Ahead of the expected announcement of the iPhone 14 lineup at Apple’s September 7 event, a wave of dummy models that have emerged in Asia claim to show a selection of color options for the iPhone 14 Pro, including a new blue and purple finish.
Images of dummy models of the iPhone 14 Pro were shared on Weibo earlier today and show similar gold, graphite and silver color options from recent years. Two other color options depicted in the image will be new to the current “Pro” iPhone lineup: dark purple and blue. A separate, heavily cropped image that also emerged earlier today shows the iPhone 14 Pro models in the same range of colors.
It’s also worth noting that the antenna bands on the gold and purple models contrast with the frame in white, unlike last year’s iPhone. It’s not clear if the items in the second image are genuine iPhone 14 Pro’ models or just dummy models, although the volume of later ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ dummies is now in vogue.
Earlier this year, a significant rumor from Weibo claimed that both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models would be available in a new purple finish. It claims that a possible color option for the ‘iPhone 14 Pro’ is a unique finish that changes tone based on lighting conditions. A purple color option for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro seems plausible as Apple introduced the purple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a mid-cycle refresh in April last year to positive customer response, and the 24-inch iMac, sixth-generation iPad mini and fifth-generation iPad. All the Airs are available in Purple.
It’s unclear if the unique purple finish has a new effect that actively changes based on lighting conditions, or if it simply uses the same technique behind the iPhone 13 Pro’s Sierra Blue, which varies more than the other color options. That’s because Apple has adopted a new manufacturing process for Sierra Blue that uses “multiple layers of nanometer-scale metallic ceramics applied across the surface for a glossy and durable finish.”
A brief video of a dummy model of the iPhone 14 Pro shows off a large rear camera bump and an altered front-facing camera in line with the device’s rumored dark purple color.
Dummy models don’t usually represent the exact tone of Apple’s options with a high level of accuracy because they’re often made of plastic, but the color selection at the show can provide a basic overview of what to expect. Dummy models are used to display, demonstrate, and test accessories such as cases, so they attempt to provide a relatively accurate overall substitute for the actual physical device. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect color options based on valid information.
Originating mostly from unverified social media users in China, much of this information should still be treated with a level of skepticism. Readers can make up their own minds about how reliable the above information is.