# The leaked Dark Cherry iPhone video is almost certainly a fake

Source: https://idevice.com/the-leaked-dark-cherry-iphone-video-is-almost-certainly-a-fake
Published: 2026-09-08

> Dark Cherry and Sky Blue have been the expected colors for weeks, which is exactly what makes them cheap to fake.

The clip runs 14 seconds. Someone holds a dark cherry [iPhone 18 Pro Max](https://idevice.com/phones/iphone-pro/roadmap/iphone-18-pro-max), sets a dark blue [iPhone 17 Pro Max](https://idevice.com/phones/iphone-pro/roadmap/iphone-17-pro-max) next to it for comparison, and a light blue model sits on a stand behind them, in what looks like a shop. It came from yeux1122, a leaker with a real record who has lately been reposting Chinese social media rather than sourcing anything. [9to5Mac went through the frame](https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/07/iphone-18-pro-appears-to-show-new-colors-in-a-retail-store-but-likely-fake/) and found the display table far too small for a store, the product tags unattached and sitting at a random angle, and almost nothing behind them that looks like a real shop floor. Dummy units are easy to come by too. A colleague who had just been round the IFA show floor in Berlin found that every single case company there had ones that looked and felt real.

[AppleInsider stopped at the price sticker](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/07/no-stores-are-not-showing-users-the-iphone-18-pro-max-ahead-of-their-launch), which is well made, says 256GB, and lists what looks like a monthly hire purchase figure in Russian rubles, around $123 a month. William Gallagher allowed that Apple does not sell iPhones in Russia at all, so a high number there proves less than it first looks. He also asked why anyone filming an unreleased iPhone would stop after a few seconds. "If you have a camera and Bigfoot in front of you, you don't just take one shot or record a few seconds." Dark Cherry and Sky Blue have been the expected finishes for weeks, which is what makes them the cheap thing to fake. Apple shows the lineup on Wednesday.

## Sources

- [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/07/iphone-18-pro-appears-to-show-new-colors-in-a-retail-store-but-likely-fake/) (9to5Mac)
- [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/07/no-stores-are-not-showing-users-the-iphone-18-pro-max-ahead-of-their-launch) (AppleInsider)