Apple’s all-important fall event is now just days away, so let’s take a look at what’s coming. It’s Apple’s most anticipated event of the year and will bring us the new iPhone 17 lineup.
But there will be more hardware as well. Apple’s ‘awe dropping’ event will likely feature a new iPhone model altogether, new smartwatches, and new earbuds.
The event kicks off at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), and Apple will livestream it on its YouTube channel and on Apple.com. We’ll, of course, cover the announcements from it here on GSMArena,com.
Apple Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3, Watch SE 3
Apple usually kicks off its fall event with the Apple Watch. We’re in for a serious update this year. Having skipped upgrading the Watch Ultra in 2024 (it only got a black titanium paint job), Apple will unveil the Watch Ultra 3. We expect Apple to introduce a larger display in roughly the same casing by reducing the bezels. The display will most likely be brighter and have a more efficient always-on display – features taken from last year’s Series 10 watch.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to pioneer 5G connectivity, as well as satellite messaging.
The Apple Watch Series 11 is expected to bring high blood pressure detection, but will otherwise be an incremental update.
The Apple Watch SE 3 is rumored to have equal performance to the flagship models this year – a departure from previous SE models.
The 2022 Apple Watch SE
A final note on the Apple Watch upgrades for 2025, all three models could premiere Apple’s first in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip.
AirPods 3 Pro
Apple last updated its AirPods Pro in 2023 when it gave the AirPods Pro 2 a USB-C case. We got the AirPods 3 in October 2024, meaning new AirPods 3 Pro are likely to come on September 9.
AirPods 3 Pro will have a new H3 chip and new health sensors for heart rate and temperature monitoring. These health sensors will work in tandem with the Apple Watch for better tracking during workouts.
Expect a new live translation feature for the new AirPods as well.
iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone 17 Air
We come at last to the main focus of the event – Apple’s iPhone. Apple will unveil four new phones – the base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and the new iPhone 17 Air, replacing the Plus models of old.
The iPhone 17 Air could be the star of the show with a drastic new design. It will be the thinnest iPhone ever at 5.5mm, dethroning the 6.9mm iPhone 16 from 2014. Because of its thinner frame, it will only come with a single 48MP camera on the back and will reportedly have a smaller battery than its peers.
However, some rumors suggest the Air will have a higher-density silicone anode battery, which could compensate.
Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17 Air could have a ProMotion 120 Hz display, matching the Pro models.
There have been reports that the base model iPhone 17 could also offer a higher-refresh-rate 120 Hz display, though whether it’s a ProMotion unit (meaning not LTPO variable) remains to be seen. The iPhone 17’s display will grow to 6.3 inches, matching the smaller Pro model and moving away from the 6.1-inch size of its predecessor.
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a new design with a horizontal glass camera island, spanning the width of the top part of the phone’s panel. On the inside, both Pros will feature the new 3nm A19 Pro SoC and, for the first time on an iPhone, 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB.
Both the chipset and the RAM should provide a needed boost in AI processing.
The other big improvement is said to be a new 48MP sensor for the zoom camera, replacing the 12MP. The added pixels will result in nicer digital zoom images. Whether the telephoto will get a larger sensor altogether is unclear; we could be looking at the same thing Apple did with the ultrawide on last year’s Pros – it went from 12MP to 48MP without upping the sensor size.
It’s rumored that the iPhone 17 Pro models’ displays will feature an anti-glare coating, similar to the one on iPads or Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Apple is set to show off new TechWoven cases, replacing the notorious FineWoven cases.
Finally, Apple will announce the release of iOS 26. The new OS brings a major design overhaul, which Apple calls the Liquid Glass visual language.
Unlikely – Apple TV, HomePod, AirTag
Apple is rumored to be working on a second-generation HomePod mini with a new processor and improved connectivity, but it’s unlikely to feature at this event. Rumor has it there’s an Apple TV 4K with an A17 Pro SoC that’s also in the works. The new AirTag is expected later in 2025.
