Radical new iPhone 17 colour could be a first for Apple

It seems fair to say the iPhone 17 is set to offer Apple‘s most radical design shake-up for the smartphone for some time. After years of identical-looking devices, we’re not only in for a brand new model, the iPhone 17 Air, but also a radically different camera array for the iPhone 17 Pro. And now it seems we’re in for a wild new colour too.

New reports suggest Apple is planning an exclusive new colour designed to complement the new Liquid Glass design language of iOS 26. And by new colour, we might mean lots of colours – depending on how the light hits it.

The Liquid Glass aesthetic could make the jump to the hardware design itself (Image credit: Apple)

As spotted by Macworld, a well regarded Apple leaker has revealed via Weibo that the new colour will initially appear as white, but “will have different effects under different light”.

You may like

A holographic, or iridescent, or simply ‘shiny’ iPhone would mark a radical departure for Apple. Until now, the company has stuck rigidly to single hues for the iPhone. Indeed, until recently these have mostly been of the silver or grey (or silvery grey) variety, with brighter colours only emerging in recent years (we’re still waiting for that hot pink iPhone).

The iPhone 17 line up is sounding increasingly intriguing from a design perspective (Image credit: Future)

Indeed, it seems Apple is keen to take its ‘Think Different’ mantra to heart with the iPhone 17. Whether a new design will be enough to make the iPhone exciting again remains to be seen, though. With a series of recent missteps under its belt, the company has looked increasingly beleaguered of late.

Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.