Apple unveils iPhone 17; latest on iPhone Air, AirPods and Apple Watch

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and other new devices at the company's highly anticipated annual event on Tuesday.

The iPhone Air, which is slimmer than the most recent iPhone models, was the star of Apple's product launch event, and the company said it's the most durable iPhone yet. The iPhone 17 will have a brighter, more scratch-resistant screen and improved artificial intelligence features.

Apple's "Awe Dropping" event started with updates to Apple's AirPods and Apple Watches. The earbuds and watches have a range of new features, including real-time translation services for AirPods.

Catch up with USA TODAY's live coverage.

How much does the iPhone 17, iPhone Air cost?

Want one of Apple's latest smartphones? Here's how much they'll cost:

• iPhone Air: $999
• iPhone 17: $799
• iPhone 17 Pro: $1,099
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,199

Pre-orders begin on Tuesday, Sept. 9, and the smartphones release on Friday, Sept. 19.

iPhone 17 Pro

"Joz" Joswiak, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing, announced the iPhone 17 Pro, which will be available in silver, deep blue and cosmic orange. The iPhone 17 Pro will offer 39 hours of video playback.

The iPhone 17 Pro will feature an 18-megapixel front camera and three 48-megapixel rear cameras, said Patrick Carroll, Apple's iPhone camera architecture manager. It will also feature a sensor that is 56% larger than previous generations of iPhone cameras.

The smartphone will feature an 8x telephoto lens, the longest telephoto lens for iPhones. That's comparable to eight Apple Pro camera lenses in one, Carroll said.

iPhone 17 Pro accessories

Joswiak announced a new TechWoven case, featuring multiple fabrics woven together, in addition to clear and colored silicone cases for the iPhone 17 Pro.

iPhone Air accessories

Apple is releasing an additional battery pack that can be added to the slim smartphone. With this extra battery, which attaches to the smartphone's back, users get 40 hours of video playback.

Apple is also offering two cases for the smartphone, which are translucent and less than 1-millimeter thin. A light-weight bumper case will also be available in the iPhone Air's four colors, as well as a cross-body strap for carrying the phone.

iPhone Air cameras, enhanced battery life

The new smartphone will offer dual-capture video capabilities, allowing users to record video on both the rear and front cameras at once, Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus said.

Feel like you're always running out of battery on your phone? The iPhone Air will offer a new "adaptive battery mode," Ternus said. This feature will track usage and save battery life when the smartphone isn't in use.

The nitty gritty of iPhone Air

Tim Millet, vice president of platform architecture at Apple, said the iPhone Air will feature Apple's new A19 Pro, a 5-core GPU and 6-core CPU. What does that mean? It's the fastest CPU, or processor, in any smartphone, Millet said.

iPhone Air details, colors

Abidur Chowdhury, Apple industrial designer, debuted the Apple iPhone Air. It's just 5.6 millimeters, the thinnest iPhone ever. The iPhone Air is available in black, white, gold and sky blue.

iPhone 17 camera

The iPhone 17 will feature a 48-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel 2x telephoto lens, Apple iPhone Product Manager Megan Nash said. The iPhone 17 will feature a front camera at 18 megapixels with "center stage" features, which automatically pans and zooms to keep one user or multiple people in frame.

The front camera also features a square sensor, Nash said. What does that mean? The iPhone will not need to be rotated for different orientations. If a user wants to take a landscape photo, the user doesn't have to turn the smartphone sideways, Nash explained.

iPhone 17 colors, display and other features

Kaiann Drance, Apple vice president of iPhone product marketing, said the iPhone 17 will be available in lavender, mist blue, black, white and sage.

The iPhone 17 will feature a 6.3-inch display with thinner corners. Drance said the phones will feature three times better scratch resistance than previous models. It will also come equipped with an all-day battery and 8 hours of video playback. For 10 minutes of charging, the iPhone 17 can power 8 hours of video playback.

New iPhone models

Tim Cook announced 4 new iPhone models for the latest version of the iPhone: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.

Apple Watch designs

Apple Watch Series 11 will be available in jet black, silver, rose gold and space gray.

The Apple Watch SE3, a newer model for Apple users, comes in silvery starlight and darker midnight.

Apple Watch Series 11: What to know

Apple Vice President of Watch Marketing Stan Ng introduced Apple Watch Series 11. The new Apple Watch model will be two more times scratch resistant and feature a 5G modem.

The watch will also feature Apple's new Liquid Glass appearance with a variety of new watch faces.

Ng added that the Apple Watch Series 11 has more health features, including menstrual cycle, mental health and heart rate tracking. The Apple Watch Series 11 will also feature a new Sleep Score feature, Apple Vice President of Health Dr. Sumbul Admad Desai said. This feature will help users better understand their sleep patterns through bedtimes, heart rates and sleep durations tracking.

The device will offer an expanded battery life, lasting up to 24 hours, Ng said.

AirPods Pro 3 to track heart rate, offer workouts

In the market for some new tech to track your workouts? Apple leaders said the AirPods Pro 3 will offer heart rate sensing and up to 50 new workouts that can be started solely through the earbuds.

AirPods Pro 3 to offer expanded battery life

Apple Vice President of Hardware Engineering Kate Bergeron said AirPods 3 will offer an 8-hour battery life, up from the 6-hour battery life of the previous model.

AirPods Pro 3's Hearing Aid will also offer four more hours of battery life than the previous generation.

AirPods Pro 3 to offer live translation

Bergeron said the new AirPods Pro 3 model will offer live translation services, powered by Apple's artificial intelligence technology.

This feature will give users a live translation through the earbuds, slightly delayed behind another person speaking out loud. Users can also speak in one language, which the connected iPhone will translate live through text or speech, Bergeron added.

AirPods Pro 3

To start the event, Cook announced the next generation of AirPods: AirPods Pro 3.

AirPods Pro 3 will include ultra-low noise microphones and foam-infused ear rips, Bergeron said.

The new model feature two times more improved active noise cancelation than AirPods Pro 2, Bergeron explained, and four times more improved than the original AirPods.

AirPods Pro 3 will cost $249. They can be preordered as of Tuesday, Sept. 9 and they'll be widely released on Friday, Sept. 19.

Tim Cook kicks off announcements

Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomed Apple users and media experts to Apple's highly-anticipated "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

What time is the 2025 Apple event?

The "Awe Dropping" event is at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Sept 9. The event will be held at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.

How to watch 2025 Apple event at home

The Apple event will be available to stream on the Apple website, Apple YouTube channel or Apple TV app.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Reuters

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Apple unveils iPhone 17; latest on iPhone Air, AirPods and Apple Watch

Reporting by Greta Cross and James Powel, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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