Is a Gold iPhone Real Gold?
Yes — when it is done properly.
Two different things, often confused
A gold-coloured iPhone is a factory finish. Apple's own gold and desert titanium colourways are anodised or coated metal in a gold tone. There is no gold in them.
A customised gold iPhone carries a layer of genuine precious metal, applied to the housing after the phone is built. That is what we do, and have done since 1995.
The difference matters if you are comparing prices. A gold-coloured phone costs what the phone costs. A gold phone costs the phone plus the metal and the work.
See the full range on our 24K gold iPhone collection.
How the gold is applied
The housing is dismantled, stripped of its factory finish, prepared, and the gold is deposited onto the metal. Then it is reassembled, tested and finished by hand.
Preparation is most of the work. A finish applied over a surface that was not properly prepared will lift, however much gold sits on top of it. This is the single biggest difference between a professional finish and a cheap one.
How much gold, actually
Plating is measured in microns. Our iPhone finishes are applied at 5 microns.
A phone lives in a pocket, against keys and fabric, and is handled hundreds of times a day. That is a harder life than most plated objects get, which is why thickness and preparation matter more on a phone than on an ornament.
See our full range of Gold iPhones
A third category: solid precious metal
There is one more distinction worth making, because it is the one people assume we are blurring.
Plated means a layer of genuine precious metal on the housing. Solid means the part is made from the metal throughout.
Our Goldgenie Infinity™ edition uses both, deliberately. The iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max housing is finished in 24K gold, rose gold or platinum at 5 microns, set in genuine calf leather, with an Infinity emblem that is solid 18ct gold, solid 18ct rose gold or solid platinum — approximately 12 to 14mm, solid metal, not a finish.
It is an individually numbered edition of 200 — 100 in Oxblood Red leather and 100 in Burnt Orange — from £4,797, with a certificate of authenticity, complimentary engraving of the edition number, free worldwide DHL delivery dispatched within seven days, and a lifetime warranty. Reserved with a 50% deposit, balance before dispatch.
We draw that line because it is the honest one. A plated housing is plated. A solid emblem is solid. Anyone telling you a whole phone is solid gold at these prices is not describing the same object.
What is underneath
We work with stainless steel, brass, copper, silver, aluminium, titanium and chrome-plated parts. Plastic components need specialist assessment — they are not all platable, and we will tell you which parts of your device are and are not.
Finishes
24K gold, rose gold and platinum, plus bespoke variations. 24K is the brightest and the most recognisably gold. Rose gold is warmer and reads as more understated. Platinum is cool and silver-toned rather than yellow.
What it does not change
Customising the housing does not change what the phone is. The display, cameras, battery and internals are the same hardware, working the same way. It is a transformation of the outside, and we would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.
Buying versus customising
- Buy one finished. We supply customised iPhones directly, at the starting prices on the product pages. These carry a lifetime warranty.
- Send us yours. We customise your existing phone for a fixed price by model. This carries a three-year warranty, subject to applicable warranty terms and normal exclusions.
Full detail is on the luxury iPhone range.
Getting it done
Tell us the model and the finish you want. We arrange insured worldwide collection and return by DHL, included in the quotation for customers outside the UK and the UAE. UK clients can post the phone to us or drop it in at our London service office in Enfield. Most projects complete within about seven working days.
FAQs
Yes, when customised rather than simply gold-coloured. A genuine layer of 24K gold, rose gold or platinum is applied to the housing. Apple's own gold colourways contain no gold.
Our iPhone finishes are applied at 5 microns. A phone is handled constantly, so thickness and surface preparation matter more than on most plated items.
No, and we would not claim it. The housing carries a precious-metal finish. On our Infinity edition the emblem is solid 18ct gold, rose gold or platinum — solid metal, roughly 12 to 14mm — while the housing itself is finished at 5 microns.
No. The work is on the housing. The display, cameras, battery and internals are unchanged and function as before.
24K gold, rose gold and platinum, plus bespoke variations.
A properly prepared, correctly thick finish lasts years. A thin finish over poor preparation will not. That is the difference preparation makes.
