Already Fading: Apple’s New $1,199 iPhone Looks Worn Out of the Box

Apple sold the iPhone 18 Pro as a $1,199 flagship. It went on sale September 18. Less than two weeks later, buyers of the Burgundy and Black models are posting photos of pale, pinkish rings around the rear cameras.

Some say the mark was there when they opened the box. Others say wiping with a cloth, soap, or alcohol does not help. A number of owners have already started returns. Silver and Glacier phones are not drawing the same complaints.

That is the part that should bother anyone who still treats an iPhone as a serious purchase. This is not a $200 Android that is expected to look cheap after a year. This is Apple’s premium phone, sold with the usual talk about materials, finish, and “attention to detail.”

The process behind the color is anodized aluminum. Dye is pushed into a porous oxide layer on the metal. If the seal is weak, oil, water, or just ordinary handling can change the look. Last year’s Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro had a similar problem, drifting toward pink. Apple kept the same kind of finish on the 18 Pro and charged more for it.

Some store display units in Burgundy and Black have shown the same rings, according to owners comparing notes. That undercuts the easy excuse that customers are sloppy.

Apple has a 14-day return window on phones bought directly from the company. For launch-day buyers, that clock runs out around October 2. After that, a color shift can get treated as “cosmetic,” which is how Big Tech often ducks a warranty fight. The product still works. It just no longer looks like the $1,199 object in the ad.

This is the pattern. The keynote is polished. The store is a temple. The phone costs what a used car used to cost. Then the finish fails on the two darkest colors, and the customer is told to wipe it again or swap to Silver.

Buyers who want a phone that still looks new in a month should treat Burgundy and Black as a risk until Apple says otherwise. The company has not issued a clear public fix. Until it does, the photos online are the review that matters.

Sources / More reading

- New York Post: https://nypost.com/2026/09/29/tech/iphone-18-pros-changing-color-due-to-unknown-defect/

- iThinkDiff: https://www.ithinkdiff.com/iphone-18-pro-camera-discoloration-burgundy-black/

- First for Money: https://firstformoney.com/iphone-18-pro-users-question-not-normal-color-fading-on-new-1199-device/

- MacRumors (iPhone 17 Pro durability warning ahead of 18 Pro): https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/15/iphone-18-pro-may-face-same-durability-issues/

- MacRumors Forums (Burgundy fade discussion): https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-18-pm-in-burgundy-has-faded-color-on-top-edge-of-rectangle.2489864/

- UK Tech News (aluminum finish that faded last year): https://uktechnews.co.uk/2026/09/16/titanium-for-the-duo-aluminium-for-the-pro-apple-keeps-the-finish-that-faded-and-charges-100-more-for-it/

- MacRumors (18 Pro color lineup): https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/09/apple-reveals-iphone-18-pro-four-new-colors/