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It looks like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will get a new yellow color option very soon, in addition to the current blue, purple, midnight (black), starlight (cream) and red – and Apple hopes this can boost sales of the two cheaper iPhone 14 models.
This comes from a source on the Chinese social media network Weibo (opens in new tab) through MacOtakara (opens in new tab) And MacRumors (opens in new tab). While the first tipster doesn’t have much experience, MacRumors does — and it says Apple is planning a product briefing next week.
While we can’t be sure of a rumor or leak until it’s actually confirmed, Apple is shaping up to add new iPhone colors around this time of year: green for the iPhone 13 last year and purple for the iPhone 12 this year before that.
It was all yellow
As in the past, the goal here is to boost sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. We’re about half way through a new iPhone launch – the iPhone 15 – so the timing is right to try and spark a little more interest in current handsets.
This is especially important for the iPhone 14 Plus. While it was brought in to replace the iPhone 13 mini, which barely flew off the shelves, rumor on the Apple Street is that not many people are buying the iPhone 14 Plus.
That’s perhaps unsurprising, given that both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus settle for last year’s Apple A15 Bionic chipset. Even Apple itself seems to prefer the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Analysis: more colors please
It’s perhaps a little surprising how much of a difference a new colorway can make to a device’s appeal – after all, every internal component remains the same. The iPhone 14 in yellow still works just as fast and takes photos and videos with the same quality.
Or maybe it’s not surprising at all: Gadget aesthetics matter, and for some people at least the look and feel of a phone is an important consideration when weighing upgrade options. This yellow hue will definitely make the iPhone a bit more distinctive.
We’re not completely sold on the idea of yellow as a smartphone color. It’s not one you see very often, and it immediately reminds us of various bodily fluids. On the plus side, there are connotations of sunshine and… er… Lego minifigures? Or the Simpsons?
What we’re confident about is that Apple’s design team can be trusted to produce a yellow hue that’s easy on the eye. More color options are always good for consumers, and we should hear about the new iPhone 14 in the coming days.