Dark Cherry on the iPhone 18 Pro made me drop my allegiance to black smartphones

There are two kinds of smartphone users in this world: the camp that tries bright new colors and the camp that strictly sticks to black. I’m from the latter, I have never bought a smartphone in a color other than black.

Apple might be about to change that, however. According to reports and leaked iPhone 18 Pro images, the company’s upcoming flagships will ship with a very elegant new color: Dark Cherry. Elegant enough to make me question my allegiance to the camp that always buys black smartphones.

Subtle yet eye-catching

I think that the biggest reason that Dark Cherry — at least some of the new renders and the aforementioned leaked photo — appeals to me so much is because it does a lot with very little.

It doesn’t scream at you like Cosmic Orange for the iPhone 17 Pro does and it doesn’t demand attention for its beauty like Ultramarine for the iPhone 16 did. Instead, Dark Cherry seems like a a shade that, from afar, will achieve the same effect as if you were using a black phone.

Get closer, and I’ve said this a few times now, and it will make you do a double take. It’s subtle, alluring, yet oddly passive. This is, by far, the prettiest color for a smartphone that I have ever laid my eyes on.

None of those fancy multicolor phones come close and neither do unicolor shades like white or purple or green. This is the first time that a phone manufacturer has made a color that can look as elegant and professional as black while also invoking something more exciting in the beholder.

Let’s not forget iPhone 18 Pro in black

That’s not to say that we should completely write off a very welcome addition: the Dark Gray color option for the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

A black option was sorely missed for the iPhone 17 Pro. Its inclusion in the list of colors that you could buy an iPhone Air in made me think that Apple wanted to nudge people towards the Air in any way possible.

Perhaps the company realizes that the iPhone Air 2 might not sell too well either, even if it has a bigger battery. Dark Gray, though not black, looks pretty much like the black option on the iPhone 16 Pro models. Suffice to say, black is back, and I’m sure that Apple fans will be delighted.

A color I wouldn’t mind seeing again

Dark Cherry is, to my mind, a color option that I wouldn’t mind seeing return in the future. Of course, black and white will stick around until the end of time itself, but Dark Cherry is just too beautiful to remain a one-time novelty.

What’s really a bummer is that I kind of feel like the iPhone 18 Pro is a filler episode. This year’s big star is, of course, the iPhone Ultra. People have waited too long for a foldable iPhone to care much for yet another annual iPhone model.

It doesn’t help that the biggest selling point for the iPhone 18 Pro — a smaller Dynamic Island with under-display Face ID — might not even happen. The iPhone 18 Pro isn’t doing anything groundbreaking, it’s just a phone to upgrade to for people who are using a very old iPhone or for those who just love upgrading each year.

I’ve gone through lists of colors that can look elegant in certain shades but I can’t seem to find one that would invoke the same feelings as Dark Cherry. If Apple discontinues this color, I’m pretty sure I’ll just revert back to black phones again.

And, as I’ve been considering joining team Apple next year with the iPhone 20 Pro — which is doing what I’ve waited years for — I would love to see Dark Cherry come back at least one more time.

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