Before the iPhone X was officially revealed, there were a lot of rumors and part leaks about a ‘blush gold’ color model (like the header picture in this article). KGI reported that the gold iPhone X was facing production issues and may not be ready for the initial launch. Apple debuted the iPhone X in just Space Gray and Silver. At least according to one rumor, the gold iPhone X may indeed be launching soon.
Before the product’s launch, we saw a lot of dummy iPhone X units (then named iPhone 8) in a bronze copper gold finish, as well as components like SIM card trays.
Apple leaker Benjamin Geskin today tweeted that the gold iPhone X is now being manufactured at Apple factories, with a D21A codename. Geskin was the first source to publish photos of iPhone X dummy units, which later turned out to be very accurate. He has had a more mixed track record of accuracy since then however.
Analysts like KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo have not discussed the gold iPhone X since the September reports, so its fate has been unknown. iPhone X production has been reported to be end as soon as the summer, as Apple will replace it with a new model for the 2018 iPhone lineup.
However, it is possible that they will prop up the final quarters of sales with the introduction of a new chassis color. Apple did this last year with the debut of a limited edition PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7 in the spring.
If this is legitimate, it makes sense to expect a gold iPhone X with a similar finish to the gold iPhone 8, a middle ground between the previous yellow and rose gold colors of earlier iPhone generations.
Apple has announced a March 27 ‘education’ event so maybe the new color is announced then, even if it doesn’t really fit the theme. The PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7 debuted with merely a press release, so don’t be surprised if that happens again this time, assuming this rumor proves to be accurate.