iPhone 17 Colors: Rumor Has It This Familiar Hue Could Be Limited to Just One iPhone Model

The rumored iPhone 17 color lineup is here, but there are some unexpected changes. 

A Korean blogger named yeux1122 on Friday published two images of camera covers that could be the full lineup for Apple. The most recent colorful rumor gives us a full lineup of what colors we can expect from the iPhone 17 base model and the rumored iPhone 17 Air. 

We’ve heard rumors that the iPhone 17 base model could come in purple, green and sky blue. But two other familiar colors are now said to be included in the options — totaling five possibilities for the base model. The rumored iPhone 17 Air could come in four. 

Well-known leaker Majin Bu has shared a few predictions, but recently changed their mind. We’ll get to more of that below. The rumored iPhone 17 is likely to drop in September, so until Apple says more, we’re all playing the guessing game, with the help of some leaks and rumors.

Here’s what we’re hearing about possible iPhone 17 colors and what the rumors say. 

The rumored full color lineup 

Here’s the full lineup, according to yeux1122. Some of the lineup follows other rumors we heard earlier this summer. More on that below. 

The iPhone 17 base model could come in these colors:

• Black
• Blue
• Silver
• Purple
• Green

The iPhone 17 Air could be released in these colors:

• Black
• Light blue
• Light gold
• Silver

Black and silver don’t come as a surprise, since we’ve seen both neutral colors in earlier iPhone models and generations. However, the possibility could be welcoming if you use a colored phone cover instead, like me. 

Sky blue could be old to Apple, but a new iPhone hue 

The most often rumored color for the iPhone 17 is sky blue. 

Bu posted the rumor of the new color on their blog, calling it “a refined, bright, and modern shade.” But why sky blue?

Perhaps because the latest M4 MacBook Air currently comes in sky blue, so an iPhone with the same color could be an aesthetic win for sky blue MacBook owners. 

Bu initially wrote that the sky blue color could be for the iPhone 17 Pro, but recently scrapped that rumor to say sky blue would be for the iPhone 17 Air on Monday. 

The possibility of purple 

Bu posted on X and their blog recently that Apple is testing purple and green, but that purple could be another new color for the iPhone 17’s base models.

Bu said that purple could meet Apple’s rumored demand for more personalization while blending into Apple’s ecosystem for its other products. 

If green is added to the iPhone 17 lineup, Bu says it could be a “fresh and natural tone, ideal for a minimalist yet striking aesthetic.” 

Could an aluminum iPhone design bring more colors?

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a titanium frame, but analyst Jeff Pu predicted that the iPhone 17 could usher in the return of the aluminum frame for both the Pro and baseline models, as we’ve seen with earlier versions like the iPhone 14 lineup. Considering the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s colors are based on titanium, it raises the question: Will an aluminum frame mean new colors? 

The one phone in the iPhone 17 lineup that could have a titanium frame is the rumored slimmer iPhone 17 Air, according to Pu. We’ll have to wait and see what Apple decides. 

Read more: WWDC Bored Me. I Need Apple’s iPhone 17 Launch to Make a Splash

A look at past iPhone colors

Apple likes to release both new and familiar colors for every new iPhone release. 

Usually, we see more color variations for the basic models, and more neutral colors for the Pro and Pro Max iPhone models. For instance:

The iPhone 14 came in six colors: midnight, starlight, red, blue, purple and yellow. However, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models only came in black, silver gold and deep purple. The same is true for the 15 model phones, but Apple offered one fewer color for its base model.

iPhone 15 models were available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black, while Pro and Pro Max models arrived in more neutral tones like white, blue, black and natural titanium. 

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max colors didn’t change from the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. However, the other iPhone 16 models were available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white and black. 

How many new colors we may see from the rumored iPhone 17 is still unclear, but as of now, a sky blue option could well be in your future.