The new cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro is undeniably orange. It’s not bronze, it’s not burnt umber, it’s not sepia or some other subdued shade that fades into the background.
No, Apple finally — after years of begging and pleading — produced a pro-level iPhone in an unapologetically bold color.
As a man in a loincloth once screamed while staring at something unfathomable: “Oh my god … [you] finally, really did it. You maniacs!”
To be fair, in that instance, the bare-chested man was ranting about something horrific. With the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro, Apple did something previously unthinkable — and totally welcome.
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iPhone 17 Pro in cosmic orange is the first bold iPhone color
Ever since introducing the first iPhone Pro in 2019, Apple has eschewed bold colors in favor of Gap-friendly shades that don’t stand out. Meanwhile, the regular iPhone dazzled with gorgeous, vibrant colors like last year’s ultramarine. Fans of bold colors (and high-end cameras) understandably felt left out.
It’s beyond a first-world problem, admittedly. And it’s mostly pointless, considering most people pop a case on their iPhones. But I’m not the only one who has lamented about the lack of colorful iPhone Pro options.
And, as you can see from the lineups, they were … not bold:
iPhone 11 Pro: silver, space gray, gold, midnight green
iPhone 12 Pro: silver, graphite, gold, Pacific blue
iPhone 13 Pro: silver, graphite, gold, Sierra blue, alpine green
iPhone 14 Pro: space black, silver, gold, deep purple
iPhone 15 Pro: natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, black titanium
iPhone 16 Pro: desert titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, black titanium
iPhone 17 Pro: cosmic orange, deep blue, silver
Year after year, I’ve opted for the new colors (Pacific blue, Sierra blue, etc.), only to be disappointed when they turned out to be more muted in real life than Apple’s sizzling promo shots made them appear.
Peak disappointment hit with the iPhone 14 Pro, when both my wife and I preordered the exotic-sounding deep purple color.
“It’s not purple,” were the first words out of her mouth when we opened the boxes. And she was right. In most lighting, it looked like a murky off-black. If you took it outside and the sun hit it just right, it looked better than a bruise.
While discussing iPhone colors on our podcast, The CultCast, I’ve called many times for Apple to produce an iPhone Pro in a truly vivid color. Cupertino creates these extremely capable devices for content creators, so why not capture that creative spirit?
I always wanted a color option that had more in common with a carnival ride or a custom hot rod — and I figured filmmakers, vloggers and other free spirits would, too. In fact, why not go with a piping-hot metal flake look for maximum eye-popping potential? (I realize Apple faces real-world constraints and puts a lot of effort into making iPhones with outstanding finishes that can be produced in mass quantities. But still, a guy can dream …)
This is the color I want for the upcoming orange iPhone 17 Pro:https://t.co/eoZU0weOH5#AppleEvent
— lewiswallace (@lewiswallace) August 26, 2025
What does the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro really look like?
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Prior to preorders opening, it was difficult to tell what the new color would look like. Apple’s marketing materials, as well as hands-on photos and videos from the company’s Awe Dropping event, made it anyone’s guess whether the cosmic orange color would actually scratch the itch for something legitimately bold.
“Bastard better not be brown,” I told my boss in Slack after getting preapproved for a cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro.
I hoped Apple would do the right thing and make it actually orange, but I not-so-secretly feared it would skew a boring, depressing bronze. (I even plunked down $50 for a backup plan.)
When I got to Apple Union Square on iPhone 17 launch day to pick up my preorder, I finally got to see all the new Apple products in person.
The deep blue iPhone 17 Pro looked quite handsome — a solid pick for anyone who’s sad that there’s no black option this time around. (Assuming you can handle the scratch potential, that is.) The iPhone Air looked quite sleek in its sky blue and cloud white colors. So thin, so tempting.
And the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro looked … orange!
“It’s juicy!” said the enthusiastic Apple Store employee who handled my pickup.
Yes, it’s orange, but it could be even more orange!
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Once I got the cosmic orange iPhone home, I took it into my backyard. Under the bright California midday sun, the phone’s color changed as I looked at it from different angles.
In certain positions, it looked a very vibrant orange and the two-tone iPhone 17 Pro design really stuck out. As with the muted iPhone Pros of the past, it really depended on how the sun hit it. In the shade, the phone looked more muted, with the glass part of the design looking a creamy, Dreamsicle orange.
In a change from previous models, Apple crafted the Pro models with an aluminum unibody design this year, with a large piece of Ceramic Shield glass on the backside to enable wireless charging. It looks pretty obvious on the cosmic orange and silver models, and I’m not a huge fan. (In previous years, Apple went with a metal frame and an all-glass back for its Pro models.)
In all honesty, the cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro never looked as righteously and vibrantly orange as I had hoped in my wildest fever dreams. The aluminum body does not look as intensely orange as the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Still, I’m satisfied overall — and thrilled that Apple’s designers finally broke free from the muted iPhone Pro color palettes of the past. I hope the cosmic orange color sells well and we see even more bold colors in the future.
Now, if only they’ll throw a little hot-rod orange flake in there next time …
Apple's most powerful iPhone gets a redesign and impressive new capabilities. The iPhone 17 Pro's aluminum unibody design looks different for sure, with a wider camera plateau. But the big changes are inside: the powerful A19 Pro chip and a vapor chamber to cool it off for maximum performance.
- Base model jumps to 256GB of storage.
- 48MP rear cameras, with 8x optical zoom.
- 18MP Center Stage front camera for better selfies.
- Supports ProRes RAW for studio-quality video.
- Only three colors: silver, deep blue and cosmic orange.
Lewis Wallace is the managing editor of Cult of Mac and author of our weekly newsletter, The Weekender.
He’s a San Francisco-based writer and editor specializing in technology and culture. He loves his iPhone, hates Siri, and appreciates any hardware that combines form and function.
Prior to Cult of Mac, he juggled words and ideas as culture editor at Wired.com, homepage editor at TechTV, news product manager at NBCi, copy editor at PC World, reporter at The (Hayward) Daily Review and editor in chief of EveryBody’s News in Cincinnati.
He earned a bachelor of general studies degree with a journalism certificate from the University of Cincinnati. While in school, he worked as the entertainment editor of The News Record and as editor in chief of Clifton Magazine.
He’s also a bass player, who’s recorded and performed around the United States with Those Darn Accordions, The Electric Boogie Dawgz and The Mad Maggies. When not writing, editing or laying down bass lines, he plays darts and serves on the board of the San Francisco Darts League.
