Apple unveils iPhone 17, including new 5.6mm thin iPhone Air model

Apple launched new iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods on Tuesday, Sep. 9.

The new products will hit stores and ship to homes from Sep. 19 (U.S. time).

The livestream of the event announcing the products got close to 6 million views within two hours.

A total of four new iPhone models were unveiled, with their prices listed in U.S. dollars.

1. iPhone Air

Apple announced four new iPhone models, including the newest model, the iPhone 17 Air at only 5.6mm thick.

With a "space grade" titanium body, it is thinner and lighter than Apple's previous devices and retails from US$999 (S$1,282).

It comes in white, gold, black, and sky blue colours.

The iPhone Air replaces Apple's mid-range phone, the US$899 (S$1,153) iPhone 16 Plus, which was discontinued.

It is touted as having an "amazing all-day battery life" and the first major new iPhone design since the iPhone X was introduced in 2017.

Apple said the Air is more durable than previous iPhones and uses a chip it calls the A19 Pro.

2. iPhone 17

The entry level iPhone 17 is still US$799 (S$1,025) and up.

It has an improved display with a higher refresh rate and a slight larger phone screen, even though the phone has remained the same size.

It also has a new camera: A 48 megapixel dual fusion camera system and has four times the resolution compared to iPhone 16.

The iPhone 17 series will be available in five colours: Lavender, mist blue, black, white and sage.

They will also feature "ceramic shield 2" that makes the devices three times more scratch resistant than earlier models, according to Apple.

3. iPhone Pro

The iPhone Pro increased in price by US$100, as expected, and the iPhone 17 Pro now starts at US$1,099 (S$1,410), but it will be equipped with 256GB of storage space for the entry-level model.

It was previously 128GB.

The iPhone 16 Pro started at US$999 (S$1,282).

The iPhone 17 Pro will use aluminium as its case material.

Apple's two previous Pro phones used titanium, which is used on this year's Air model.

4. iPhone Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Pro Max remained priced at US$1,199 (S$1,539) and above.

The new highest-end model comes with 2TB of storage.

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are available in deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver.

AirPods

The new AirPods Pro 3 will be able to translate conversations in foreign languages in real time.

They cost US$249 (S$320), the same price as the current generation AirPods Pro 2.

The new generation will have improved audio quality and noise cancelling, according to Apple.

3 new Apple Watch models

The company released three new Apple Watch models, called Series 11, as well as updating its low-end SE and high-end Ultra models.

Apple did not raise starting prices for its models.

The low-end watch, the Apple Watch SE 3, starts at US$249 (S$320).

The main-line Apple Watch Series 11 starts at US$399 (S$512) and will have a battery that can last 24 hours, and it will be available in colours, such as jet black, silver, rose gold and a new grey version.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 sells for US$799 (S$1,025) and more, which is also unchanged.

The highest-end Ultra, which was introduced in 2022 and updated with minor improvements in 2023, now comes in a new black colour.

The company said it had updated the model with 5G connectivity, and it is now called Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Apple added a new health feature to determine if the user is at risk for high blood pressure.

It uses machine learning.

Apple's iOS 26 will be available as a free software update on Monday, Sep. 15.

All media via Apple