With the start of September comes the promise of crisp, fall-like weather and, like clockwork, new iPhones. Apple's "awe dropping" iPhone 17 event this year had execs showing off the latest iPhones from Cupertino and reminding folks of the changes Liquid Glass and iOS 26 will bring to their handsets in the coming week. New Apple Watches and AirPods are expected to be revealed as well. If you're unable to watch the event live or follow along with Engadget's liveblog, here are all of the biggest announcements coming out of Apple's iPhone 17 event.
iPhone 17
The handsets in the standard iPhone 17 lineup have 6.3-inch, 120Hz displays with ProMotion and thinner borders. Apple's touting improved durability thanks in part to Ceramic Shield 2, which has three times the scratch resistance as previous Ceramic Shield tech. The iPhone 17 is powered by the new A19 chipset, which is faster and more efficient than the previous processor thanks in part to an improved neural engine, a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU. Improvements in power efficiency will also get you eight additional hours of battery life on the iPhone 17.
As for the rear camera array, iPhone 17 has a 48MP main Fusion ultra wide camera and a 12MP telephoto lens. The selfie camera has been improved to be a "center stage" front camera, with better stabilization, a wider field of view and a new larger, square sensor that lets you take higher quality images and videos more easily. You also won't have to rotate your iPhone when you want to take a photo or video in landscape mode.
iPhone Air
Apple
As expected, Apple announced a new member of the iPhone family during the event. The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone yet, measuring just 5.6mm thick, and made of spacecraft-level titanium. Ceramic Shield 2 surrounds the iPhone Air on both sides, which helps make it more durable than any previous iPhone. The screen measures 6.5-inches, and the Air's always-on display supports ProMotion and up to 3,000 nits of brightness.
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Powering the iPhone Air is the A19 Pro chipset, which features a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU that features new neural accelerators built in. The new N1 chip enables the latest wireless technologies including Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the updated C1X modem is twice as fast as the previous C1 chipset.
The rear camera setup appears to just have one shooter, but actually includes a 48MP Fusion lens and a 12MP 2x telephoto lens built in. The front-facing camera is the new center stage camera that features improved stabilization and software that makes it so you don't have to rotate your phone to take landscape photos and videos anymore.
As far as battery life goes, Apple claims the iPhone Air will get "all-day" battery life thanks in part to hardware features and software perks like Adaptive Power Mode, which learns your habits to intelligently manage battery life. The iPhone Air will work with MagSafe battery packs like the new, super slim one Apple designed specifically to work with the Air.
AirPods Pro 3
Apple
After three years, we now have a new version of the AirPods Pro. Apple’s latest premium earbuds, the AirPods Pro 3, look much the same as the Pro 2, but now they have heart rate monitoring thanks to new built-in biometric sensors. The Fitness app has new experiences to accompany this, including new workouts you can track while wearing just AirPods Pro 3 and carrying your iPhone.
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Apple's also touting improved audio with spatial listening, better active noise cancellation (four times as effective as the ANC in the original AirPods Pro) and foam-infused eartips. Live translation is another new feature which is, unsurprisingly, powered by Apple Intelligence. A new gesture will activate live translation when you're wearing the new buds, and it will translate words spoken to you in another language to your preferred language. To reply, all you have to do is speak naturally in your own native language, and a translation will show up on your iPhone screen for the person you're talking with to see. As far as battery life goes, they should get at least eight hours on a single charge.
AirPods Pro 3 are available to order today for $249, and will be widely available on September 19.
Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE
Apple
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Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 11 as its thinnest and most durable smartwatch yet. It's twice as scratch resistant as previous watches, and it now supports 5G for the first time thanks to a new modem and improved internal tech that make it more power efficient. The watch will also be able to monitor for hypertension, or high blood pressure, using improved algorithms and the built-in heart rate monitor. If the watch identifies patterns of hypertension, you'll get an alert in the Health app. Series 11 watches will also now get up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, an improvement from the previous model.
It’s been two years since we got an updated Apple Watch Ultra, and that’s been remedied now with the Ultra 3. The new watch has a bigger, better display thanks to LTPO 3 technology. A big new feature is satellite connectivity, allowing you to stay connected wherever you may go and Emergency SOS is included with all Ultra 3 watches.
On the entry-level side of the spectrum, the Apple Watch SE is getting an update with a new always-on display, optional 5G, the improved S10 chip and support for gestures like Double Tab and wrist-flick. The Apple Watch SE will also get sleep apnea notifications and the new Sleep Score feature that's also available on the Series 11 watches. However, it's battery life remains the same as before — up to 18 hours — although you will now get fast-charging support.
Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399; the Ultra 3 starts at $799 and the SE starts at $249. You can pre-order them today and they'll be widely available on September 19.
This story is developing; please refresh for updates.
Apple's "Awe dropping" event is happening now. The company has announced the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and AirPods Pro 3 (with live translation and a heart rate sensor). Additionally, the Apple Watch Series 11, the Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are all now official, too. Still to come, we expect Apple to unveil the new iPhone 17 Pro models as well as a final release date for iOS 26. Stay with Engadget for live coverage of the iPhone 17 launch. You can watch the Apple iPhone 17 event live on YouTube, too.