A year or two ago, when a phone showed up at my door for review, I could pretty much count on it being black, gray, or maybe (as a treat) white. But in 2025, that hasn\u2019t been the case. Phones I reviewed this year featured everything from real wood grain back panels to deep blue finishes, with color-coordinated crossbody straps and magnetic accessories to match. For an industry that has been content to churn out a lot of black rectangular gadgets, 2025 marked a welcome return to bold colors and fashion-forward accessories from phone manufacturers.<\/p>\n
Phones haven\u2019t always been boring, utilitarian objects. Remember the original bright pink Motorola Razr<\/a>? Iconic. Or more recently, Nokia\u2019s neon yellow Lumia phones<\/a> \u2014 you couldn\u2019t miss them. Even the ever-conservative iPhone appeared in vibrant orange, yellow, and blue options in 2018\u2019s XR<\/a>; my husband refused to part with his until absolutely necessary because he didn\u2019t want to give up his yellow phone. But somewhere along the way in the past five years, phone makers decided that these devices should be more serious, and the fun options fell by the wayside.<\/p>\n If any single company deserves recognition for bringing style back, it\u2019s Motorola. The Razr Ultra foldable<\/a> in MountainTrail is easily the best-looking phone I used this year, but maybe I\u2019m just partial to the Moto X vibes<\/a> the wooden back evokes. The bronze-colored side rails, the satisfying sound as the flip phone snaps shut \u2014 it\u2019s all so nice. But it\u2019s not just foldables \u2014 Motorola has been way ahead of the curve with vibrant colors and unique finishes for the past year or so. I wish Moto\u2019s software looked as pristine \u2014 lately it\u2019s been stuffed to the gills with ads and bloatware<\/a> \u2014 but the company has definitely nailed good-looking hardware.<\/p>\n Even product lines that are traditionally conservative with color got some splashier options this year. 2025 gave us the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro<\/a>, for the truly bold among us. The standard iPhone 17 also comes in some fetching colors, which hasn\u2019t been a given in recent years \u2014 no repeat of the iPhone 15\u2019s washed-out color options, thankfully. Even Google offered its folding phone<\/a> in something other than black or white for the first time: a gray-ish Moonstone and a subtle greenish-yellow Jade.<\/p>\n But it hasn\u2019t been just the phones themselves. This year, manufacturers seemed to remember that phone accessories can be fashionable, too. Apple launched this year\u2019s iPhones with a new crossbody strap accessory<\/a>, available in a range of colors to coordinate with its cases. And later in the year, we got the crossbody sock<\/a>, er, iPhone Pocket, created with fashion designer Issey Miyake. Starting at $229 for the long version, it\u2019s a luxury that won\u2019t appeal to most people, but it makes a strong statement.<\/p>\n