Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are coming in September 2026, and for the first time anyone has seen them, they are coming in Dark Cherry.
That is the signature new color for this year’s Pro lineup, a deep, wine-toned red that Apple has been developing as the replacement for Cosmic Orange, the vibrant shade that defined the iPhone 17 Pro last year.
The leak comes from Macworld, which obtained information from a source familiar with Apple’s supply chain along with CAD drawings of the new devices, including the internal Pantone codes Apple is using for the colors it is currently testing.
Dark Cherry is Pantone 6076. It is not the bright red some leakers had previously suggested.
Multiple sources including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had reported that Apple was experimenting with “a shade of red” for the iPhone 18 Pro.
That much was correct. The specific hue is significantly more muted than those reports implied, described as closer to wine than fruit punch, with a tinge of purple that gives it a richness distinct from any color Apple has previously used on the Pro lineup.
It will not have the immediate visual pop of Cosmic Orange. It will have something more sophisticated and harder to describe, which is generally how Apple’s best color decisions tend to work.
What Colors Will Be Available For IPhone 18 Pro Max?
Macworld’s source reports four colors currently in development for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, each identified by specific internal Pantone codes:
Dark Cherry (Pantone 6076) is the new signature color, the one that will define the iPhone 18 Pro the way Cosmic Orange defined the 17 Pro and Desert Titanium defined the year before that.
A deep wine-red with purple undertones. More formal than playful, which represents a notable tonal shift from last year.
Light Blue (Pantone 2121) is a pale, muted blue described as resembling the Mist Blue color currently available on the standard iPhone 17.
This would be a first for the Pro lineup in this specific tone, softer and cooler than the Deep Blue that appeared on the iPhone 17 Pro.
Dark Gray (Pantone 426C) is a deep, near-charcoal gray. Apple has offered gray variants in various forms across its Pro lineup for years and this continues that tradition at a darker end of the spectrum.
Silver (Pantone 427C) is described as similar to the current generation’s silver option, the most conservative and continuity-focused choice in the lineup.
Cosmic Orange, which was the headline color for the iPhone 17 Pro, is being discontinued along with the rest of the current color lineup. Apple refreshes the entire color palette with each generation.
There is one color that will notably not be available: black. Weibo leaker Instant Digital, who has a reliable track record on Apple hardware specifics, confirmed in April that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will not come in black for the second consecutive year.
The iPhone 17 Pro also skipped black, which had been a staple of the Pro lineup for years prior.
Whether Apple brings black back for a future model remains one of the more persistent questions in the iPhone rumor ecosystem.
What To Remember
Everything above is from a supply chain source. Apple has not announced any of this. The iPhone 18 Pro has not yet gone into mass production, which means Apple has time to change the colors before they are locked in.
Macworld’s source explicitly notes that the colors are all in development. Apple does not always offer four color options for the Pro models, so it is possible one of these shades does not make it to market.
Last year, Macworld and leaker Sonny Dickson both reported that Apple had also considered launching the iPhone 17 Pro in black or steel gray, neither of those colors appeared on the final product.
The Pantone codes provide a level of specificity that is unusual for this kind of leak.
They suggest the source has direct access to internal Apple design documents rather than manufacturing floor observation, which is a different and generally more reliable category of information.
Internal design is not the same as final approved production, and Apple changes its mind.
What Else Is Changing?
Beyond color, Macworld’s source and the CAD drawings it had access to confirm a design that is largely familiar with targeted refinements.
The most significant visual change is a smaller Dynamic Island. The pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display that houses the Face ID sensors and front camera has been rumored to shrink for the 18 Pro, allowing more usable screen space when the Dynamic Island is not displaying Live Activities.
The CAD drawings Macworld reviewed support this, the renders show a noticeably reduced Dynamic Island footprint.
One of the renders also shows a reduced gap between the glass cutout on the back of the phone and the camera bump, the raised plateau that houses the rear camera system.
Macworld’s source could not confirm whether this reflects a current design direction or an older render, so it is a detail to watch rather than confirm. Screen sizes are expected to remain at 6.3 inches for the 18 Pro and 6.9 inches for the 18 Pro Max, unchanged from the current generation.
Inside the phone, the iPhone 18 Pro will be the first Apple device to use a 2nm chip, the A20 Pro.
Apple’s chip roadmap has consistently delivered meaningful performance and efficiency improvements with each new process node.
The jump to 2nm from the 3nm A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to continue that pattern. The 18 Pro will also debut Apple’s C2 modem.
Is The Foldable IPhone Really Happening?
Apple’s foldable phone, currently rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra rather than the iPhone Fold, is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September 2026, though some analysts suggest it may hit stores slightly later than the Pro models.
Macworld’s source corroborates previously leaked CAD designs for the foldable, which describe a device that looks like an iPad mini when unfolded, approximately 5.5 inches closed and 7.8 inches when open.
The most striking specification is its thickness: 4.7 millimeters when unfolded, which would make it significantly thinner than the iPhone Air, which is 5.6mm.
That is an extraordinary engineering challenge for a device that has to fold in half.
The foldable’s color options are more restrained than the Pro lineup, a classic silver and white model, and an Indigo option similar to the Deep Blue on the iPhone 17 Pro.
No fun colors, fewer options. The camera array includes two rear cameras, a selfie camera on the outer display, and a second selfie camera in the upper-left corner of the inner display.
What Is The Launch Timeline?
One of the more significant pieces of context around the iPhone 18 Pro is a change in Apple’s overall release strategy.
The base iPhone 18, the iPhone 18e, and a new iPhone Air are now expected in the first half of 2027 rather than September 2026 alongside the Pro models.
Apple is essentially separating the Pro launch from the standard launch, keeping September 2026 as a showcase for the premium and foldable devices and pushing the broader lineup to spring 2027. Macworld’s source confirmed this timing.
For consumers, this means September 2026 is the moment to watch if you are interested in the Pro line or the foldable. If the base models are your price point, the relevant launch window shifts to 2027.
Dark Cherry. Wine-red. 4.7mm foldable. Smaller Dynamic Island. September 2026. None of it is final. All of it is currently what Apple is working toward.
