Apple launched its iPhone 17 series on Tuesday (9 Sep 2025) at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, introducing four new models including the iPhone Air, the company’s thinnest smartphone at just 5.6mm.
The livestream of the product launch event drew close to six million views within two hours.
“We’re taking the biggest leap ever for iPhone,” CEO Tim Cook said during the presentation.
The new iPhone models will be available in Singapore from 19 Sep 2025, with pre-orders starting on 12 Sep 2025 at 8pm. Apple also announced new AirPods Pro 3 and three Apple Watch models during the event.
iPhone Air Headlines New Lineup with Titanium Body and A19 Pro Chip
The iPhone Air, priced at US$999 (~S$1,282 to S$1,599 depending on configuration), features a “space grade” titanium body and represents the first major iPhone design change since the iPhone X launched in 2017.
Apple calls it the most durable iPhone yet. The device uses the A19 Pro processor chip, which Apple has optimised for better energy efficiency and performance to match the device’s thinner profile and high-density battery.
“This is MacBook Pro levels of compute, in an iPhone,” said Tim Millet, one of Apple’s chip executives.
The iPhone Air comes in white, gold, black, and sky blue colours. It features two cameras and eliminates the physical SIM card slot, freeing up more room for battery capacity.
This means it uses eSIM. You can watch this video to know what eSIMs are:
The phone includes a new “N1” chip to handle Wi-Fi communications and “C1X” modem for cellular data, functions previously supplied by Broadcom and Qualcomm, whose shares fell 2.3 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively after the announcement.
The iPhone Air replaces Apple’s mid-range iPhone 16 Plus, which cost US$899 and has been discontinued.
The base iPhone 17 starts at US$799 for the 256GB model, the same price as the previous iPhone 16 but with double the storage. It features an improved display with a higher refresh rate and a slightly larger screen despite the phone remaining the same size.
The device includes a 48-megapixel dual fusion camera system with four times the resolution compared to iPhone 16. It also sports a brighter, more scratch-resistant screen with “ceramic shield 2” that makes devices three times more scratch resistant than earlier models. The front-facing camera has been upgraded with a differently shaped sensor to improve horizontal selfies.
iPhone 17 models come in five colours: lavender, mist blue, black, white, and sage.
iPhone 17 Pro Series Gets Storage Boost While AirPods Add Real-Time Translation
The iPhone 17 Pro now starts at US$1,099 for the 256GB model, a US$100 increase from the iPhone 16 Pro’s starting price. The entry-level model now includes 256GB of storage, up from the previous 128GB.
The iPhone 17 Pro uses aluminium as its case material, departing from the titanium used in Apple’s two previous Pro phones. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max come in deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max maintains its US$1,199 (~S$1,539) starting price, with the highest-end model offering 2TB of storage.
Wall Street had been watching whether Apple would increase iPhone prices due to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which the company said would cost it more than US$1 billion in the current fiscal quarter. Apple shares fell 1.6 per cent after the pricing announcement.
The new AirPods Pro 3, priced at US$249, will feature live translation of languages. When both people in a conversation wear the new AirPods Pro 3, the earbuds translate conversations in near real time. The AirPods Pro 3 will be available from 19 Sep 2025 with pre-orders starting on 11 Sep 2025 at 9am.
Apple released three new Apple Watch models without raising starting prices. The Apple Watch SE 3 starts at US$249, the Series 11 at US$399, and the Ultra 3 at US$799.
The Series 11 features a 24-hour battery life and comes in jet black, silver, rose gold, and a new grey version. The Ultra 3, updated with 5G connectivity, now comes in a new black colour alongside existing options.
Apple added a blood pressure monitoring feature using machine learning to determine if users are at risk for high blood pressure. The feature, pending regulatory approval, won’t detect every case but Apple expects it to notify one million people. The company plans to make it available in 150 countries.
The watches will be available from 19 Sep 2025.
iOS 26 will be available as a free software update on Monday, 15 Sep 2025.
Here’s the REAL reason why everyone is hanging plushies on their bags, simplified for you:
