Why Apple's 'Hermès' orange iPhone is going viral in China

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Orange really is the new black.

Krakow, Poland - November 6, 2025. Close-up editorial image shows a hand holding the latest Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange, against a black background, highlighting the phone’s unique colour and camera design. The shot captures current consumer technology trends and the distinct design choices of Apple devices. This editorial photo is suitable for articles, reviews, and technology news related to smartphones, Apple products, or mobile innovation.
(Image credit: martin-dm via Getty Images)

If there's one design area in which Apple tends to play it safe, it's colour. For a long time, the only options available for the iPhone were silver, grey or silvery-grey. Back then, the idea of a 'Cosmic Orange' iPhone was, well, cosmic.

It's no surprise that 2025's orange iPhone 17 Pro has proven a huge hit – after a strong of muted hues, it's the first ostensibly flashy 'Pro' iPhone Apple has ever made. The best iPhone for photography is also the brightest – and it's proving particularly popular in China.

iPhone 17 Pro colours

(Image credit: Apple)

iPhone sales have seen a 38% rise in China, reversing a years-long sales slump, and analysts are attributing it to the renewal of the 'status symbol' quality afforded by that splashy new orange.

“It sounds simple, but it’s the external obvious changes to design, which includes the introduction of a shout-out orange colour, that pulled out early upgraders,” IDC senior research director Nabila Popal told Financial Times.

Apple watch bands: Hermes band

Apple has worked with Hermès on luxury accessories including Apple Watch bands (Image credit: Hermes)

Apple has been accused of stagnating from a deign perspective for a while now, with product updates looking increasingly incremental both inside and out. Indeed, the 17 line up represented its boldest aesthetic drop in years, and its success should surely be a lesson for the company – users need bold new designs to tempt them to upgrade.

And with a new MacBook Pro redesign rumoured to be arriving as soon as this year, perhaps Mac users will find themselves similarly tempted in 2026.

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Daniel John
Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.

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