The iPhone 12 could be the first to come in dark blue

iPhone 11 Pro Max
(Image credit: Future)

We're expecting the iPhone 12 to launch in the next few weeks, and a new rumor suggests there might be a brand new color to pick from when the range of handsets finally sees the light of day: dark blue.

That's the claim from Taiwanese outlet DigiTimes (via MacRumors), which is sometimes right with its Apple predictions and sometimes not. You can currently pick up the iPhone 11 in white, gray, gold, black, green, yellow, purple or red, depending on the model.

It would be the first time that dark blue was available as a color on an iPhone, but this isn't the first time that we've heard it mentioned – a prominent tipster mentioned the color back in January as an option for the iPhone 12.

At that time it was suggested that the tasteful blue option could replace the Midnight Green shade that you can currently get with the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models – so it might not be available on the standard iPhone 12.

iPhone 12 concept

(Image credit: Max Weinbach / EverythingApplePro)

The iPhone XR is still available from Apple in a blue color (alongside white, black, yellow, coral and red), but this is a much brighter blue than the one we're expecting to make its debut with the arrival of the iPhone 12.

From what we've heard up to this point, the iPhone XR is going to get cut from Apple's range when the iPhone 12 handsets do appear. The iPhone 11 Pro models will disappear too, with the iPhone 11 sticking around at a lower price.

Apple does traditionally give its cheaper iPhones a funkier selection of colors, so it would make sense for the darker blue to only be available on the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max – if indeed it is actually in the pipeline.

Besides any potential color changes, the upcoming iPhone 12 is expected to have faster internals, cameras enhanced with LiDAR technology, and the addition of 5G connectivity for the first time in an Apple handset.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.