iPhone 18 Pro Leak Points to 3 Colors, Dropping Black Again

Q: With a huge anniversary redesign in 2027, is the new iPhone 18 Pro a planned 'skip year' for consumers?

Not necessarily. The stronger reading is that the iPhone 18 Pro looks like an iterative year, but not a deliberately disposable one. The leaks point to Apple keeping the iPhone 18 Pro close to the iPhone 17 Pro formula: a limited three-color lineup, modest design refinements, and no obvious visual reset. Reports suggest upgrades such as a new A20 Pro chip, battery gains, and possibly a smaller Dynamic Island, but nothing on the scale of a major platform shift. That makes it easier to frame as a “holdover” model, especially for owners of recent Pro iPhones. The real reason some analysts are calling it a skip year is 2027. Multiple reports tie Apple’s 20th-anniversary redesign to the iPhone 19 Pro line, not the iPhone 18 Pro. That 2027 model is rumored to bring much bigger changes, including a more bezel-free curved display, under-display Face ID, new battery and camera technology, and a more dramatic industrial redesign. In that context, the iPhone 18 Pro may look like a cautious bridge to a more ambitious product cycle. For consumers, the practical answer depends on upgrade timing. If you have an iPhone 16 Pro or 17 Pro, waiting for 2027 may be sensible because the iPhone 18 Pro appears to be a modest update. But for users on older devices, the iPhone 18 Pro would still likely offer meaningful gains in performance, battery life, camera quality, and software features. So it is better described as an incremental year than a planned skip year.

3 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · Jul 1

Instant Digital said the iPhone 18 Pro will come in three finishes: Dark Cherry, Light Blue and Silver-Gray, with launch now only a couple of months away.
The leak suggests Apple may again skip a black option, extending a pattern from the iPhone 17 Pro lineup that also launched with just three colors.
Dark Cherry is tipped as the flagship marketing color, while Light Blue would replace last year’s Deep Blue and Silver-Gray would remain close to the current silver tone.
The report still leaves room for uncertainty on whether Apple ships three or four colors, but recent rumors appear to be converging on at least some of these finishes.