Apple has largely caught with the identical iPhone design because the iPhone 11 debuted in 2019, however change is afoot in Cupertino. Whereas the iPhone 17 might resemble iPhones of the previous few years, there’s a wholly new digital camera structure for the iPhone 17 Professional fashions. Additionally, there is a brand-new iPhone! The iPhone Air replaces what was purported to be the iPhone 17 Plus. It, too, encompasses a new look, and it is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made.
The modifications on the usual iPhone 17—usually Apple’s hottest iPhone mannequin—aren’t as drastic. The corporate introduced the brand new handsets alongside new Apple Watches and AirPods Professional at its annual September occasion on the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
Preorders can be found on Friday, with the iPhone 17 beginning at $799, the iPhone Air costing $999, and the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max seeing a rise to $1,099 and $1,199. The iPhone Air is eSIM solely globally, and extra iPhone fashions than ever have eSIM-only variations world wide. This is all the pieces you should know.
The iPhone Air
Apple’s iPhone Air is becoming a member of a slew of different telephones that launched in 2025 that tout unbelievable thinness, just like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the Honor Magic V5. It is 5.6-mm thick—an unbelievable feat, as that is even thinner than Samsung’s handset and a 2.65-mm drop from the iPhone 16 Professional.
That is about seven bank cards stacked on high of one another. With it comes weight financial savings of 24 grams in comparison with the common iPhone 16, and this combo can dramatically alter how the telephone feels in your hand, particularly contemplating it sports activities a big 6.5-inch display screen. It is also the one iPhone this 12 months using titanium to assist with the sturdiness of the body. Talking of which, Apple says this telephone makes use of its new Ceramic Protect 2 materials on the entrance for 3X higher scratch resistance and 4X higher drop safety. The again glass makes use of the unique Ceramic Protect glass combination.
There’s nonetheless a digital camera bump, besides it is now horizontal (ahem, like a sure Google telephone), however as you may see, there are compromises: You solely get one digital camera. It could actually simulate a 2X optical zoom like most iPhones right now, however in contrast to Samsung’s skinny telephone, there isn’t any ultrawide digital camera, making it much less versatile for shutterbugs.
This telephone debuts Apple’s C1X modem, which permits for sub-6 5G however no millimeter wave 5G, and it additionally options the first-ever Apple N1 wi-fi networking chip. The N1 has Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread assist, which might enhance native sensible house controls with supported gadgets.
It nonetheless maintains options from earlier iPhones, just like the Dynamic Island, which takes up much less area on the entrance, the Motion Button, and Digital camera Management. The selfie digital camera has been upgraded to 24 megapixels and helps Apple’s Heart Stage expertise, which retains you within the body. The selfie digital camera has a sq. sensor, so you possibly can take selfies in panorama or portrait orientation with out having to modify the telephone into panorama orientation. Apple has additionally added the flexibility to shoot movies with each the entrance and rear cameras on the similar time.
Apple says inside is a “high-density battery,” which possible alludes to silicon-carbon battery expertise to attain this stage of thinness. The telephone is powered by the brand new A19 Professional chip, options Apple’s ProMotion 120-Hz refresh charge for the show, and has magnetic Qi2 25W wi-fi charging. It is accessible in black, white, gentle gold, and lightweight blue.
You would possibly assume this super-thin iPhone may have restricted battery life, however Apple remains to be claiming the identical video playback numbers because the iPhone 16 Plus: 27 hours. That is possible why Apple is promoting a brand new low-profile MagSafe energy financial institution to assist customers maintain their slim telephone topped up. Let’s simply see how typically you should use it.
The iPhone 17 Professional
The very first thing you may discover concerning the iPhone 17 Professional and the iPhone 17 Professional Max is the redesigned digital camera array on the again, which Apple calls the Digital camera Plateau. Gone is the square-shaped digital camera module in favor of an extended, horizontal digital camera bar. Perhaps it means the iPhone lastly will not rock on a desk. There’s additionally a barely totally different coloration tone beneath, indicating the cut up between the brand new aluminum chassis and the glass.
You heard that proper, Apple’s priciest fashions are reverting to aluminum as a substitute of the titanium of yesteryear. Aluminum handles warmth higher and is cheaper and lighter, to not point out a greater carbon footprint. (It is 100% recycled aluminum.) Now the one titanium mannequin within the firm’s lineup is the iPhone Air. You’d assume this could carry a worth drop, however alas.
Apple can also be debuting a vapor-chamber cooling system on these telephones, serving to them maintain cool below load. That is one thing Android telephones have used for years, so it will be attention-grabbing to see the way it impacts efficiency throughout the board, whether or not you are taking pictures 4K video or enjoying a graphically demanding sport.
