In September, Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 Pro line in a color all its own -- a bright tangerine orange that split the CNET newsroom between lovers and haters. And yet, nearly half a year later, that hue is all over MWC 2026, suggesting its fans have gone global.

From accessories to blatant copies of the iPhone 17 Pro Max itself, a shocking variety of products seemingly sampled Apple's exact color tone to splash over their devices. It's as brazen as the iPhone maker's choice to go with such a blinding color. 

I first noticed the color's presence when I walked into the hotel bar that accessory maker Anker rented to showcase its new line of products. While the TKTK recharging plug was originally revealed at CES a month earlier, Anker had it in bright orange for MWC. The charger was already charming with a cute robot appearing on its screen, but the bright orange gave it an undeniable pizazz (and ensures you won't lose it among other monochrome chargers). 

Then I strolled over to check out the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite, a smaller Android phone with a physical keyboard that feels like an homage to Blackberry handsets of yore. It comes in black, of course, but also that arresting orange, which amplified the boldness of a deliberately small phone. Clearly, the orange adds attitude.

When I shared with the CNET team the pattern of orange hues I was seeing, they rolled their eyes as they told me I'd missed the most obvious devices mimicking Apple's hue. 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. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Here's hoping all those orange phones don't turn pink like our iPhone did.