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iPhone 18 Pro reportedly enters test production

The iPhone 18 Pro has reached the test production stage ahead of its launch in September, according to a leaker with a decent track record.

The report is sufficiently vague that it’s not clear whether or not it clashes with an earlier one from Bloomberg

Fixed Focus Digital posted on Weibo:

The 18 series is already in production testing. The production line of the iPhone 18 Pro has also started. According to the current information, the material has not changed much, and the current scheme specifications are still used as a whole.

Test production is the point at which Apple’s assembly partners ensure that there are no nasty surprises waiting for them once the device enters mass production. It uses the same production lines and procedures as final production in order to reveal any unexpected issues.

A device usually only reaches this stage once all of the design decisions have been finalized. However, a Bloomberg report over the weekend suggested that Apple may have one more decision yet to make: the color choices.

Apple is now considering a deep red color for its next lineup. Given the success of orange, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company keeps that option around and just adds the red as an additional choice. But red and orange might be a little too close on the color wheel to have both. We’ll see how this plays out exactly, but I can at least tell you that, as of now, red is the new flagship color in testing for the next iPhone Pros.

If the company were planning this colour option to be available at launch, we’d expect the decision to have been made by now. There are, however, a couple of possible ways to reconcile the two reports.

First, seeing exactly how the color turns out when put through the planned production line processes may be part of the evaluation. Second, Apple may plan to add the red color option at a later date. We’ve of course seen the company add a color further down the line on more than one occasion before – including with Product(RED) models. That may be what is being considered here.

What are your thoughts? Would you like to see the iPhone 18 Pro offered in red? Please let us know in the comments.

Image: 9to5Mac edit of an Apple photo

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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