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Fashion blogger Karin Teigl coordinating her Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max with her outfit (Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images)
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Orange iPhones are the new black

The latest iPhone Pro doesn’t come in black, the preferred iPhone color, so people are picking... Cosmic Orange.

Rani Molla

Typically when consumers shell out for a new Apple iPhone, their preferred color is black or something close to it, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), which has been asking iPhone buyers about their purchases for years.

But the latest iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, which early data shows are selling at a faster clip than previous years, come in only three colors: Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange. And so far, orange has proven to be the most popular choice for the most expensive iPhones, with 40% of purchasers opting for it, over the more staid blue and silver.

Why?

CIRP partner and cofounder Michael Levin told Sherwood News it could be cultural or a novelty.

“If you kind of want to stand out with your new phone, then you pick that one,” Levin said, referring to Cosmic Orange. Or, as he and CIRP partner and cofounder Josh Lowitz wrote, “Perhaps premium iPhone buyers want to show that they have the newest model with its most distinctive color.”

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on this very important topic.

Notably, this isn’t the first time the iPhone Pro or Pro Max sold well in unlikely colors, CIRP found. In 2022, the Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max led the way, even when a black phone was available.

Is it wise to make such a big purchase in a color that may fade with fashion whims? Who knows. At least phone cases are cheap.

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