ROSÉ has confirmed that her viral iPhone 18 Pro mirror selfie was not photoshopped, putting an end to days of speculation surrounding the promotional image. The BLACKPINK star addressed the debate in person at a Levi’s event, where fans spotted her using the same burgundy device featured in the photo.
The original selfie was posted on September 9, the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, as part of a joint Instagram post promoting ROSÉ’s upcoming single “new trick.” The singer appeared in a blue polo, striped tie and plaid skirt while holding the deep-red phone toward the mirror, with the caption “iPhone, new trick, watch this, watch this ahhhh!!!!” and the hashtag #ShotoniPhone18Pro.
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Almost immediately, social media users began questioning whether the phone had been digitally inserted into the photograph. Fans pointed to the lighting around the device, its edges against ROSÉ’s fingers and nails, and the way the burgundy color appeared to sit differently from the rest of the image. Some of the most-liked comments questioned why Apple would promote the new phone with an edited image instead of simply giving ROSÉ an actual device.
Samsung Canada added another layer to the conversation with a cheeky comment: “If you needed a real phone you could have just asked us.” The response quickly attracted hundreds of thousands of likes, making the joke especially fitting given ROSÉ and BLACKPINK’s previous relationship with Samsung as global ambassadors for the Galaxy A series in 2019.
The speculation ended when ROSÉ appeared at the Levi’s event carrying and using a real burgundy iPhone 18 Pro. Videos from the appearance circulated among fans, providing a straightforward answer to the viral question: the phone in the original selfie was genuine.
The image is part of a larger campaign surrounding “new trick,” ROSÉ’s first solo release since her 2024 debut album Rosie. Written with Amy Allen after this year’s Met Gala, the new song arrives September 17, while its Dave Meyers-directed music video was filmed entirely with the iPhone 18 Pro. Meyers previously directed BLACKPINK’s “JUMP,” adding another connection between the campaign and ROSÉ’s recent visual work.
Photo: ROSÉ/Instagram
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