Apple are promising an ‘awe dropping’ event today, when they are expected to unveil the latest iPhones including the thinnest ever.
While a folding iPhone may take longer to reach our pockets, safer bets are the iPhone 17, as well as a skinny new iPhone Air, and updates to AirPods and Apple Watch.
What exactly does awe dropping mean, you may wonder?
We don’t know, but aside from being a core opportunity for someone to apply a Mac-nificent pun on jaw dropping (see, we can’t resist either), it implies that we will be sent into a state of awe when these new products are dropped.
It’s possible there might be more too it than that too, as last year, the ‘It’s Glowtime’ teaser referenced the new Apple Intelligence features, which show a colourful glow around the edge of the screen while in use.
Apple Event UK time
We’ll find out at 6pm today, September 9, when the Apple Event will be livestreamed from the company’s HQ in Cupertino, just south of San Francisco.
What to expect at the Apple Event
September’s product launches are the biggest event on the Apple calendar, and are usually when the latest iPhone models are released.
In 2024, CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 16 and its various iterations. In 2023, it was the iPhone 15, and the year before that in 2022, it was the iPhone 14.
You therefore don’t need a crystal ball to guess this year it will be the iPhone 17, and this is widely expected to be unveiled tomorrow.
This year, the lower selling ‘Plus’ model is expected to be axed in favour of an ultrathin iPhone 17 Air, which would bring the phone into line with MacBooks and iPads, which both have lightweight Air models.
A standard model, Pro and Pro Max versions are also expected.
So, if you’re still trying to coax an old iPhone XR into keeping its battery going long enough to check CityMapper on the way home, maybe it’s time to tune in.
What will the iPhone 17 look like?
Mark Gurman, whose tips on Apple launches are widely followed, says we can expect a revamped look for the Pro and Air cameras, which will now span the whole width with a Google Pixel-like bar across the back.
New colours are expected too, with a new orange Pro option, as well as the same light blue which was popular with Macbook Air.
A cool announcement?
Given that the teaser image shows a heat map, some think part of the theme will be a cooler iPhone, literally.
The Pro phones are expected to switch back to aluminium rather than titanium, a metal which lets heat dissipate more quickly.
Another rumour is that the Pro models could be fitted with a vapour chamber, a first for any iPhone, although it is used in some Androids.
Liquid in the chamber turns to vapour when the phone heats up, which draws heat away from internal parts like the chipset, improving performance.
iPhone 17 release date
Judging by previous years, you will most likely be able to preorder the iPhone 17 from Friday September 12.
A general release would then come the following week, on Friday September 19.
iOS 26
You didn’t somehow forget iOS 19, 20, and 21: this time we are skipping ahead to iOS 26, because the naming system has changed.
Now, the operating system is taking the name of the year it will be most used in, 2026.
This also means all Apple products can have a similarly named iOS.
As the new iOS is already available in beta form, there won’t be many surprises here, but we should get an official release date for the operating system featuring a ‘liquid glass’ display and the rollout of deeply integrated Apple Intelligence.
Apple Watch Ultra 3
For the marathoners and deep sea divers, there’s an update to the Ultra in the works.
Last year, the watch was left unchanged but you can expect to make up for that this year.
It will be able to send texts via 5G and satellite (useful, if you get lost on a mountain range).
Apple has also long been rumoured to have been working on a feature to check blood pressure, so this might be the year it gets over the line.
AirPods Pro 3
The ubiquitous white headphones are also getting an upgrade.
Apple is rumoured to have been testing a heart rate monitor, similar to that seen in rival Powerbeats Pro 2.
It could also be getting a new software feature which could let users live translate conversations.
Where to watch the Apple Event on September 9?
You can livestream it on the Apple website or on the Apple YouTube channel.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
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