Not long after Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro launched last year, there were reports that the Cosmic Orange model’s body was slowly fading to pink or rose gold. Unexpectedly, this year the new colors in the iPhone 18 Pro series have also reportedly drawn similar reports.
According to foreign media reports, related cases began to appear the day after the iPhone 18 Pro series went on sale. A Reddit user posted photos of their burgundy red Pro Max, circled all three lenses with a black pen, and asked everyone if this was normal. There have also been sporadic cases with the black model, and in every case, the fading starts around the camera lenses.
Image source: GSMArena
iPhone 18 Pro Series Reportedly Hit by Fading Issues? Pale Halos Appear Around Camera Lenses on Burgundy Red and Black Models
according to GSMArena In the report, they compiled three posts from the r/iphone18pro forum, all related to fading in the iPhone 18 Pro series, and, as with last year, the fading starts around the camera lenses and then spreads to the entire aluminum body. No similar reports have been seen for the two lighter colors, Silver and Glacier Blue.
The first is the Pro Max user u/Low_Midnight_2601 mentioned in the introduction. The OP posted around September 19: “Is it normal for the area around the lens on my new 18 Pro Max to discolor like this?” In the post, they described the area around the lens as “looking lighter and pinkish compared with the camera bump next to it.” The OP specifically emphasized that there was “no oil, residue, or dirt” on the phone, that they had carefully cleaned that area, and that the body had no scratches, dents, or any other damage; the color difference wasn’t just something that showed up in photos—it was also clearly visible to the naked eye. What the OP wanted to ask was: Is the finish around the lens supposed to look like this, or is it a manufacturing defect or discoloration?
Is this discoloration around the camera lens rings normal on my new 18pm
byu/Low_Midnight_2601 iniphone18pro
The second is from u/Ambitious_Pain3012, also a Burgundy Red body with uneven color around the lens. However, the OP says right at the start, “I didn’t take the photo,” and that they’d only heard Burgundy Red has a fading issue. They’re still torn between Burgundy Red and Glacier Blue, so they came to ask if anyone has experienced it:
Discoloration on burgundy
byu/Ambitious_Pain3012 iniphone18pro
The third post mainly discusses whether the iPhone 18 Pro in Burgundy Red needs a case. The original poster said that he and his girlfriend had originally planned to buy Burgundy Red Pro Max phones together as matching couple phones, but were scared off by recent reports of fading, so he asked everyone, including whether camera lens protectors help? Has anyone put on a case and still had it discolor? Could these reports just be amplified because the new phone was just released? If you could start over, would you still choose Burgundy Red?
Burgundy vs Glacier: would a case + camera protector prevent the discoloration issues?
byu/ixUltra iniphone18pro
Foreign media outlet GSMArena says it also has a burgundy red iPhone 18 Pro Max. Although it hasn’t seen any issues so far, it admits that the device has always been treated carefully and has been taken out far less often than the average person’s phone, so the fact that nothing has gone wrong doesn’t mean anything.
On the MacRumors forums, a user had previously commented, “My phone has the same issue; it appeared on the first day. I really regret buying the black version.” However, they didn’t share any photos:
Based on the cases made public so far, the number is still not large, so it cannot yet be called a disaster.
So why exactly does it change color? There are currently roughly three hypotheses.
- GSMArena speculates that it’s ultraviolet light. In many cases, the phone only started changing color after being outdoors for a while, which closely matches what iPhone 17 Pro users described last year.
- Some also think it’s hand oil, believing that the darker areas have been darkened by oil from hands. Since the area around the lens is rarely touched normally, that lighter ring is the camera body’s original color. Quite a few comments agree with this explanation: wipe it with a cloth, and the color will temporarily become more even.
- It may be that the anodizing wasn’t done properly. Starting with the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple changed the Pro series from titanium to a unibody aluminum chassis, and the iPhone 18 Pro continues this design. The color of aluminum is created through “anodizing”; if the final sealing step isn’t done properly, the surface is more susceptible to water, sweat, oil, or UV light, and the color changes as a result.
Source: KOCPC Chinese