We continue with more rumors about the iPhone 16. At this point, it is logical, as Apple is starting to test the manufacturing of the devices and, therefore, it is more common to see this kind of information. Information, not confirmed, of course, but that brings us closer to the September launch and, on this occasion, to the colors we will see in the new iPhone 16 Pro.
A deeper and brighter color for our iPhones
According to a post on Weibo, quoted in X by ShrimpApplePro, Apple could be considering implementing a dual ion exchange process for the back glass on this fall’s premium model. A technique that, in a nutshell, would infuse —pun intended— completely new colors into these phones.
This manufacturing method is not new, in fact, the company has already used it in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. The result is an effect that would remind us of colored glass, practically. A glass through which we can see, but whose color is not in the background, but in its own structure.
This process gives the glass a unique quality, integrating color throughout the material, resulting in a truly attractive and unusual finish outside of what the iPhone offers. If we delve into the technical details, the specific technique used by Apple in the iPhone 15 and now rumored to be adopted for the iPhone 16 Pro involves the embedding of super fine metal ions that integrate color into the glass.
With this system, each color requires a unique formulation, followed by a polishing process with nanocrystalline particles and an etching to create a textured matte finish that characterizes the iPhone. A finish that we haven’t seen in the iPhone 15 Pro, probably due to its transition from stainless steel to titanium, and that would now make the rumored colors —space black, gray, white, and pink— have a much deeper and richer tone.
While we think we know that the titanium of the iPhone 16 can change a lot this year, the truth is that we talk about the colors of the iPhone for several months every year. Rumors, leaks, renders, photos… and we never manage to fully capture the color or the final appearance of the iPhones. Not until we see them on a stage in Cupertino and, it must be said, not until we have them in our hands. This year, it seems that Apple will surprise us even more, because saying that the iPhone 16 will be “pink” is saying too little. You have to see it to fully appreciate it.
