Apple’s latest hardware showcase centered on three pillars: a redesigned iPhone 17 family, the debut of an ultra‑thin iPhone Air, and a meaningful refresh to AirPods Pro with health and AI features. Rounding out the lineup were new Apple Watch models and a fresh case material, underscoring a strategy that blends design, display speed, and everyday utility.
iPhone 17 lineup: faster displays, new camera layout
The standard iPhone 17 moves closer to “Pro” territory with a 6.3‑inch display and a jump to a 120 Hz refresh rate—addressing one of the most requested upgrades from mainstream buyers. Market trackers such as Counterpoint Research have repeatedly linked high‑refresh displays to stronger upgrade intent in the premium bracket, and this brings that experience to more people.
Photography also gets a boost, led by a 48‑megapixel ultrawide camera to complement the main sensor. Colorways are fresh without being flashy: lavender, mist blue, black, white, and sage. Apple also raises the floor on storage, starting the iPhone 17 at 256 GB for $799—up from last year’s 128 GB baseline on the entry model—an ASP‑friendly move analysts at IDC will be watching closely.
The iPhone 17 Pro line changes where you notice it every day: the back. Three cameras now sit in a horizontal bar that spans edge to edge, with the flash, ambient light sensor, and mic placed to the far right. In a material pivot, the perimeter band shifts from titanium to aluminum, a choice that can aid radio transparency, heat dissipation, and weight balance while likely trimming costs.
Pricing lands at $1,099 for the Pro and $1,199 for the Pro Max, with the familiar centered logo aligning with the MagSafe coil for a cleaner visual when snapping on chargers.
iPhone Air: ultra‑thin replaces the Plus
The headline hardware moment was the iPhone Air, which replaces the Plus model and stakes a claim as Apple’s thinnest phone at 5.6 mm. That’s thinner than many recent flagships from rivals, while retaining a 6.6‑inch display and a 120 Hz ProMotion panel. It’s eSIM‑only, a design decision that aligns with the GSMA’s forecast of accelerating eSIM adoption and helps shave internal volume otherwise reserved for a physical tray.
At $999, the iPhone Air comes in black, white, sky blue, and light gold. The engineering challenge isn’t just thinness—it’s maintaining structural rigidity, battery life, and thermal headroom. Apple’s approach suggests careful material layering and board stacking to achieve a profile that’s less than many cases add to a typical phone. For context, independent teardowns of ultra‑slim phones have shown midframe reinforcement and dispersed heat spreaders to be crucial; expect similar techniques here.
The Air’s existence also hints at Apple’s broader design playbook. Supply chain analysts have long speculated that pushing the envelope on thin slabs is a precursor to foldable ambitions; whether or not a foldable materializes next year, the Air signals a willingness to prioritize form without obviously compromising fundamentals.
AirPods Pro 3: audio upgrades meet health and AI
AirPods Pro 3 arrive at $249 with smaller buds, improved sound, and a headlining heart‑rate sensor—a timely addition as ear‑based biometrics mature. Live translation powered by Apple Intelligence enables real‑time language assistance, a feature that can turn a coffee order in Paris or a factory tour in Shenzhen into a smoother conversation. The upgraded audio pipeline should also help with spatial audio consistency, a frequent ask from power users.
Apple Watch: Ultra 3, Series 11 and SE updates
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 focuses on performance and connectivity: faster charging, 5G support, and satellite capabilities, paired with a larger display for outdoor readability. The big health feature—blood‑pressure monitoring alerts—comes to both Ultra 3 and Series 11, designed to flag trends and out‑of‑range readings without claiming to replace clinical measurements. That approach mirrors how regulators typically approve wellness features before full diagnostics.
Series 11 shares the blood‑pressure alerts and core refinements, while the new SE picks up an always‑on display courtesy of the S10 chip. Pricing lands at $249 for SE 3, $399 for Series 11, and $799 for Ultra 3, preserving a familiar spread across good‑better‑best tiers.
Accessories and the missing AI moment
Apple introduced “TechWoven” cases, a higher‑grade fabric alternative to the discontinued FineWoven line that faced widespread durability complaints in user testing and forums. If the new weave resists scuffs and staining better, it will close a rare gap between design intent and real‑world wear.
Conspicuously absent was a new AI‑enhanced Siri. With competitors racing to embed generative features across the stack—from on‑device assistants to camera smarts—Apple’s silence leaves room for speculation about when deeper assistant upgrades will arrive. Industry watchers from firms like Bernstein and CCS Insight have argued that voice, vision, and on‑device models are converging; today’s hardware sets the stage, but the marquee AI moment is still to come.
What it means for buyers
For most upgraders, the iPhone 17’s 120 Hz screen and 256 GB base storage remove two of the biggest friction points. If you prize thinness and a larger canvas, the iPhone Air brings a distinct design without veering into niche territory. Travelers and multilingual teams will appreciate AirPods Pro 3’s translation tricks, and athletes get more useful signals from heart‑rate and blood‑pressure alerts across the Watch lineup.
From a market perspective, this is Apple tightening fundamentals: faster displays across the board, thinner hardware with minimal compromise, and health features that compound value over time. IDC has noted steady increases in average selling prices for premium phones; Apple’s higher storage floors and new form factors align with that trend, while eSIM‑only designs reflect where carriers—per the GSMA—are headed. The result is a lineup that feels deliberate rather than flashy, with just enough ambition to keep rivals on their toes.