If you thought $1,199 was a lot to spend on a smartphone, Caviar is here to remind you that some people consider that a starting point. The luxury customization brand has launched its Contrast Edition collection for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the price tags start at $7,130. Every cent of that markup goes toward the outside of the phone. Not one component under the hood has been changed.
That’s kind of the whole Caviar pitch, and it’s been working for 15 years. The brand takes production hardware, strips the rear panel, and replaces it with custom materials that most phone buyers will never touch in their lives. For this collection, those materials are brushed titanium, hand-formed forged carbon fiber, and double 999 fine 24-karat gold plating. Caviar is calling it a dual celebration of its own 15th anniversary and Apple’s 50th, which is a clever bit of framing. But let’s be honest, the anniversary angle is mostly marketing. The real draw is the materials.
The collection has five variants, each capped at 50 units. That’s 50 units total per design, not per region or per size. So if you want one, you probably shouldn’t sleep on it.
Two models go the metallic route. The Titanium Grey pairs Apple’s standard gray iPhone 18 Pro chassis with a black titanium insert finished with directional brushing. The Black Moon takes the deep black iPhone body and adds a brushed silver titanium panel, plus a PVD-coated titanium Apple logo on the back. Both start at $7,130 for 256GB.
The carbon fiber side of the lineup has two options as well. Sky Blue contrasts Apple’s light blue chassis with a dark forged carbon fiber panel, priced at $7,130. The Dark Red model is a little more involved. It pairs a burgundy body with a forged carbon insert that has purple veining running through it, finished with a 24-karat gold Apple logo. That one runs $7,410.
The most expensive piece in the collection is the Gold Wine at $7,840. It puts a jewelry alloy insert with double 999 fine gold plating onto a deep wine-colored iPhone 18 Pro. It looks exactly like something you’d see behind glass at a hotel boutique in Monaco.
- Titanium Grey: Black titanium insert, directional brushing, from $7,130
- Black Moon: Brushed silver titanium insert, PVD Apple logo, from $7,130
- Sky Blue: Forged carbon fiber panel on light blue chassis, from $7,130
- Dark Red: Carbon insert with purple veining, 24K gold Apple logo, from $7,410
- Gold Wine: Double 999 fine 24K gold plating on wine base, from $7,840
So is this a gimmick? Partly. The performance is identical to any other iPhone 18 Pro you can buy at your local Apple Store. You’re paying for materials, craftsmanship, custom packaging, and the knowledge that fewer than 50 other people on the planet have the same phone. Whether that’s worth five times the retail price is a personal call.
But Caviar has managed to carve out a real market here, and that’s worth acknowledging. There’s a consumer segment that genuinely wants a luxury object that also functions as a daily driver smartphone. A Rolex doesn’t tell time better than a Casio. That’s not really the point. Caviar is operating in the same space, and the brand has clearly figured out how to serve that audience consistently over 15 years.
The Contrast Edition collection is available to order now directly from Caviar’s website. If you need to ask about shipping times, you can probably afford expedited.