What to expect from the iPhone event on 9 September

Samuel Buchmann

27.8.2025

Translation: Elicia Payne

In two weeks, Apple will present new iPhones. The star of the show will likely be an ultra-thin Air model. Leaks also suggest there’ll be updates on the watches and AirPods.

Apple will be presenting the latest iPhones on 9 September under the slogan «Awe dropping». You can follow the event from 7 p.m. Swiss time on Apple’s website or on YouTube. In addition to the phones, new Apple Watches and AirPods are likely on the agenda.

As every year, rumours and leaks have already been spreading. Here you’ll find the latest summary. Just remember, none of what is mentioned here has been confirmed by Apple.

iPhone 17 Air

It seems Apple will be introducing a new model to its range this year. The iPhone 17 Air is said to be 5.5 millimetres thin and 145 grammes light. The display size is reportedly 6.6 inches. Since the size of this is very close to the previous Plus model, it seems the iPhone Air will be replacing it. In terms of price, it’s said to lie between the regular iPhone 17 and the Pro model.

I can think of three disadvantages with this thin model:

1. The iPhone Air’s supposed to only have a single camera.
2. The battery’s likely smaller, leaks suggest a capacity of around 2,800 mAh. For comparison: the iPhone 16 Plus (6.7-inch display) has 4,674 mAh, the iPhone 16 Pro (6.3-inch display) 3,582 mAh.
3. There are rumours saying there’s no room for a speaker on the underside of the thin casing.

Inside the phone, one of the new A19 chips will be working away. It’s still unclear whether the thin phone and the A19 Pro chip can get along with 12 gigabytes of RAM or whether it’ll have the regular A19 with 8 gigabytes of RAM. According to the leaks, the available colours will be black, silver, a light gold and a bright blue.

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max

For most people, the Pro model will remain the most attractive iPhone. 2025 seems to be an average year for updates:

• Design: the iPhone 17 Pro looks significantly different to its predecessor. The camera bump is rectangular and extends across the entire width of the back – which is supposed to be part glass and part aluminium. According to leaks, Apple is switching from a titanium casing back to an aluminium casing.
• Colours: in addition to black and white, the new flagship will be available in dark blue and orange. It’s unclear whether the orange will be bright or more subdued like copper.

• Display: there’s mixed opinions in the leaks on this topic. The iPhone 17 Pro could get an optional display with nano-textured glass. Apple already uses the anti-reflective surface in other products such as the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro.
• Cameras: the main and ultra-wide-angle camera will probably remain the same. The selfie camera is supposed to also have a resolution of 48 megapixels. Some leaks have also mentioned a longer focal length or even a variable optical zoom. However, this might be reserved for the Pro-Max model. Apple’s also apparently increasing the selfie camera resolution to 24 megapixels on all models.
• Video: Apple wants to steal the creator target group from other brands. This’ll be the first time you’re able to record front and rear videos simultaneously – with the rear cameras also in 8K. There are also reports of an in-house professional camera app.
• Battery: rumours say that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be slightly thicker and the battery will have a capacity of over 5,000 mAh. There’s also talk of a higher energy density thanks to innovative silicone anode batteries.
• Chip: the A19 Pro probably uses TSMC’s third-generation 3-nanometre production. So it’s also a precursor for the upcoming M5 laptop chips. Plus, Apple finally seems to be increasing RAM in the Pro models from 8 to 12 gigabytes.

iPhone 17

As usual, the regular iPhone inherits a few features from last year’s Pro model. The most important of these is probably the 6.3-inch OLED display with 120 Hertz (ProMotion). The front camera resolution has also been increased to 24 megapixels. In terms of colours, it’s been reported that the phone will be available in black, white, steel grey, green, purple and light blue. Apart from that, there hasn’t been any mention of major design changes.

Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3

The Apple Watch Series 11 is unlikely to come with any surprises. The only really innovative new feature could be a blood pressure reading. However, recent reports have been contradicting. Apparently, the developers are still experiencing problems with precision and reliability.

There are three more rumours about the Apple Watch Ultra 3:

• Larger display: the Ultra 3 appears to have a slightly larger display than its predecessor. The resolution has increased from 410 × 502 to 422 × 514 pixels. However, the casing doesn’t get any bigger. The display should also offer a higher frame rate and better viewing angles.
• New chip: the current Series 10 uses the S10 chip, the Ultra 2 still uses the S9. It seems likely that the Ultra 3 at least will get a new SoC (system on a chip). Whether Apple will upgrade all watches to an S11, or use the S10 again, remains unclear. Either way, a more efficient chip will improve battery life.
• Satellite connectivity and 5G: what’s been on Apple phones since the iPhone 14 is now also coming to the big sports watch. This would allow the Ultra 3 to send emergency calls via satellite in the future. The regular modem’s supposed to now support 5G.

AirPods Pro 3

The second generation of AirPods Pro will soon be three years old. A year ago, Apple added new features such as the hearing aid option. Now, according to leaks, a new version of the in-ears is just around the corner. Rumours have it that they’ll sound even better, last longer and offer better voice quality when making calls. Some analysts are also expecting support for lossless audio. And the case is supposed to have a touchscreen display.

The new health features lined up appear to be innovative: the AirPods 3 are expected to be able to monitor heart rate. Some have speculated that there’ll be an in-ear temperature measurement. By doing so, this would position Apple’s headphones even more strongly as a fitness companion.

We also talked about the iPhone rumours in the last episode of the Take a Byte podcast. As always, you can read here what turns out to be true shortly after the event on 9 September.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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