Erm, apparently the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro is turning... pink?

When the Cosmic Orange iPhone burst onto the tech scene, people were both delighted and slightly confused. But after all the fuss, the disruptive tech now has the audacity to change colour. Yup, people are reporting that their shiny new orange iPhones are turning... pink?

One Reddit post in particular dives deep into the phenomenon as perplexed iPhone fans discuss the possible reasons behind the change of colour from bright orange to a rose gold-y pink hue. From being left out in the sun to the composition of the sweat on the hand of the user, there are many explanations put forward for the issue. When we reviewed the iPhone 17 Pro, we got a blue version so we can't add to the conversation personally – but will be watching to see how many of the phones turn rosy.

Update on Orange IPhone 17 Pro Max that Turned Rose Gold from r/iphone

Though the OP says it has been suggested they manipulated the picture with Photoshop ("I could not imagine a sadder existence than photoshopping iPhone pics," they responded), Redditors are all in on solving the mystery. It seems the actual issue is to do with oxidisation and sealing inconsistencies, but it is still worth a read of the in part serious and in part hilarious discussion that's going on.

"Maybe OP has bad PH balance and sweaty hands," one comment suggests. But others point out that the colour is too evenly spread – "and rub every surface of the phone evenly with their sweaty hands to get this homogeneous finish," one comment jokes.

Comment from r/iphone

Maybe it was to do with UV exposure, another comment says. And indeed another user who used to work at an Apple store says that anyone else wanting to replicate the look should take the phone outside as much as possible to change the colour. They say that the rose gold iPhones used to get super pink when inside the store for long periods (see above).

Others suggest the resale value has now gone up significantly. "It will be worth more on ebay. Thats for sure. Limited edition" says one enterprising comment. And one even has a name for the model: "iPhone 17 Pro Max, Grapefruit Edition, the only one in the world."

it's an interesting design flaw to go hand in hand with scratch-gate. But we love the phone anyway – and it's heading straight to the top of our best iPhone for Photography list (if you want one, see the prices below).