We’re just hours away from Apple’s “Awe dropping” event, where it will announce the new iPhone 17 lineup, Apple Watch Series 11, new AirPods Pro, and more.
Head below for our roundup of all the last-minute rumors about what to expect from these new Apple products…
iPhone 17 accessories
One of the more perplexing rumors to me throughout the iPhone 17 cycle has been the so-called “Crossbody Strap” accessory. A new image posted by Sonny Dickson last night seems to add more fuel to this fire. Presumably, this Crossbody Strap will attach to the new iPhone 17 cases from Apple, which will reportedly include lanyard connectors on the bottom.
Also note: the bright orange color shown in this image sure seems like it would pair perfectly with the rumored orange iPhone 17 Pro.
The accessory story for the iPhone 17 sounds like it’ll be quite interesting:
AirPods Pro 3
After some skepticism, AirPods Pro 3 seem like a lock for this week’s iPhone 17 event. Ming-Chi Kuo and Instant Digital both say the long-awaited refresh to AirPods Pro is set for this week.
One wrinkle: Apple apparently has two versions of AirPods Pro 3 planned. One version is coming this week and will include things like a heart rate monitoring sensor and an H3 chip. A higher-end version of AirPods Pro 3, however, is reportedly set for 2026 with infrared cameras.
Mark Gurman reports that AirPods Pro 3 will have an “improved design for better fit,” but he says not to expect major improvements to audio or noise cancellation.
iPhone 17 battery specs
Late on Sunday night, iPhone 17 battery specifications leaked courtesy of a Chinese regulatory database. The gist of it? It’s going to be a great year for the iPhone Pro fans.
According to the data, the iPhone 17 Pro’s battery will be a whopping 19% bigger than the iPhone 16 Pro’s. This is a massive increase in raw battery size that should lead to an impressive jump in battery life.
One word of warning, though. Apple may have a plan to utilize some of the increased battery size to power new features. We’ll have to wait for the official numbers to know just how much Apple is balancing battery life vs performance this year.
M5 iPad Pro? Maybe.
A last-minute leak from an anonymous account on X has led some iPad users to speculate that Apple might have a surprise in store for this week. A new M5 iPad Pro has been rumored to launch this year, but our expectation was that we wouldn’t see it until October or November. Now, however, it looks like we can’t rule out an announcement tomorrow alongside the iPhone 17.
I’m a bit skeptical of this, personally. I don’t know if Apple wants the launch of its first M5 product to be overshadowed by new iPhones. I’d bet on the M5 iPad Pro launching next month at the earliest, but I’d love for Apple to prove me wrong.
Apple Watch SE 3
On Sunday night, that same anonymous account also posted something that seems more likely: Apple Watch SE 3 is set for an announcement this week. Last year, Apple was rumored to be working on a new version of the Apple Watch SE made from plastic instead of aluminium, but it sounds like those plans may have been shelved.
At the very least, the new Apple Watch SE 3 is expected to feature a faster chip for improved performance and larger displays, measuring around 1.6” and 1.8” each, similar to the Apple Watch Series 7-9 era.
iPhone 17 colors and cooling
In a post on X tonight, Mark Gurman has details on the iPhone 17 colors and cooling system. Gurman says he expects the “new heat management system/vapor chamber on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max to be a key point tomorrow.”
Additionally, he says that two of the unique color options for the iPhone 17 Pro models will be orange and blue.
More to come
We’ll keep this post updated as more last-minute rumors surface ahead of tomorrow’s Apple event. In the meantime, what are you most excited about? Personally, the iPhone 17 Air is really calling my name. What about you? Let us know down in the comments.
My favorite iPhone accessories:
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