Everything Apple Announced During Its ‘Awe Dropping’ Event
Did you know you can set up Google to filter out junk? Follow these steps to improve your search results, including adding my work on Lifehacker as a preferred source .
Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event may not have been the company’s most groundbreaking keynote, but it certainly packed a lot of announcements into about 75 minutes. The company unveiled new products across its lineup across multiple categories, including updated AirPods, Apple Watch, and iPhone. And perhaps not so surprisingly, the biggest announcement of the day was an iPhone, but not the iPhone 17.
AirPods Pro 3
Apple kicked off its keynote event by unveiling the AirPods Pro 3, the first new AirPods Pro in three years. The updated earbuds feature a new “multiport acoustic architecture,” which Apple says improves the airflow that directs sound into your ears. They also feature new foam-filled ear tips that the company promises will deliver twice the active noise cancellation (ANC) of the AirPods Pro 2 and four times the ANC of the original AirPods Pro.
There are two big new features coming to the AirPods Pro 3 this year. The first is Live Translation, which lets you translate your conversations with other people in real time. You hear the translation in your ears, and the other person sees the translation on your iPhone display. It’s not a unique feature, as Google’s earbuds can do the same thing, but it’s a fantastic addition nonetheless.
Another key feature is the heart rate sensor, which gives the AirPods Pro Apple Watch functionality, allowing you to track up to 50 different types of workouts. You’ll also notice that Apple has updated the design of these earbuds slightly: They’re now slightly smaller and include five sizes of new foam ear tips. The AirPods Pro 3 have an IP57 water and sweat resistance rating. Apple also says the earbuds will last eight hours in Active Noise Cancellation mode and 10 hours in Transparency mode before they need to be placed back in the charging case.
The price of the headphones has not changed: they still start at $249 and are available for pre-order today. Shipping will begin on September 19.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch didn’t have many surprises this year. As expected, Apple released three new models of the watch , each of which was a significant improvement over the previous models. While none of them will tempt you to upgrade if your watch is relatively new, there are still some interesting features, especially in the more affordable SE model.
Here’s what’s new:
Apple Watch Series 11
Apple kicked off the Apple Watch segment of the event by introducing the Series 11. The watch looks almost identical to the Series 10, but now supports 5G. If your carrier supports it (and Apple says most carriers do), you’ll get faster speeds by upgrading to the cellular Series 11.
Series 11 brings blood pressure monitoring to Apple Watch for the first time. While it can’t detect all cases of hypertension, it will analyze your blood flow and send you a notification if it thinks you have chronically high blood pressure. The company expects FDA approval soon.
The Series 11 also features a sleep score feature for the first time on an Apple Watch. Other smartwatches and fitness trackers have this feature, but Apple says the Series 11 can analyze your sleep cycles and sleep duration to determine your overall sleep score and recommend better ways to sleep.
The Series 11 has a 24-hour battery and is available in Jet Black, Silver, Rose Gold, and Space Gray aluminum cases, and Natural, Gold, and Slate polished cases.
The Series 11 is available for pre-order today, starting at $399, and will ship on September 19.
Apple Watch SE 3
The Apple Watch SE is Apple’s “affordable” Apple Watch line. If you just want the full Apple Watch experience but don’t want to pay $399 or more, the SE is likely your best bet.
This year, however, the SE 3 looks like a great buy. It has the same S10 chip as last year’s Series 10, and it also has an Always-On Display and gesture controls, two new features for the SE line. Apple is also adding a wrist temperature sensor, sleep apnea detection, and a new sleep score feature, just like the Series 11. Speaking of the Series 11, the SE 3 also supports 5G.
It even has a built-in speaker, something typically found only on Apple’s more expensive watches. The SE 3 lasts 18 hours on a single charge and supports fast charging: 15 minutes of charging will give you eight hours of use.
The SE 3 is available in Starlight and Midnight colors. The SE 3 starts at $249 and will be available on September 19. You can pre-order it today.
Apple Watch Ultra 3
Finally, there’s the Apple Watch Ultra 3. This new Ultra watch is playing catch-up a bit, as the Ultra 2 lacks the features released for the Series 10. So the Ultra 3 now features a wide-angle OLED display with LTPO 3 technology. This allows the always-on display to update faster, and you can see how the second hand changes. The screen is also slightly larger this year, and Apple didn’t have to adjust the size of the watch itself. Win-win.
The Ultra 3 also features satellite connectivity for the first time in a smartphone. Like some iPhone models, the watch can now send messages via satellite when cellular service is unavailable. To support this feature, Apple says the Ultra 3 now has twice the radio signal strength of the Ultra 2.
The Ultra 3 now offers up to 42 hours of battery life. It also supports 5G, blood pressure notifications, sleep assessment, and gesture control. Apple doesn’t position the Ultra as the “pro” or “best” Apple Watch, but since it’s by far the most expensive model, you can expect it to come with all the latest and greatest features.
The Ultra 3 starts at $799 and is available for pre-order today. It will be available in stores on September 19.
iPhone
Finally, we have Apple’s iPhone segment. Tim Cook really brought this part of the show to life, saying that one of these models is “unlike anything we’ve ever built.” The presentation started with the most basic iPhone in the lineup:
iPhone 17
The iPhone 17 looks exactly like you’d expect an entry-level iPhone to look. It has a 6.3-inch display with a few big improvements: It now supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which was previously only available on the iPhone Pro, despite many Android phones offering high-refresh rate displays in cheaper models. The display uses a new Ceramic Shield 2 coating, which Apple says is three times more scratch-resistant. It can also reach 3,000 nits of brightness, so you shouldn’t have any issues using the device outdoors.
The iPhone 17 features the new A19 chip with an updated display. It also features an improved neural network system, a six-core CPU, and a five-core GPU. Apple claims that the phone can last all day on a single charge, which presumably means eight more hours of video viewing than the iPhone 16. With the right power adapter, you can charge the battery to 50% in 20 minutes, and 10 minutes of charging will give you eight hours of video viewing.
Let’s take a look at these cameras. The bottom camera is a Fusion camera, meaning you get a 48-megapixel main camera with a 26mm focal length and a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto lens with a 52mm focal length. The ultra-wide camera is also a Fusion: a 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens with a 13mm focal length and a 12-megapixel 1x macro lens with a 26mm focal length.
The selfie camera has also received a major upgrade this year. Apple calls the new lens the Center Stage front camera. It has a wide field of view and a large square sensor. It allows you to take selfies with a resolution of up to 18 MP with stabilization. More importantly, the shape of the sensor allows you to take selfies in different orientations, as well as landscape selfies in Portrait mode – no more turning your iPhone to fit more people in the frame. Video calls will also be stabilized.
The iPhone 17 starts at $799 with 256GB of storage, and pre-orders open on September 12. Apple will begin shipping the device on September 19.
iPhone Air
The main announcement of the day was the iPhone Air . It is the thinnest iPhone from Apple, but you don’t need to read the technical specifications to understand this. Even from the photos and videos you can see that it is thin .
Like the iPhone 17, the Air features Ceramic Shield 2, but this time it’s on both sides of the phone. It also features a 6.5-inch display with a high refresh rate and up to 3,000 nits of brightness. The body is also made of titanium.
Apple introduced the new A19 Pro in the Air, which features a six-core CPU and five-core GPU. Apple equipped each GPU core with “neural accelerators,” saying this delivers “MacBook Pro-level processing power on an iPhone.” There are also new connectivity components, including the N1, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and a new C1X modem, an improvement over Apple’s first custom modem. Apple says it’s up to two times faster than the C1.
You may have noticed that the iPhone Air only has one camera, although it seems to be positioned as more advanced than the iPhone 17. Apple says that this camera is a 48-megapixel Fusion system, which works on the principle of “multiple advanced cameras in one.” Like the iPhone 17, this Fusion can shoot with a 2x telephoto lens and a resolution of 12MP. Thanks to the sensor size, you can choose between 26mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 52mm lenses for different crop sizes.
Like the iPhone 17, the Air has a new Center Stage front camera. However, the Air can shoot video with both the front and rear cameras simultaneously. All Air iPhones support eSIM, even in countries that still use physical SIM cards. The company claims that the iPhone Air can last all day on a single charge, but hasn’t released exact numbers yet. However, the company does claim that with the new MagSafe battery, you’ll be able to watch video for up to 40 hours. This suggests that the Air has battery issues without it.
Apple is releasing new accessories for the Air, including a bumper case in iPhone Air colors: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue. There’s even a lanyard that attaches to the phone, allowing you to wear it on your body.
The iPhone Air starts at $999 for the 256GB version and will be available for pre-order on September 12. It will be available for purchase on September 19.
iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max
The final announcement of the day was the iPhone 17 Pro , and as the name suggests, it’s the iPhone with the most “new” features. First and foremost, it’s Apple’s first iPhone with a unibody design, similar to a MacBook. You’ll immediately notice the new pro camera system, which now takes the form of a bar on the back of the phone. Don’t call it that, though: Apple calls it a “plateau.” (The same goes for the iPhone Air.)
An interesting “pro” feature is the new cooling system: Apple places water in a vapor chamber and laser welds it into place. This system helps dissipate the heat generated by the A19 Pro chip, which has six CPU cores and six GPU cores. There’s less glass on the back of this iPhone than usual, but the glass you see is actually Ceramic Shield 2. The eSIM models found in the US have larger batteries than the physical SIM models, and can play video for up to 39 hours.
As expected, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max feature a new Center Stage camera. This year, all three rear cameras feature a 48-megapixel Fusion Camera. That means the telephoto lens offers the largest optical zoom of any iPhone: 4x at 100mm and 8x at 200mm.
Apple also spent some time discussing the video recording capabilities of the new pro devices. In fact, the entire event was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro, though Apple clearly used expensive hardware to do so. The 17 Pro supports ProRes RAW recording, a standard that lets you edit images directly from the camera’s sensor. The phones support Final Cut Camera, Blackmagic Camera, and Genlock, which allows for multi-camera setups to create effects like time-lapse and bullet-time.
Apple also announced new accessories: clear and silicone cases, as well as a new TechWoven case made from yarn in a variety of colors. The Pro also has its own lanyard that can be used like the Air.
The Pro models are available in silver, midnight blue, and space orange. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 for 256GB, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB. Pre-orders start September 12, with pickup scheduled for September 19.