New Mid-Cycle iPhone 15 Color Looking Less Likely This Year

Apple's usual strategy of introducing a new mid-cycle iPhone color in the spring is unlikely to be replicated for the iPhone 15 this year, if a new rumor out of Asia is anything to go by.

iPhone 14 Yellow Feature 2
Apple usually introduces new ‌iPhone‌ color options in the spring to boost sales midway through the device's product cycle, keeping the device top-of-mind for consumers at a time when the next iPhone launch is still another six months away.

Apple has used the tactic frequently in recent years. In 2017 and 2018, it released red mid-cycle versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 lines, respectively. Then in 2021, Apple added a purple color to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini models for the spring season in late April.

In March 2022, the iPhone 13 lineup received new green finishes, and in the same month last year, Apple released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in a new yellow color. Each new color launch has been accompanied by a significant ad campaign to attract new customers and upgraders who did not make a purchase when the latest iPhone series was originally launched in the fall. This year could be different, however.

According to Chinese Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital, there is no new spring color scheme on the cards for the iPhone 15. It's also worth noting that Apple has already launched several iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands in refreshed color options. The refreshed accessories arrived when Apple released the new MacBook Air in early March. In previous years, such a move has often been accompanied by a new iPhone color.

Why Apple would forego the opportunity to boost sales in the middle of an iPhone cycle is not entirely clear, so it is worth taking the latest rumor with a pinch of salt for now. Production delays have reportedly pushed the release of new iPads into May, and Apple is not expected to hold a launch event to announce the devices, but the debut of a new iPhone color could always come separately in the form of a press release, which Apple has opted for in the past.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple Expected to Launch 20+ Products This Year: Here's the Full List

Friday January 17, 2025 5:30 am PST by
2025 promises to be quite a big year for Apple, with the company rumored to be planning more than 20 product announcements this year. Apple's rumored smart home hub will be its second all-new product to launch in as many years, following the Apple Vision Pro headset last year. And of course, we will get several new iPhone and Apple Watch models, like every year. Beyond that, Apple could...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Major Thermal Design Upgrade

Friday January 17, 2025 4:33 am PST by
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report. The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader. Vapor chamber technology is already used...

Top Rated Comments

GrzMik Avatar
10 months ago
There’s no point, since this year colors are so washed I would buy black model only. What they were thinking!?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
10 months ago

New Mid-Cycle iPhone 15 Color Looking Increasingly Unlikely This Year
I can imagine an unlikely color (dark beige?), but an increasingly unlikely color? ? I’m curious how that will look like.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
polyphenol Avatar
10 months ago
Why this bizarre phrasing which, in numerous minor variations, is widespread, "increasingly unlikely"? Making the adverb (more or less positive) clash with the adjective (more or less negative). Why not "decreasingly likely"? Or, and I'm sure this is far too simple, "less likely"?

Time was, headline writers were desperately trying to shorten and simplify, not lengthen and mangle.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darngooddesign Avatar
10 months ago

Why this bizarre phrasing which, in numerous minor variations, is widespread, "increasingly unlikely"? Making the adverb (more or less positive) clash with the adjective (more or less negative). Why not "decreasingly likely"? Or, and I'm sure this is far too simple, "less likely"?

Time was, headline writers were desperately trying to shorten and simplify, not lengthen and mangle.
[HEADING=2]New Mid-Cycle iPhone 15 Color Looking Decreasingly Likely This Year[/HEADING]

Better?
[HEADING=2][/HEADING]
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZiBart Avatar
10 months ago
90% of iPhone users have a case on, i really see little value in color variety. It used to matter more when the front bezel was either white or black.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
10 months ago

Pointless, expensive and wasteful marketing ploy. I don’t see how these mid-cycle additions help.

I only upgrade every 2-3 years as it is, and I’ve only ever bought a black iPhone… what would releasing a yellow iPhone now do for me? I’m waiting until September to *think* about upgrading my 14 Pro to a 16 Pro, and that’s only a maybe at this point.
I think they develop the new colours at the same time as the originals and just hold them back for mid-year and presumably the reason they kept doing it was that they did see a bump in sales (so not wasteful) at the mid year point when all the early adoption and holiday sales peaks had passed.

As for your question, releasing a yellow colour phone would do nothing for you. But it might do quite a lot for people who want a yellow phone ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)