option.

I liked gold because it gave off classy and refined energy. I guess grey could fill that niche too, it’s just a little boring when black and silver already exist. It’s potentially another step in the road that sees ‘Pro’-branded smartphones melding into monochrome mush vs the colorful options cheaper-priced smartphones offer, and that’s not a great thing.