Apple is just days away from revealing its newest iPhones during its “Awe dropping” event on September 9th. It seems like this year’s launch will offer more than just a simple spec bump, as rumors point to an ultra-thin iPhone arriving alongside the rest of Apple’s upgraded smartphone lineup.
Though the iPhone 17 will undoubtedly be the focal point of the event, the company might throw a couple of other devices our way. Here’s what Apple might reveal during its next big launch event.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max may get even better cameras
One of the first things you’ll probably notice about the supposed renderings and dummy models of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max from leakers like Majin Bu is the protruding camera bumps on the back. These Google Pixel-style bars will house a trio of 48-megapixel camera sensors, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The Pro-level models are also rumored to come with an upgraded 24MP selfie camera, a more powerful A19 Pro processor, and 12GB of RAM — up from 8GB on the iPhone 16. Additionally, leaker Ice Universe has said the iPhone 17 Pro Max might have a thicker profile to fit a larger battery.
Other rumors suggest that iPhone 17 Pro models could swap a titanium body for a potentially lighter aluminium chassis. Based on dummy units shared by leaker Sonny Dickson, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could come in four colors: silver, black, navy blue, and orange.
A super-slim iPhone Air might make its debut
Apple has long reserved the “Air” moniker for its lightweight MacBooks, but rumors suggest that the company is preparing to carry over the super-slim form factor to its smartphones. The rumored iPhone 17 Air could be as thin as 5.5mm, featuring a 6.6-inch display with ProMotion and a Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg.
It’s also expected to come with just one 48-megapixel camera on its rear inside a Google Pixel-style camera bump, along with an A19 processor and Apple’s first in-house modem, which reportedly lacks support for mmWave, a speedier 5G frequency. The iPhone Air’s slim design means it likely won’t come with a physical SIM card slot, but it may have the Camera Control button that Apple launched with the iPhone 16.
Though some early reports suggested that the iPhone Air might trade a weaker battery life for a thinner design, Bloomberg reports that Apple has brought the device’s battery life in line with “current iPhones.” The iPhone 17 Air is expected to cost around $900, and may come in black, silver, gold, and light blue.
Apple could give the iPhone 17’s display a boost
The iPhone 17 isn’t expected to look much different when compared to its predecessor, but Apple could give the device some notable improvements under the hood.
A report from the South Korean outlet The Elec suggests that the device might come with an upgraded 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother scrolling, along with a slightly larger 6.3-inch size, according to supply chain analyst Ross Young. Just like the iPhone 17 Air, the base iPhone 17 is also expected to feature Apple’s new A19 processor.
There might not be an iPhone 17 “Plus” variant this time around, as rumors indicate that Apple plans on replacing it with the iPhone 17 Air. The iPhone 17 could cost around $800 and come in an array of colors, including pink, green, blue, white, and black.
An Apple Watch Ultra 3 with satellite texting
Apple is expected to debut three new smartwatches during its “Awe dropping” event. That includes a new Watch Ultra 3 with a potentially larger display and support for satellite texting, allowing users to send messages when they don’t have access to Wi-Fi or cellular service.
In addition to this change, the Watch Ultra 3 and the new Watch Series 11 may use a modem that adds support for 5G RedCap for the first time, as well as come with a new feature that warns users when they’re showing signs of high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, the budget-friendly Apple Watch SE 3 is expected to come with a revamped design, but it may not swap its aluminium case for a less expensive plastic one like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously predicted. A March 2025 report from Gurman said Apple’s design team “doesn’t like the look, and the operations team is finding it difficult to make the casing materially cheaper than the current aluminum chassis.”
As a whole, the Apple Watch lineup might not be in for any huge performance upgrades, either. Code accidentally leaked by Apple suggests the S11 system in a package used by the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, and SE 3 is built on the same architecture as the chips inside the Series 9 and Series 10 Apple Watch models.
Apple may bring heart rate monitoring to the AirPods Pro 3
Apple’s next-gen AirPods Pro are expected to come with a bunch of updates. One of the biggest changes coming to the device is heart rate monitoring, which Apple already launched on the Powerbeats Pro 2.
The AirPods Pro 3 may also come equipped with a new H3 chip, as well as a redesigned charging case that could reduce its size and remove the pairing button, bringing it in line with the case used for the AirPods 4. A 2023 report from Bloomberg also hinted at a new look for the AirPods Pro 3 themselves, though it’s not clear whether this will pan out.
There are a couple of other devices that Apple is rumored to launch this year, but they may not make an appearance at the September 9th event. That includes a second-gen Vision Pro headset with an upgraded processor — the rumor mill is divided on an M4 or M5 chip — and a new strap designed to reduce neck and head pain. We’re also going to be on the lookout for an M5-powered iPad Pro, which Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says could arrive this year with portrait and landscape cameras.
Apple may even share some updates on Apple Intelligence and its delayed plan to outfit its devices with an AI-upgraded Siri. Recent rumors suggest that Apple may use an outside AI model from OpenAI, Anthropic, or even Google to power “LLM Siri.”
For now, make sure to stay tuned to The Verge for updates about the iPhone 17 launch event.
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