I'm not a complex man, despite my therapist's (the one who lives in my head) claims; I like things simple and elegant. I'm a dark, plain T-shirt kind of guy. I don't like beers that pretend to be liquid chocolate or mango. And I think space gray is the best iPhone color.
So the rumor of a color called 'Desert Titanium' for the still unofficial but highly anticipated iPhone 16 Pro makes me a little sick to my stomach.
Maybe I'm 1.87m tall and lack imagination. Or maybe I have such a clear vision of aesthetics that I find a white room like ambrosia to my eyes. But there's something about this color scheme that bothers me.
I've seen it advertised as being bronze in color, which doesn't bother me as I'm currently testing the gorgeous Christopher Ward C63 Dune bronze watch. But it's made of real bronze and is developing a patina that softens from a slightly too yellow tone to a warm brown.
However, in my time with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I've found that its titanium chassis seems nearly immune to smudges or marks (heck, it's withstood some pretty serious drops), let alone discoloration, and that's something I miss compared to the lovely iPhone 13 Pro.
So there's no scope for a bronze-looking Desert Titanium iPhone 16 Pro to develop a patina, meaning one could be left with a phone that tenaciously clings to a color tone that's neither the buttery yellow of candy or the warm glow of gold (for what it's worth, I don't think gold iPhones should have a place on this planet), but rather something sickly in between.
There are four colors in total in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup: white, black, gold, and gray. The desert titanium color is a kind of dark gold, similar to the old purple color, relatively low-key and deep. pic.twitter.com/uDiNiBI4IzAugust 18, 2024
Annoying Bronze
Bronze is also the color of losers; don't @ me.
Essentially, it's the second-place medal, which for me is more important than just receiving a ribbon or a certificate saying you took part. Bronze means you tried really hard, but still didn't make it to the top of the podium. And as a former British bronze medallist in the 200m freestyle swimming race, I know the feeling of having that metal on my body.
The only exception is the bronze of the aforementioned watch, and even then it seems a bit forced, with its desire to age quickly.
So yeah, I'm not sold on the idea of a desert titanium iPhone 16 Pro. I reserve the right to change my mind if I see the phone in person, because I'm fickle like that. And there's more than enough room for this rumored shade to never see the light of day.
Aside from Desert Titanium, the rest of the iPhone 16 Pro colors look easier on the eyes, with space grays, whites, and blacks as expected—though there's still no space gray, much to my chagrin.
Of course, with Apple's next event set for September 9 (check out our guide on how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event live), we'll soon see which iPhone 16 rumors turned out to be true and which were complete nonsense. And TechRadar will be in Cupertino to cover the “It's Glowtime” event live, so I'll be eager to see what my colleagues Lance Ulanoff and Jacob Krol think of the new iPhone 16 colors in general.
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