Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Lineup, Ultra Thin iPhone Air, and AI Powered Features Across Devices

Apple announced a broad refresh of its hardware portfolio at Apple Park, unveiling the iPhone 17 family, a new ultra thin iPhone Air, third generation AirPods Pro, and three updated Apple Watch models. The launches mark Apple’s largest September lineup in years, underscored by advances in health monitoring, audio intelligence, and GPU level AI acceleration.

AirPods Pro 3: Translation, Fitness, and Noise Control

Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 build on their role as the world’s most popular wireless earbuds with stronger performance and intelligence driven features. Active noise cancellation has been doubled in effectiveness compared with the previous model, with redesigned microphones, foam infused tips, and computational audio reducing background interference even in busy environments. Transparency mode now renders speech and environmental sounds more naturally, including the user’s own voice.

The most notable addition is Live Translation, an on device intelligence feature that interprets conversations in real time. Users can hear translations directly in their ear and see or play back translated text on iPhone, making AirPods Pro a hands free translator. The feature works best when both parties are using AirPods, creating a two way communication channel without the need for screens or apps.

Apple also added a heart rate sensor, fusing sensor readings with accelerometer data and on device machine learning models trained on more than 50 million hours of study data. This enables AirPods Pro 3 to log heart rate, calories, and up to 50 workout types. In the Fitness app, these workouts are recorded automatically and contribute to rings and goals. To complement the data, Apple introduced Workout Buddy, a generative voice that offers personalized encouragement during activity, an early example of conversational AI being woven into fitness.

The earbuds are smaller, with a redesigned fit and five tip sizes, and are rated IP57 for water and sweat resistance. Battery life has improved to eight hours with noise cancellation and ten hours in Transparency mode.

Apple Watch Series 11: Hypertension and Sleep Tracking

The Apple Watch Series 11 introduces health monitoring capabilities designed to expand the watch’s role as a daily medical companion. Its standout feature is hypertension notifications, powered by the optical heart sensor and advanced machine learning. By analyzing vascular responses over rolling 30 day periods, the watch can alert wearers if their data suggests possible high blood pressure. Apple said the feature was validated through studies involving over 100,000 participants and could reach more than one million people with undiagnosed hypertension in its first year. Regulators are reviewing the feature, with a global rollout across 150 regions planned once clearance is granted.

Apple also expanded its sleep monitoring with a Sleep Score. The metric evaluates duration, consistency, awakenings, and restorative stages, producing a nightly score and recommendations. Developed with input from sleep researchers and informed by over five million nights of anonymized study data, the score is visible in the Sleep and Health apps.

Series 11 also includes 5G connectivity for broader and more reliable coverage, a slimmer design with stronger glass and coatings, new watch faces, and a 24 hour battery.

Apple Watch SE 3: Entry Level Model Gains More Features

The Apple Watch SE 3 moves closer to the flagship models, adopting the S10 chip that brings an Always On display, support for double tap and wrist flick gestures, and temperature sensing that enables retrospective ovulation estimates. It also gains sleep apnea notifications and access to the new Sleep Score.For convenience, Apple added fast charging, delivering eight hours of use from just 15 minutes on the charger. SE retains its 18 hour all day battery and is available in Starlight and Midnight finishes.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: Larger Display and Satellite Messaging

Apple’s Ultra 3 expands on the rugged line designed for outdoor and endurance users. It introduces the largest display ever in an Apple Watch, built with wide angle OLED technology and LTPO3 for efficient Always On refresh. The screen maintains clarity even at off angles, helping in extreme conditions.

Ultra 3 debuts satellite connectivity for Messages, location sharing through Find My, and Emergency SOS. A redesigned radio system with double the antenna strength enables connections to satellites nearly 800 miles overhead, bringing communication and safety features to places without cellular coverage.

The watch also incorporates Workout Buddy, the AI voice that provides motivation during exercise, linking the Ultra line with Apple’s broader generative coaching push. Battery life now extends to 42 hours, and the case is made from 100% recycled titanium using a 3D printing process.

iPhone 17: ProMotion and Apple Intelligence

The iPhone 17 brings ProMotion display technology to the mainstream iPhone for the first time. The 6.3 inch screen now adapts refresh rates up to 120Hz and down to 1Hz for Always On functionality. Brightness peaks at 3,000 nits outdoors, Apple’s highest to date.

Durability improves with Ceramic Shield 2, which the company said offers triple the scratch resistance of its predecessor. A sevenlayer anti reflective coating further enhances readability indoors and outdoors.

At the center is the A19 chip, built on advanced 3nm technology. It features faster CPU and GPU cores, increased memory bandwidth, and a reengineered Neural Engine. These components drive Apple Intelligence features, including Visual Intelligence, which lets users act on content displayed on screen, and Live Translation for cross language communication in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. Apple emphasized that all of these features are designed to run privately on device.

Cameras include a 48MP Dual Fusion system with a main sensor and a 2× telephoto, plus a new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide offering four times more resolution than the previous generation. The redesigned Center Stage front camera uses its larger square sensor and AI driven framing to adjust automatically as more people enter the shot, simplifying group selfies and calls.

Battery life improves by up to eight hours of video playback, with wired charging that delivers 50% charge in 20 minutes and up to eight hours of video playback from a 10 minute top up.

iPhone Air: Ultra Thin Design with Pro Level Performance

Apple’s most striking announcement was the iPhone Air, which measures just 5.6 millimeters thick and is framed in titanium with Ceramic Shield on both sides. Apple claimed the design is four times more crack resistant than prior glass backed models, while the slim profile creates a new visual identity for the iPhone family.

The 6.5 inch display offers ProMotion at 120Hz, Always On capability, and brightness up to 3,000 nits. Despite its slimness,Apple emphasized that the Air was engineered as a performance device.

The new A19 Pro chip powers the device, bringing Neural Accelerators into every GPU core. Apple described this as delivering “MacBook Pro levels of compute in an iPhone,” optimized for GPU intensive AI workloads such as generative imaging, real time video processing, and advanced computational photography. This architecture triples peak GPU compute compared to A18 Pro.

Supporting chips include N1, Apple’s in house wireless silicon enabling Wi Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and the C1X modem, which is twice as fast as the previous generation and consumes 30% less power. Apple said these custom components make the Air its most power efficient iPhone to date.

The Air’s 48MP Fusion camera system integrates a 2× Telephoto and leverages the Photonic Engine, which now applies machine learning deeper into the image pipeline. This allows lifelike detail capture, natural color preservation, and improved low light performance. Features include 24MP default photos, Focus control portraits, Bright photographic style, and custom 28mm and 35mm lenses.

On the front, the Center Stage camera supports Dual Capture video, recording with both the front and rear cameras simultaneously. Stabilization algorithms ensure the front view remains steady even while the rear zooms, enabling creative content capture.

Apple also confirmed the Air is eSIM only worldwide, eliminating the SIM tray. A new Adaptive Power Mode adjusts power budgets dynamically based on use, extending life despite the slim design.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: New Materials and Pro Video Features

At the high end, Apple revealed the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The models feature an anodized aluminum unibody and a vapor chamber cooling system that improves thermal management by 40%. Apple said aluminum’s conductivity allowed it to optimize performance sustainability compared with the titanium frame used previously.

Both phones run on the A19 Pro chip, enabling features designed for professional content creators. The lineup adds ProRes RAW capture, Apple’s own video codec for maximum flexibility in post production, and Genlock synchronization, which aligns multiple cameras and graphics precisely for broadcast and film work. Apple highlighted how these tools enable effects like bullet time and advanced time slicing at lower cost. APIs are being provided for developers to integrate these workflows into third party apps.

The Pro camera system includes three 48MP Fusion sensors with support for up to 8× optical quality zoom on Pro Max. Photonic Engine improvements integrate machine learning into demosaicing and color pipelines, reducing noise and enhancing accuracy in low light. The Center Stage front camera uses AI powered framing and stabilization for improved calls and handheld video.

Apple noted that the iPhone 17 Pro is already being used in professional filmmaking, with its ProRes, Dolby Vision, and 4K120 support. “The biggest leap ever for iPhone,” Tim Cook said, will also be one of its most versatile for creators.

Pricing, Trade In, and Availability

Apple confirmed that all iPhone 17 models begin at 256GB of storage. Pricing starts at $799 for iPhone 17, $999 for iPhone Air, and $1,099 for iPhone 17 Pro. The company is offering up to $1,100 in trade in credit for iPhone 13 Pro or newer models in any condition. Preorders open Friday, with shipments beginning September 19.

AirPods Pro 3 remain at $249, while Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249, Series 11 at $399, and Ultra 3 at $799.

Apple’s Strategic Message

Apple framed this year’s lineup as the culmination of years of silicon and software design, weaving intelligence into every device while keeping it private and on device. From earbuds that translate speech in real time, to watches that detect cardiovascular risk, to phones with GPU neural accelerators designed for generative workloads, the company’s pitch centered on intelligence as a product feature rather than a remote service.

Tim Cook closed the presentation by calling the iPhone 17 family “the biggest leap ever for iPhone,” a statement that captured both the visible design changes and the invisible intelligence running under the surface. For Apple, September 2025 was not just about thinner devices or brighter screens, it was about embedding capabilities that adapt, anticipate, and enhance daily life from within the hardware itself.

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