Apple is playing a dangerous game with the iPhone 17 - and it might just pay off

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 series during this week's 'Awe-dropping' event. The lineup includes a new iPhone 17 Air model, which features an ultra-thin and lightweight design. Notable upgrades across the board may make this one of the more difficult buying cycles. It's happening, Apple is about to give the crown jewel of its hardware portfolio its biggest remodelling since 2020. The iPhone 17 series, expected to be announced within the next 24 hours, will receive some of the biggest hardware changes we've seen over the past few years -- from the base level to the Pro Max. Apple's even killing the Plus model. Sort of. Also: Apple Event live updates 2025: Last minute leaks on iPhone 17, AirPods 3, Apple Watch Series 11, more Going into this week's "Awe-dropping" event, the anticipation is high for Apple to deliver all the right notes, especially after a summer full of success stories from its closest competitors, Samsung and Google. With the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Cupertino tech giant can't be better equipped to pitch its next generation of devices to the masses. But the chances of backfiring are also high. Conflicting prices, overlapping features, and a more discerning smartphone audience -- magnified by looming tariffs and economic uncertainty -- could cloud the message. If Apple wants this launch to land, it needs to be crystal clear about what each iPhone offers and why it matters. A new Air to the throne Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, which sat awkwardly between the standard and Ultra phone models. Kerry Wan/ZDNET Raise your hand if you've ever wished your phone could be thinner and lighter, lose its telephoto or ultrawide lens, and have a smaller battery. That's the joke. I tested Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, and while the device felt refreshing to hold and burdenless to use, it was compromised and awkwardly priced, with a $1,099 entry that felt like a better deal than the more expensive S25 Ultra but overpriced compared to the S25 and S25 Plus. Considering the sacrifices made to slim down the phone, including a smaller battery and fewer cameras, the price for innovation was, and still is, difficult to justify. Also: If these iPhone 17 Air rumors are confirmed on Tuesday, I'm saying goodbye to my phone Apple may face a similar problem with the iPhone 17 Air, which is rumored to field a $1,099 price tag, even though it will directly replace the $899 iPhone Plus model. If true, the iPhone equation becomes a little more complicated, as consumers will have to decide if it's worth paying hundreds of dollars more than the base iPhone 17 for a big-screen phone that offers less. At that point, should you spend more for a Pro phone instead or settle for the standard model? In ways, Apple is trying to hit two birds with one stone with the iPhone 17 Air. It's meant to retain the same customers who typically opt for the larger non-Pro phone while pulling in new users who are tired of handsets that feel like bricks. Whether this overlap is wide enough to justify a new iPhone model remains to be seen -- but Apple appears confident it is. The biggest threat to the iPhone is itself Kerry Wan/ZDNET Steve Jobs once said, "If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will." No iPhone generation embodies that mantra more than this year's lineup, with the base iPhone 17 expected to receive its biggest upgrade yet. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and several supply chain analysts, the iPhone 17 will finally have a 120Hz ProMotion display -- once a hallmark of the Pro models, now trickling down to the mainstream. Also: Buy the iPhone 16 or wait for iPhone 17? Here's how to decide Having tested the base iPhone across the past three generations, the lack of a high refresh rate has consistently been its most obvious shortcoming. If Apple finally closes that gap with the iPhone 17, it won't just pull users from rival brands -- it could start eating into Pro sales as well. If Apple plays it right, the iPhone 17 won't just cannibalize Pro model sales; it'll steal market share from competing phones like the Google Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S25, resulting in a net win for the company. With the iPhone 17 series, Apple has the potential to load all the bases. Now let's see if it can hit a grand slam or strike out.