iPhone 17 Pro 'Cosmic Orange' Is reportedly fading to 'Rose Gold'

Recently released iPhone 17 faces a backlash as it turns out a few owners of the Cosmic Orange colorway of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Pro Max are reporting the color changes to pink or rose gold.

Cosmic Orange is a vibrant new addition to the iPhone colors and has grabbed much attention. A post on Reddit caused outrage among other users because the owner’s 17 Pro phone had allegedly changed.

User DakAttack316, the iPhone owner on Reddit, said, “I wanted Orange, not a pink iPhone.” On the post, several users mentioned the uniqueness and suggested selling on eBay at a higher price. Some adored the changing color and wished to keep it if that happened with their phone.

The volume of the widespread problem is still unknown, but on TikTok, a few users are also reporting similar issues. The persistent problem was not reported on any official Apple support forums.

The orange variant of the phone appears to be experiencing a color change, particularly noticeable around the new camera plateau and the device’s frame. Reports, such as an Instagram post showing the camera area fading to pink and a Reddit post alleging sun-induced color changes (which we find questionable), suggest this issue is currently limited to the orange model.

Some have suggested that the color change is due to oxidation of the aluminum frame. If the protective sealing layers, which are meant to prevent contact between the metal and air, were not applied correctly, this could lead to discoloration.

A user who claimed to work at the Genius Bar mentioned that they had seen similar issues with aluminum MacBooks, where the material had become discolored. They noted that while Apple wouldn’t replace the unit, they would typically “repair it under warranty.”

Apple is yet to release an official statement about the issue, which could be a sign that it’s not widespread (a lot of iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max devices in orange have sold, and the reports are fairly isolated).