Apple kicked off its “Awe Dropping” product launch event on Tuesday – introducing the widely anticipated iPhone 17, a brand new titanium-grade iPhone Air, an advanced wireless networking N1 chip, and a slew of new features and wearable upgrades.
The pre-recorded live stream began at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time from its Apple Park campus headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday, September 9th.
Dropping the "all about design" keynote speech to Apple fans inside the subterranean 1000-seat Steve Jobs Theater, as expected, was Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“Design has always been fundamental to who we are and what we do.“ Cook said.
“This philosophy guides everything we do, including the products we're going to introduce today and the experiences they provide,” he said, teasing a “magical listening experience” with AirPods, new health and fitness features for Apple Watch, and how the iPhone 17 will help users even more with “the things you do throughout your day.”
Even with Apple’s new innovative liquid glass feature, which is said to bring fluidity, vitality, and flexibility to the user, the biggest news of the day is the all-new iPhone Air, and its N1 networking chip, making it the most powerful (and thinnest) iPhone ever built.
Oh, and let's not forget about the launch of the iPhone 17, which will be available to the public starting Friday, September 19th. Cybernews brings you all the new products and features, and will be updating this article throughout the event and beyond.
iPhone Air takes flight
Calling it “the biggest leap ever for iPhone,” meet the newest member of the Apple family, the iPhone Air.
Said to have been made possible with the advancement in Apple Silicon, the Apple Air is being touted at 5.6mm as "the thinnest iPhone ever."
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"The core structure is a radically thin frame made from grade five spacecraft titanium," Cook said, and for the first time, a Ceramic Shield that encloses the 80% recycled titanium frame on both sides, giving it a combination of strength, lightness, and durability.
Comparing its feel to “a piece of the future,” Cook described the futuristic and mirrored-finished device as “powerful, yet so thin and light, it seems to disappear in your hands.”
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The Ceramic Shield is said to improve anti-reflection and provide 3X better scratch resistance, and "4X more resistant to cracks than our previous back glass," Apple says, a feature sure to be a favorite of every iPhone user.
The iPhone Air will come in four atmospheric colors: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue.
iPhone Air starts at $999 with 256GB storage, and can be upgraded to 512GB and 1TB storage options. It will be available in the US on September 19th, 2025, and in more than 63 countries and regions on September 26th.
Chips galore and an upgraded iOS
Apple says the design of iPhone Air was only possible with Apple silicon “single-threaded” processors, adding that “the high-performance A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips make it the most power-efficient iPhone ever made.”
We begin with the new A19 Pro, a 6-core CPU said to be the fastest in smartphone history. “Neural Accelerators are built into each GPU core, bringing up to 3x the peak GPU compute over the previous generation, excellent for powering generative AI models running on device,” Apple said.
Also designed by Apple is the N1 advanced wireless networking chip, said to enable the latest wireless networking technologies, such as Wi-Fi & and Bluetooth 6, and also improve performance and reliability in connected features like personal hotspot and AirDrop.
The new C1X cellular modem is reported to boost the iPhone Air's power efficiency by using 30% less power than its predeccesor, another plus for users. To note, the iPhone 17 will also benefit from all three chips.
Additionally decreasing iPhone's power consumption is the latest Apple operating system, iOS 26, which boasts an Adaptive Power Mode giving the iPhone "all-day battery life."
With a brand new interface dubbed Liquid Glass, iOS 26 comes complete with new Apple Intelligence capabilities, making daily usage more streamlined for users. Expect "meaningful improvements" to everyday Apple apps, updates to visual intelligence, live translation, and new screening tools for calls and messages.
iOS 26, which will be pre-installed on iPhone 17 and comptiable with over two dozen models, also introduces new features in CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet, as well as Apple Games, Apple said.
As for privacy, Apple's website states, "the on-device foundation model at the core of Apple Intelligence is available to all developers, with apps already offering new intelligent, privacy-protected experiences that can even be used when offline."
iPhone 17 “wow” features
The new iPhone 17 series is guaranteed to impress Apple enthusiasts with its four new models; the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
“We're raising the bar once again with an all-new iPhone lineup that's unlike anything we've ever created,” said Tim Millet, Vice President of Platform Architecture at Apple.
Also made with the Ceramic Shield and a seven-layer anti-reflective coating, the iPhone 17 series has a larger 6.3-inch brighter display with thinner borders than previous models.
The ultra-fast device features Apple’s Pro Motion adaptive refresh rate display technology, up to 120 Hz, providing a smoother scrolling and better gaming experience, Apple said.
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The smartphone’s stand-out feature is a “fantastic 48 megapixel dual fusion camera system” that houses both a main, which can deliver up to 48 megapixels of resolution, and an optical quality 2x telephoto camera.
It also has a smaller image file size, said to be ideal for saving and sharing.
“Globally, iPhone users took over 500 billion selfies last year, more than any other smartphone,” said Kaiann Drance, Vice President of iPhone Marketing at Apple.
“The new center stage front camera gives you more pixels, more flexible ways to frame your shot, incredible stabilization, and our widest field of view at almost twice the size of our previous front camera,” said Drance.
Starting at $799, iPhone 17 comes in lavender, mist blue, sage, white, and black, and can be outfitted with either 256GB or 512GB storage capacity, while the iPhone Pro amd Max get a bright orange, white, or black finish.
Hitting stores in the US and 63 countries on Friday, September 19th, Apple fans can pre-order the model on Friday, September 12th.
The “magical” next-gen AirPods Pro 3
Taking the AirPods to an “entirely new level,” AirPods 3 Pro is said to deliver “a breathtaking spatial listening experience, by precisely controlling the airflow that carries sound into the ear.”
From new additions like five different-sized foam-infused ear tips “engineered to stay put even during the most intense workout,” to a four-hour extended battery life for the hearing impaired and another two hours for everyone else, one of the more innovative features is the Pro 3’s ability to translate different languages to the user in real time.
Powered by Apple Intelligence, the new ‘Live Translation’ will help users communicate and understand others “in your preferred language using a new, simple gesture.”
Able to interpret both individual words and phrases, when the feature is activated, the person’s voice will automatically be lowered, making it easier for the user to focus on the translation.
Furthermore, the user’s iPhone will “display your words in their language and can even read them out loud if needed.”
Finally, when it comes to health and fitness, Apple said it has built "the world's smallest heart rate sensor" to better monitor your physical workouts, count steps, track calories burned, and more. The Pro 3 pods are also sweat and water-resistant and have 2X more noise cancellation abilities.
Also, now in the iPhone fitness app, all AirPods Pro users can track up to 50 different workout types and get motivated with all-new Apple’s ‘Workout Buddy’ audio experiences.
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 will be sold for the same price of $249 and will be available for purchase on September 19th, 2025.
Apple Watch, a lifeline in emergencies
The Apple Watch 11 series, the Apple Watch SE 3, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 also made their debut worldwide on Tuesday.
Integrated with Apple Intelligence, each model gets an abundance of new features, all designed "to make the Apple Watch even more useful and essential," said Tim Millet, Vice President of Platform Architecture at Apple.
The watches run from $249 for the entry-level SE 3, all the way up to the most expensive Ultra 3, starting from $799. All the watches are available to pre-order beginning Tuesday and will be available for purchase worldwide starting Friday, September 19th.
“For millions, it's an indispensable daily companion, a fitness coach, message center, mobile wallet, and a beautiful timepiece. It alerts millions of people to potentially serious health issues and has helped save so many lives, simply by wearing it on your wrist. It provides fault detection and crash detection, monitors your heart rate, tracks your sleep, is your lifeline in emergencies, and so much more,” Millet said.
Highlights for each model vary, but several stand-outs include a high blood pressure alert feature for those at risk of hypertension on the Series 11, as well as better fitness metrics, Workout Buddy, Activity rings, Sleep Score, and 24-hour battery life.
The Series 11 also boasts, for the first time, an innovative emergency SOS feature that can not only call emergency services and share your location, but also provides crash detection, fall detection, and location check-ins.
The no frills Apple SE3 now comes with 5G capability, an 18 hour battery life, and many of the same features seen in the Series 11, such as Emergency SOS, Sleep Score, and Vitals App, as the watches are both powered by the S10 chip.
While the 64-bit dual-core processing chip supports gestures like double-tap and wrist flick, most can look forward to improved audio and more seamless integration with Siri. The Apple Watch Series 11 and SE3 both feature a new Always‑On display that stays lit without having to raise your wrist.
For the Ultra, Apple’s sports and adventure watch, users get a brighter and wider display for improved readability, and for a faster, stronger, and more stable connection, a new satellite connectivity feature.
“Now, when you journey off the grid, you can stay safe and in touch with loved ones using satellite in available countries and regions,” Millet said. The Ultra also comes with the Emergency SOS feature and the ability to send messages and share your location with Find Me using the satellite connection.
And if the 2025 Apple upgrades did not satisfy your sweet tooth, so to speak – hang tight. The tech company is expected to release a brand new foldable phone next year, followed by a sleek 20th anniversary version of the iPhone in 2027 – all part of a three-year plan to reinvent Apple’s signature iPhone device, according to Bloomberg.
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