A year or two ago, when a phone showed up at my door for review, I could pretty much count on it being black, gray, or maybe (as a treat) white. But in 2025, that hasn’t been the case. Phones I reviewed this year featured everything from real wood grain back panels to deep blue finishes, with color-coordinated crossbody straps and magnetic accessories to match. For an industry that has been content to churn out a lot of black rectangular gadgets, 2025 marked a welcome return to bold colors and fashion-forward accessories from phone manufacturers.
Phones haven’t always been boring, utilitarian objects. Remember the original bright pink Motorola Razr? Iconic. Or more recently, Nokia’s neon yellow Lumia phones — you couldn’t miss them. Even the ever-conservative iPhone appeared in vibrant orange, yellow, and blue options in 2018’s XR; my husband refused to part with his until absolutely necessary because he didn’t want to give up his yellow phone. But somewhere along the way in the past five years, phone makers decided that these devices should be more serious, and the fun options fell by the wayside.
If any single company deserves recognition for bringing style back, it’s Motorola. The Razr Ultra foldable in MountainTrail is easily the best-looking phone I used this year, but maybe I’m just partial to the Moto X vibes the wooden back evokes. The bronze-colored side rails, the satisfying sound as the flip phone snaps shut — it’s all so nice. But it’s not just foldables — Motorola has been way ahead of the curve with vibrant colors and unique finishes for the past year or so. I wish Moto’s software looked as pristine — lately it’s been stuffed to the gills with ads and bloatware — but the company has definitely nailed good-looking hardware.
Even product lines that are traditionally conservative with color got some splashier options this year. 2025 gave us the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro, for the truly bold among us. The standard iPhone 17 also comes in some fetching colors, which hasn’t been a given in recent years — no repeat of the iPhone 15’s washed-out color options, thankfully. Even Google offered its folding phone in something other than black or white for the first time: a gray-ish Moonstone and a subtle greenish-yellow Jade.
But it hasn’t been just the phones themselves. This year, manufacturers seemed to remember that phone accessories can be fashionable, too. Apple launched this year’s iPhones with a new crossbody strap accessory, available in a range of colors to coordinate with its cases. And later in the year, we got the crossbody sock, er, iPhone Pocket, created with fashion designer Issey Miyake. Starting at $229 for the long version, it’s a luxury that won’t appeal to most people, but it makes a strong statement.
Google also released a line of magnetic accessories called Pixelsnap to go with its Pixel 10 series, which includes a ring of MagSafe-esque magnets in the rear panel. I used the Pixel 10 Pro Fold almost exclusively with the handy ring grip, which, in addition to relieving some of the fatigue from holding the phone for a long time, doubles as a nice-looking object adorning the back of the phone. For someone like me who hates using cases, it’s a welcome way to add utility and a hint of style.
Not everyone wants a flashy color or statement-making accessory for their phone, and that’s fine. But I think it’s also fine to care about how your phone looks and to want something a little less utilitarian and a little more fashionable than a black rectangle. After all, we look at our phones one million times a day! It only makes sense that we should like what we see. Whatever was in the water this year encouraging manufacturers to fancy up their phones, I hope it sticks around in 2026.
