Keeping with tradition, the Apple Online Store has been taken down ahead of Apple’s September product event. We are expecting the company to officially unveil the new iPhone 17 lineup, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and a new generation of AirPods Pro.
The ‘awe dropping’ event kicks off at 10 AM Pacific Time. Apple typically takes the store down to signal that new hardware is about to be announced, although it won’t necessarily go on sale immediately.
Assuming Apple sticks with its normal schedule, the iPhone 17 will be available to pre-order starting this Friday, with shipping later in September. Availability of new Apple Watches and AirPods Pro 3 is less certain, although Apple often aligns the launches with the iPhone schedule.
What to expect: iPhone 17
The iPhone 17 range will comprise four models, the base-model iPhone 17, the new thin form-factor iPhone 17 Air, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The Air is the model likely to draw the most eyeballs, with a striking new chassis that is reportedly just 5.5m thin. However, there are tradeoffs to make such a thin phone. The Air will only have one rear camera lens and may disappoint when it comes to quoted battery life.
The 17 Air and the base model iPhone 17 will be powered by Apple’s next-generation silicon, the Apple A19. The Pro models will get even more performance thanks to the A19 Pro chip. The Pro phones will also feature a dramatically updated set of camera lenses, housed in a redesigned full-width rear rectangular module, as well as an upgraded selfie camera. Battery life is also expected to improve significantly compared to the 16 Pro.
What to expect: Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3
The main Apple Watch Series 11 product range is expected to be a small refresh, following the redesigned Series 10 last year. There may also be a spec bump revision to the entry-level Apple Watch SE.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will get the most love of Apple’s new wearables, featuring a brighter display with wider viewing angles and faster refresh rate in always-on mode, satellite connectivity, 5G cellular support, and updated chip.
What to expect: AirPods Pro 3
AirPods Pro 3 are also expected to receive a refresh today. The big addition will be a new heart rate sensor, allowing users to track exercise stats during workouts without needing to wear an Apple Watch. The design of the buds themselves may also be tweaked for better comfort.
It remains to be seen whether AirPods Pro 3 will also feature an updated chip with improved audio quality and upgraded noise cancellation. (In 2026, Apple is expected to revise AirPods Pro again, adding Infrared cameras to do visual intelligence AI tasks.)
The new charging case will be similar to the AirPods 4 case, where the physical pairing button was replaced with a capacitive touch sensor.
Other surprises?
It is currently looking likely that the event will be a trio of new iPhones, Watches, and AirPods. But there’s an outside chance we might see the M5 iPad Pro, the spec-bumped Vision Pro with a new head strap, and possibly the second-generation AirTag or new HomePod mini and Apple TV set-top box updates. However, these products are more likely destined to be part of a second event in October.
Stay tuned to 9to5Mac for full coverage of all the announcements from today. Apple’s September event kicks off at 10 AM Pacific Time.