Apple’s latest iPhone launch may still be fresh, but Indian phone markets appear to have wasted no time finding a cheeky way to make last year’s flagship look brand new.
Apple’s latest iPhone launch may still be fresh, but Indian phone markets appear to have wasted no time finding a cheeky way to make last year’s flagship look brand new. Viral videos have surfaced showing an iPhone 17 Pro receiving an elaborate makeover designed to mimic the newly launched iPhone 18 Pro — and seemingly, all it took was a burgundy converter kit.
The videos, shared on X, appear to show an iPhone 17 Pro being transformed into an iPhone 18 Pro at a phone repair shop. In one of the clips, a man at the shop is seen meticulously cleaning the customer’s iPhone 17 Pro before beginning work on its exterior. He then replaces the rear panel with a burgundy one and adds a matching burgundy frame around the handset.
The finished device bears a striking resemblance to the Burgundy iPhone 18 Pro from the outside, making the transformation look surprisingly convincing at first glance.
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The video’s caption claimed that Indian markets had already begun offering “18 series converter kits” for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. It also joked that Apple’s latest models could be in trouble “if the only major difference is the colour.”
Of course, swapping a phone’s exterior cannot magically equip an iPhone 17 Pro with the A20 Pro chip, upgraded camera system or other hardware inside the iPhone 18 Pro. But if the goal is simply to make last year’s iPhone look like this year’s model, this unusual makeover appears to offer a much cheaper shortcut than walking into an Apple Store for an upgrade.
Apple launch event
Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its September 9 launch event. While the latest Pro models retain a familiar overall design, they come with several hardware upgrades, including the A20 Pro chip, a 48MP Fusion main camera with variable aperture and improved battery life.
