iPhone 7 Plus colours
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are available in rose gold, gold, silver, black and jet black Apple

Apple customers are going back to black with the iPhone 7, as the new matte black colour option is the most popular among British buyers.

Rose Gold, which launched on the iPhone 6S in 2016, is the second most popular in the UK, while Jet Black, the colour Apple is using to promote the iPhone 7, is third. Fourth place is taken by silver, leaving gold in fifth and last place.

More technology news from IBTimes UK

Analysis of iPhone 7 pre-orders placed at Carphone Warehouse revealed that two-thirds (66%) of iPhone 7 buyers have gone for one of the two new black colour options. This is despite Apple itself warning the Jet Black option, which has a glossy finish, is prone to showing scratches more than the other options.

Apple says in a footnote on its website: "Its high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use. If you are concerned about this, we suggest you use one of the many cases available to protect your iPhone."

Matte black, which Apple simply calls 'black' is not only the most popular, but pre-orders for this colour are outstripping second place Rose Gold by three-to-one. This data correlates with comments made by staff at a Vodafone store, who told IBTimes UK that black was the most popular and silver sales had been few and far between.

When the first iPhone launched in 2007 it was available exclusively with a black front and silver back. The iPhone 3G a year later has a black front and glossy black back, while the 3GS of 2009 was also available in glossy white, although the front remained black.

The iPhone 4 in 2010 was launched in both black and white (and with a white front for the first time) but manufacturing difficulties delayed the white version by so long that it went on sale only shortly before the 4S arrived in 2011. For the iPhone 4S and 5 the options remained as black (now called Space Grey) and white, then gold and white was added for the 5S in 2013.

A year later the iPhone 6 launched in space grey, silver and gold. The 6S added Rose Gold to the lineup in 2015 and now for the iPhone 7 Space Grey has been retired, replaced with black and Jet Black.

Apple