Марія Бровінська Gadgets 9 September 2025, 08:00

Not just the iPhone 17. What Apple could show today at the Awe Dropping presentation: the most interesting from insiders

Apple is gearing up for its Awe Dropping Fall Presentation today. And judging by insider information, it won’t just be «another year.» The company is promising «radical» changes to its flagship product for the first time since 2017. A slight price increase is expected for some models.

The official broadcast will be on Apple.com, YouTube, and the Apple TV app at 8:00 PM Kyiv time. What to expect from the «apple giant» — below.

TL;DR — for those in the know

In the Phone line, Apple will say goodbye to the Plus version. The iPhone 17 line will have four variants: the base model, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max. Design changes (horizontal camera module in some variants) and hardware upgrades are expected.

Camera: Pro models can get up to 8x optical zoom, better 8K recording, and an upgraded cooling system (including a vapor chamber). This is a really big leap in mobile photo/video functionality.

iPhone 17 Air is a very thin device (~5.5 mm) with a 6.6″ screen (focus on design and «lightness»).

Chips: A19 / A19 Pro — significant performance boost, better heat dissipation (in Pro — vapor chamber).

iOS 26 «Liquid Glass» + Apple Intelligence — a new visual style and a bunch of AI features for developers and users (Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, Image Playground, etc.). This is an important platform for apps and chat integrations.

Also likely: Apple Watch Series 11 / Ultra 3 / SE3, AirPods Pro 3 (with health sensors), updated Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2.

iPhone 17 Secrets

Model range

Current sources talk about four models: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air (a new «Air line» instead of Plus), iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Air is positioned as an ultra-thin «lite» flagship with a large screen, but without some of the Pro features.

Design

Rumors of a horizontal camera module (instead of a tall vertical camera module) have been circulating in several sources, which could change the overall aesthetic of the iPhone. The Air is a slim 5.5 mm body, the Pro bodies may feature lighter aluminum instead of titanium (to reduce weight or cost), but the Pro versions are still expected to have a premium feel.

Screen

According to sources, there will be wider use of ProMotion 120 Hz and the possibility of expanding this standard to more models. The Air will probably have a 6.6″ OLED (a combination of a thin body + a large screen).

8× optical zoom in Pro

This is one of the main «wow» moments, insiders report. If confirmed, Apple is making a serious bet on mobile photo/video engineering, bringing phones closer to separate compact shooting systems. In parallel, there is improved 8K shooting and the possibility of dual-video/professional mode.

Cooling

To withstand long recordings/games and intensive computing, the Pro models will receive improved heat dissipation, in particular, a vapor chamber is mentioned. This allows maintaining high processor frequencies under load.

SoC: A19 and A19 Pro

A19/A19 Pro is a step up in CPU/GPU and power efficiency. The Pro version may have additional cores/memory (12 GB RAM in the leaks) and more on-device machine learning capabilities. For developers:

accelerated ML inferences locally (Image Playground, Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 will work better);
more complex games/more realistic real-time AR;
more resources for video processing and encoding on the device.

Battery

Insiders are hinting at larger batteries in the Pro Max/Pro (to compensate for the more powerful chips and 8x zoom), as well as improved Qi2/fast wireless charging support in some models. Specific battery numbers are mixed across sources, but the general trend is a balance of «thin body vs. capacity.»

iOS 26

Apple has already officially announced iOS 26 with a new visual language Liquid Glass — transparent/refractive interface elements, new widgets, Polls in Messages, and expanded Apple Intelligence (Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, improved Image Playground). It’s not just cosmetics — iOS 26 pushes developers to adapt interfaces to «dynamic» content blocks and integrate AI functions into applications.

The key features of Apple Intelligence / iOS 26 are as follows:

Visual Intelligence: you can «request» a screenshot and receive actions/explanations.
Live Translation in FaceTime/Phone/Messages — these features can change the UX for multinational products.
Image Playground + ChatGPT (integrations) — new opportunities for content generation.

A few more autumn new products from

Apple Watch Series 11 / Ultra 3 / SE 3 — battery upgrades, new chip, updated sensors are expected (leaks mention the possibility of additional health sensors). Ultra 3 — more focus on battery life and professional features.

AirPods Pro (3rd generation) — a bunch of signals about a built-in heart rate sensor / health sensor and improved case / ANC. If AirPods can provide HR, this will once again expand the ecosystem of health scenarios. Rumor has it that Apple will add heart rate and even temperature measurement directly to the headphones, which will make workouts even more data-rich (if that’s your thing). And if we take into account rumors about an upcoming real-time translation function, these AirPods could become the company’s most ambitious project in this line.

Apple TV 4K (update) — rumors of A17 Pro in the set-top box, more gaming capabilities and Wi-Fi 6E support. This means that the Apple TV aims to become not just a streamer, but also a «gaming corner» with hardware processing.

HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2 — HomePod mini will get a new feature and sound; AirTag 2 will get a new UWB chip for much longer positioning range and improved security/notification dynamics. This is good news for IoT/smart home infrastructure.

There will be no new Siri. Apple is still not ready to introduce an updated, smarter, AI-powered Siri. Expect a lot of talk about «Apple Intelligence» at the presentation, but judging by the rumors, the AI-powered Siri upgrade that Apple announced a year ago is not ready for release yet.
Would the tech world be surprised if Apple unexpectedly unveiled a new Siri tomorrow? Absolutely. Is it impossible? Never say never.

What and when will be available for purchase?

Pre-orders for the new devices will likely open on September 12; sales will start around September 19 (based on the experience of previous years.

The estimated prices, which are indicated by sources, are as follows: iPhone 17 Pro Max ~ $1,299, and iPhone 17 Air may occupy the price segment between the basic and Pro. But the official prices will be announced at the presentation. According to the Gulf News review, the prices will remain stable: the basic iPhone 17 will cost $799, Air — $899-949, Pro — $1,099 (with the basic memory of 256 GB), and Pro Max — $1,199.

Apple plans to integrate Google Gemini into Siri to create new AI search

Apple to unveil iPhone 17 and updated Apple Watch on September 9

"I hate Russia": Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak cancels speech in Russia