Desert titanium is the shiny new iPhone 16 Pro color, but is it more gold or gray?

The iPhone 16 Pro is getting a new color: desert titanium. It’s the focus of all of Apple’s product marketing shots. But look closely and you may just wonder, like I have, what color ‘desert’ really is. From some angles desert titanium looks gold, while others make me think gray. So which is it?

Trying to pin down desert titanium’s color

If you followed iPhone 16 rumors at all, you know that desert titanium has been confounding for a long while before its formal debut.

Through varying reports over time, this new iPhone 16 Pro color option has been called shades of:

• Rose
• Gold
• Bronze
• Brown

Dummy models for the device varied too, with some leaning into the brown angle, while others were more gold.

It turns out, none of them captured the final product all that well.

Making an iPhone 16 Pro color decision

I’ve been trying to decide what color my own iPhone 16 Pro will be.

Pre-orders open soon, and the Apple Store’s pre-pre-order process is available now.

The new black titanium is a strong contender, with its darker shade than last year.

But I was really hoping for a gold iPhone, and I can’t decide whether desert titanium fits that bill or not.

I’ve been scouring all the hands-on photos and videos I can find, and spent too much time on Apple’s website viewing AR models and marketing photos.

I love how desert titanium looks from an angle. Its shiny edges definitely give off gold vibes.

But viewed straight-on from the back, that gold sheen disappears. Instead, the back of the device looks more gray or even off-white. A little beige, perhaps?

How will it look in person, in my normal daily environments and lighting conditions? I won’t know until September 20. And that’s the dilemma.

Will my desire for gold be let down by a too-gray desert titanium? Or will the combination of the sides and back make for a beautiful new finish?

We’ll find out soon.

What are your thoughts on desert titanium? What color is it really? And do you like or dislike it? Let us know in the comments.