Can we please talk about the i Phone Air's controversial Light Gold color? | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Can we please talk about the i Phone Air's controversial Light Gold color?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The i Phone Air in Light Gold (Image credit: Future)

I love the i Phone Air. I’ve waxed lyrical about Apple’s super slim phone in multiple articles over the past few months, and nothing I’m about to say should take away from the fact that this is, without doubt, the most exciting i Phone Apple has released since the i Phone X.

Over the weekend, my girlfriend finally took notice of the i Phone Air I’ve been using for the better part of three months now. “It’s so light,” she said, impressed by the Air’s weightlessness compared to her comparatively gargantuan i Phone 15 Pro Max. “But I wouldn’t buy the white one — I’d prefer it in gold.”

Dear reader, my i Phone Air is gold. Or rather Light Gold, as Apple describes it. I told my girlfriend as much, but she didn’t believe me. I had to pull out the box and show her the color label. Of course, I know I’ve been using the Light Gold version of the i Phone Air, because it’s my job to know. But it wasn’t until this out-of-work conversation that I realized just how not-gold the i Phone Air in Light Gold is. Or isn’t. I’m confusing myself now…

‘The most conflicted I’ve ever been about a phone’ — reappraising the i Phone Air, 6 months later

I love the Mac Book Neo and its wild colors — but Apple missed a big trick with the i Phone 17e

Anyway, I took to Reddit after this discussion to find that — lo and behold — other Light Gold i Phone Air owners were left similarly confused (and in many cases, disappointed) by the perceived disparity between Apple’s product images for the Light Gold i Phone Air and the color of the product itself.

On Apple’s website, the i Phone Air in Light Gold does indeed look like an i Phone Air in Light Gold. And not just compared the Cloud White and Sky Blue models, either — the standalone product listing shows the i Phone Air with a distinctly milky, vanilla-like rear panel and gold titanium rails. It’s a lovely colorway, and one that, for me, is the best of the bunch alongside Sky Blue.

In the hand, however, the i Phone Air in Light Gold looks white, and its titanium rails look silver. That vanilla-like shade is all-but non-existent, and to my eyes, the phone's rails and camera ring only betray their true gold identity under very specific lighting conditions.

The i Phone Air in Light Gold (yes, really)(Image credit: Future)

The i Phone Air in slightly different lighting(Image credit: Future)

A close-up of the i Phone Air's camera ring(Image credit: Future)

Proof that I do in fact own the Light Gold i Phone Air(Image credit: Future)

Weirdly, I don’t hate this subtlety. I enjoy using a white phone, especially one as thin and light (dare I say ‘cloud-like’?) as the i Phone Air. And it’s kind of cool to see my typically silver-looking phone transform into something fancier when the sun hits it just right. But I totally get the frustration from others.

“In what world is this gold? I get it’s supposed to be a light, subtle color, but this is straight-up white,” reads one Reddit post from an annoyed Light Gold i Phone Air owner, while another user writes, “Blue is white. Gold is white. And white is white. Apple's marketing is colorblind.”

In fairness to the latter commenter, other i Phone Air owners on Reddit have taken similar umbrage with the color of their device: “My husband has the blue one, and as a lover of anything light blue, I was so prepared to be very jealous... turns out he can sit his phone right next to my silver Pro Max, and you can barely tell the difference!”

And now I’ll be fair to Apple. I don’t have a Cloud White i Phone Air to compare my Light Gold model to directly, but this Tik Tok video shows a visible distinction between the two colors:

i Phone 18 Pro colors leaked, including a stunning new Dark Cherry shade

I have a theory about the i Phone 4 — and it might explain Apple’s entire i Phone release schedule

Custom i Phone Air has a clear back and SIM card slot – and major drawbacks

The latter phone is milkier, and it does have gold rails instead of silver rails, so the naysayers can put down their pitchforks — there's no false advertising lawsuit to be won here.

But I do sympathize with those who feel disappointed with their Light Gold i Phone Air purchase — even though I, personally, am pretty happy with my sometimes-silver, sometimes-gold slab of titanium and glass.

Incidentally, the next crop of i Phone colors isn't likely to be so subtle. The i Phone 18 Pro is tipped to ship in Light Blue, Dark Gray, Silver, and Dark Cherry, and judging by the early Reddit reactions to the latter color, Apple could have another Cosmic Orange moment on its hands.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow Tech Radar on Tik Tok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on Whats App too.

Axel is Tech Radar's Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and Four Four Two, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining Tech Radar in 2020, where he earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1I watched a Joby electric Air Taxi take off and land in New York City, and now I can't wait for our Uber of the skies future

2'They can’t block the sky': Inside an ingenious satellite TV hack bypassing Iran’s internet blackout — when the web goes dark, activists are smuggling gigabytes of data through ordinary television signals to keep the Iranian people connected to the world

3 These are the 5 best GMKtec mini PC deals on Amazon — save big on some of our highest rated and reviewed compact desktops, but be quick

4'We need to deliver warfighting capability at a faster rate': US Space Force cancels Next Generation GPS project over 'extensive system issues' and an 'insurmountable' timeline

5 The best DJI Lito alternatives — including 'your best first drone', and one serious curve-ball option

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Key Takeaways

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards