The Cosmic Orange color Apple offered for the iPhone 17 Pro proved hugely popular, and was credited with helping the company hit record iPhone sales last year.
It seems the company’s competitors were paying close attention, several of them adopting a very similar color tone for their latest Android smartphones – with the above one of the more blatant clones …
CNET noted the number of copycats spotted at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Not one but several phone makers were putting handsets on display that were dead ringers for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, from the size and button layout to the rear camera layout. And of course, they sport the unmistakable orange. So yes, we saw some of the best phones at MWC that truly excited us but we also saw some deliberate attempts to coast on the headway Apple made with its iPhone 17 Pro Max’s cosmic orange.
Top comment by warren merrill
Orange was a dominant trend for 2025, specifically highlighted by Goldwell as their 2025 Color of the Year. It ranges from bright orange to rust and terracotta, and featured heavily in fashion, beauty, and interior design, representing creativity, optimism, and warmth.
Apple follows color trends as much as anyone. Orange is just another in the line. Other than the one highlighted Chinese copycat (there's always one, right?) I don't think it is as much copying as being a designer-promoted color across industries.
The Hotwav A17 Pro Max shamelessly copied the naming format and camera module layout in addition to the two-tone color. Compare here to the original:
The site noted that it wasn’t just smartphones which were copying Apple’s most popular color. It was also seen in a number of other product categories such as this Anker Nano Charger with Smart Display.
Now that Apple has launched the MacBook Neo in some fun new colors, we can doubtless expect these to be copied too.
- Official Apple Store on Amazon
- Apple’s iPhone cases: iPhone 17 | iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max | iPhone Air
- Wireless CarPlay adapter (2026 update)
- AirTag holders and accessories
- Mac Pro-style Mac mini casing
- NordVPN – privacy-first VPN with no logs and independent audits to verify
Images: Hotwav/Apple/Anker
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