iPhone 17 Pro will reportedly be pink: “Cosmic Orange” not durable enough?

Is it still orange or already pink? Users on Reddit claim that their freshly purchased iPhone 17 Pro and/or 17 Pro Max in Apple’s “Cosmic Orange” shade has darkened to a kind of “rose gold”. Corresponding pictures have been doing the rounds for several days; one of the creators emphasizes that it is not a Photoshop fake. “I can’t think of a sadder existence than photoshopping iPhone images.”

Oxidation or alcohol problem?

The discoloration affects most metal areas of the device, which Apple no longer manufactures from a titanium-aluminum alloy, but entirely from aluminum. Areas such as the scratch-sensitive edges of the “camera platform” seem to darken less strongly, although the antenna areas are also made of plastic here. The glass cover with the MagSafe charging unit naturally does not discolor, which results in an interesting color mix.

What exactly triggers the discoloration and how often it occurs remains unclear – but there are very few reports. There is speculation that it is an oxidation problem, but this is unlikely to occur anytime soon. It is also conceivable that the paint reacts with alcohol-based cleaning agents – such as isopropyl alcohol. But that shouldn’t happen either, especially since Apple uses this for disinfection expressly permitted.

First of all, some neutral light

In a support document updated on Monday, it only says that the ceramic shield area or the textured glass segment, i.e. the MagSafe area, could show “signs of material transfer”, such as jeans or “objects in the bag”. However, this can be removed “in most cases”. Apple also warns that cleaning agents can affect the coating, which is supposed to help against fingerprints. However, the company does not provide any information about discoloration of the case itself.

By the way, the light can also make the iPhone look more pink than orange in “Cosmic Orange”. The Blog Wccftech therefore recommends first “verifying the discoloration under neutral light”. Affected customers can then register Contact Apple’s support and have the device replaced.