If this is the iPhone 16 color lineup, I couldn’t be happier

We’re just a few weeks away from Apple’s next big iPhone event. That means it’s almost time for new iPhones — specifically, the iPhone 16 series.

From the rumors that we’ve heard so far, the iPhone 16 is shaping up to be an interesting one. The base models should be getting a redesigned vertical camera layout that is more akin to the iPhone 12, and Apple appears to be adding a new Capture button to the entire lineup. We should also expect processors that are powerful enough to handle Apple Intelligence, and the smaller iPhone 16 Pro could get some nice camera upgrades this time around.

Some of the latest rumors have also revealed the iPhone 16 color options, at least for the base models, and I’m quite excited.

The return of actual color? Say it ain’t so!

If you take a look at the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, you’ll probably be disappointed unless you’re a very big fan of muted pastels. Apple has five colors for the iPhone 15: black, blue, green, yellow, and pink.

However, at least for me, the only good-looking one is pink. The green is quite faint, like a mint green. I’m not a big fan of yellow in general, and this is also quite muted. And the blue? It doesn’t even look anything like blue! It’s more like a “hospital white” than anything. The iPhone 15 colors were some of the worst yet, coming after the much more saturated colors of the iPhone 14 and earlier models.

After a year of disappointing colors, the latest leak of the iPhone 16 color lineup looks quite exciting. A photo of iPhone 16 dummy units recently surfaced, and it shows them off in five colors: white, black, blue, green, and pink. Out of those, the non-black-and-white options look much better than the iPhone 15 color options.

It appears that the white could be replacing the yellow color that has been around for a while, but we’ll still have a traditional black color. The blue and green appear to be very dark and saturated, with the pink also a bit darker than the iPhone 15’s version of pink.

Of course, these are just dummy units, so the final colors could still be very much up in the air. But this should be a good indicator of what to expect when Apple reveals the iPhone 16, and these saturated colors excite me.

Google’s Pixel 9 event is just a few days away, but from what we’ve seen so far in terms of rumors, the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL will come in some beautiful pink hues. I think I like the base model Pixel 9 pink color more than that of the Pro version, as it is more saturated and vibrant, but they’re both quite stunning.

I’m a fan of phones that are fun and colorful, so if this is indeed what Apple could have in store for the iPhone 16, it could finally bring back some much-needed fun colors.

What about the iPhone 16 Pro?

Apple has a history of only offering fun colors for the base model iPhones while giving the power users with the Pro models more muted, neutral color options. Unfortunately, that may not change much this year with the iPhone 16 Pro.

The current iPhone 15 Pro lineup comes in four colors: Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. Honestly, aside from the blue option, it’s more like, “Which shade of gray do you prefer?” Apple took away the gold color and replaced it with Natural Titanium, to the dismay of gold iPhone fans around the world.

The whispers about the iPhone 16 Pro color lineup aren’t as exciting as the base models, at least for me. Rumors indicate that it will once again come in black, white, or silver and a gray (Natural Titanium). The fourth color option may end up being “rose,” but don’t get your hopes up if you’re expecting a pink iPhone Pro. It seems that “rose” could be a rose gold or even a bronze color.

While I’m excited about the base iPhone 16 colors, it pains me once again that Apple doesn’t seem likely to give us a pink iPhone Pro. I’m not even a big fan of the gold color. What I miss is the “rose gold” from the iPhone 6 days, which was definitely more pink than gold. One day, maybe, Apple will give that back to us.

Not too long now

Even if I don’t get the pink iPhone Pro that I’ve been dreaming of for years, I am still excited to see what the iPhone 16 will look like once it’s announced. Just seeing some more bold and saturated colors in the base model is a good thing because the iPhone 15 colors mostly, well, stunk, to say the least.

We expect Apple to hold its iPhone 16 event sometime later this fall, likely in September. And, fingers crossed, we’ll finally be back to the days of bold, saturated, and good colors.