Looking back at the history of Apple’s various iPhone models, you won’t find many kind words for the iPhone 5c, which is widely remembered as the worst version of Apple’s smartphone. Still, there’s at least one feature of the iPhone 5c that we hope will have some impact on Apple’s plans for the iPhone 16 it releases this fall.
I’ll confess to being an outlier here. I owned an iPhone 5c and loved that phone. Still, I’ll be the first to admit that if me and my fellow iPhone 5c fans were ever to host a convention, we wouldn’t need to rent a very large conference space.
Complaints about the iPhone 5c centered on the plastic back (which felt cheap) and the base model’s 8GB of storage (a whopping amount even by 2013 standards). This phone was inferior to the iPhone 5s that was released at the same time, but it cost only $100 more and had significantly better specs.
I accept that any of these arguments are correct. However, there is one criticism I cannot accept. That’s the iPhone 5c hill I would happily die for. We do not allow any slurs about the color of the iPhone 5c. The colors on the iPhone 5c were great.
A more colorful iPhone
Not everyone agrees on this point. Some felt the colors were too bright and, combined with its polycarbonate back, made the iPhone 5c look more like a toy than a seriously used smartphone. I would respond by saying that the good thing about opinions is that everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it’s horribly wrong.
Yes, the colors on the iPhone 5c were bright and vibrant. That was the point. In a world of phones with monochrome color options, the iPhone 5c stood out with its rainbow array of blues, greens, yellows, and pinks. (Yes, for those afraid of joy, there was also a white version of the iPhone 5c.) Everyone needs a little color in their life, and the iPhone 5c provides it. Ta. In a world full of monotony and drudgery, the iPhone 5c offers a little bit of fun for us little ones.
I don’t know if the reaction to the iPhone 5c scared Apple away from taking a Technicolor approach to the look of future phones, but subsequent models, at least to my eye, didn’t look as colorful. It was. Even when Apple adds a little color to its lineup, it usually opts for toned-down versions and leaves the brightness to the display.
Modern iPhone colors — why are they so serious?
As I write this article, I’m staring at three different iPhones. A green iPhone 12, a pink iPhone 13, and a blue iPhone 15. I don’t really have a problem with the colors, but they are all on the lighter side. There’s a spectrum and it’s clearly muted. In fact, the blue iPhone 15 is so pale that you’d think it was white.
There’s no pop of color here, nothing to make it stand out or catch the eye. Despite all its shortcomings, that’s what the iPhone 5c stands for, and it’s a quality that’s been missing from the iPhone lineup for a while.
Here comes the iPhone 16 and its possible colors. The good news is that current iPhone 16 color rumors suggest that you’ll have a wide range of color options when it’s time to choose a new phone this fall. The five existing colors of the iPhone 15 are reportedly expected to be available on this year’s phone, with white and purple joining the mix. Unfortunately, I suspect it won’t be the vibrant colors Apple prefers at the moment, rather than the vibrant colors à la the iPhone 5c.
iPhone 16 color outlook
It doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t think the more sophisticated materials that Apple uses in its current phones, combined with the brighter colors seen in the iPhone 5c, will result in the same negative reactions that were seen over a decade ago. . I think people might prefer a more vibrant look on the phone.
At a time when Apple seems to be trying to differentiate between Pro and standard iPhone models, it makes even more sense for Apple to go bold with iPhone colors. It maintains the muted colors of the iPhone 16 Pro while giving the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus their own colorful vibe.
Apple has made it clear in recent years what design touches it prefers for its phones, so don’t expect a sudden wave of iPhone 5c nostalgia to engulf the company. Still, I’m hopeful that the iPhone will someday have a bright future, at least when it comes to the colors Apple offers.
