Recapping Apple's "Awe Dropping" September 2025 Event

Welcome

Today, Apple announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro at its "Awe Dropping" media event. Here's a quick summary, for those who don't care about the details. Jump to the next heading to skip the summary and get to the good stuff.

• Version 26 of iOS, watchOS, macOS, and so on will be released on Monday, September 15.
• iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and Air increase screen durability and visibility, offer better battery life, have improved cameras, and are a bit faster for machine learning and other AI tasks
• Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 have the same tough screen coating and visibility improvements, 5G and satellite support, hypertension detection, sleep score with analysis, and improved battery life (24 hours for Series 11, 42 hours for Ultra 3)
• Apple Watch SE 3 has the same chip as Series 10, 5G, fast charging, and support for newer features like sleep score and wrist gestures
• AirPods Pro 3 have twice as good ANC as the previous model, better sound, a better fit, redesigned tips that come in five sizes instead of three, live language translation, and fitness tracking that tracks heart rate and estimates calorie burn

iPhone 17 Lineup

Let's start with iPhone, even though Apple held this one until the end of the presentation. This year's lineup includes the usual: a base model, a Pro, and a Pro Max. There's also a newcomer to the group: iPhone Air (yes, just iPhone Air, no 17 in the name). At 5.6MM--except for the bar across the top that holds the cameras and other components--it's the thinnest iPhone ever made. But we'll get back to that in a moment.

There are a few features shared by all the new phones. The chips are a little faster, the AI work happens more efficiently, the screens are brighter (3,000 nits peak), and the battery life is longer. All models now start at 256GB storage, instead of 128GB. While the prices for these models are the same as the 256GB iPhone 16 ones, you no longer have the option of buying less storage to save some money.

These phones are also tougher. Remember when Apple started using Ceramic Shield, a nano ceramic coating that made the screen glass harder to scratch and break? Ceramic Shield 2 is even stronger, with three times the scratch protection. No word on how it changes the chances that the glass will crack. Now, this new protective coating covers not just the screen, but the sides of the phones and the back glass as well.

Speaking of the back glass, there's a design change across the board. No longer are the cameras in a square on the back right. Now, they are in a bar that goes across the back of the phone, something Apple has named the "forged plateau." Awkward name aside, this change has added some internal volume to all the phones, allowing Apple to fit a little more battery in there. All of this year's iPhones have increased battery life.

Another major change is the front-facing camera. As far as I can tell, the same camera is in all four new phones. It is an 18-megapixel camera, has better photo quality, and works better in low light. It also has some neat tricks. It can use its wider sensor to let you take a landscape shot while holding your phone in portrait; it can use AI to detect other people in a selfie, where upon it will widen the focus to include them; and it can keep you centered in the frame during video calls, even if you and/or your phone moves around some.

The N1 is a custom networking chip designed by Apple. Wifi 7, bluetooth 6, and other improvements mean these phones should have great wireless performance. On iPhone Air, Apple's C1X chip improves cellular performance and reduces power consumption.

iPhone 17

The cheapest iPhone 17 sports a 6.3-inch display, with thinner bezels than iPhone 16, more brightness, and Pro Motion. That last thing is where the screen will refresh more or less often based on what you're doing, helping to save battery life while looking better for things like video playback or fast scrolling. The max refresh rate is 120Hz. This is the first time a base model iPhone has had Pro Motion and a refresh rate that high.

This phone runs on the A19 chip, which is, as mentioned, a little faster than last year's. It has six cores and five GPU cores, with faster processing for AI and machine learning tasks. Remember that this doesn't just mean chatbots; AI is used in a wide range of tasks: taking pictures, VoiceOver's image descriptions, screen recognition, Apple Intelligence features, using your camera to read text, and a whole lot more.

Speaking of the camera, it is, to no one's surprised, better. All the lenses can work together to take pictures, making what Apple calls a 48-megapixel fusion camera. That said, the default is 24MP for smaller files. The phone can also zoom up to 2X optically.

If you use that camera a lot, you'll need to charge your battery. No problem. With a wall adapter of 40W or more and a cable, you can charge from empty to 50% in just twenty minutes. The MagSafe is the same as iPhone 16, so supports up to 25W wireless charging as long as you have the right equipment.

This model comes in aluminum, as usual. You can get it in Lavender, Mist Blue, Black, White, or Sage. The smallest storage option is now 256GB for $799.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

As usual, we got two Pro iPhone variants this year. Both are powerhouses when it comes to video, supporting professional-grade cinema film standards. For instance, with a special dock, you can add an iPhone 17 Pro to an array of cameras all synchronized to work together. You can also record in a way that captures extra detail, making later editing and mastering easier.

What's less usual is the body. Instead of titanium, Apple has gone with aluminum. The manufacturing process is different, with these aluminum frames being a single piece instead of multiple segments put together. This is the first unibody frame Apple has made from aluminum.

The A19 Pro (the chip at the heart of the phones) has improved graphics performance and AI abilities. To keep it cool, Apple has switched to a new heat distribution system, a vapor chamber, that will let the phone do more work at higher speeds before it has to slow down. It does this by moving heat away more quickly and efficiently than the purely passive cooling iPhones have used until now.

As with iPhone 17, the new forged plateau allows more hardware to fit inside the phone. That means more battery. The Pro Max claims up to 39 hours of video playback on a charge, the most battery life in any iPhone ever. Of course, the Pros both support the same fast charging as on iPhone 17.

What about the cameras? They're better. No shock there. Each sensor is 48MP, and they can all work together to take pictures in the same fusion model as on the base 17. You get 4X optical zoom at 100MM, 8x at 200MM, and 40X digital zoom. I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, better low light performance, better color accuracy... You all know the drill by now.

The Pro models come in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. The Pro starts at $1099 with 256GB storage. For the first time, you can get 2TB of storage if you want to, though only in the Pro Max. Preorders open on Friday, September 12.

iPhone Air

This is the new one of the bunch. iPhone Air is just 5.6MM thick, at least until you reach the top and encounter the forged plateau. To keep the thickness down, Apple has opted to make this phone E-SIM only, meaning no physical SIM cards at all.

Inside, this iPhone has the same A19 Pro chip as iPhone 17 Pro. It also has the same brighter, Pro Motion screen as the rest of the lineup, and sports the same all-over Ceramic Shield 2 coating.

Like the base model, iPhone Air has 2X optical zoom and a 48MP fusion camera with optical image stabilization. This is rather impressive, given its size, but we'll have to see just how big that forged plateau really is. It has the same 18MP front-facing camera as the other iPhone 17 models, and can, if I heard the presentation correctly, record both that and the rear camera at the same time when taking video.

Apple didn't mention the battery during the presentation. However, there is this handy iPhone comparison page. With it, we find that the video playback number for iPhone Pro Max is 39 hours, for the base iPhone 17 is 30, and for the Air is 27. Not bad.

iPhone Air comes in Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, and Space Black, and starts at $999 for 256GB.

Accessories

TechWoven is Apple's new case material. It is made from recycled yarn that's covered in a protective coating. The usual silicone cases are also coming. All models of iPhone 17 will have various cases made for them, and will support the new cross-body strap.

This is a strap made from woven yarn and studded with small magnets. You can adjust the fit using the magnets, and wear your phone over your shoulder so it hangs on your opposite side.

There is also a new MagSafe battery pack, though the official page says that it will only work with iPhone Air.

AirPods Pro 3

The upgrades to AirPods Pro 3 are impressive. You'd expect a better sound and better noise cancellation, but Apple went a lot further than that. We have IP57 dust and water resistance, better battery life, a new fit, and a couple major new features.

First, let's get the obvious out of the way: they sound better. Apple has reworked the way air flows through each AirPod to improve bass response, make vocals more clear, and widen the sound stage. Active Noise Cancellation has also gotten an update, with Apple claiming that it works twice as well as what's in the previous AirPods Pro. Finally, Transparency Mode should make things sound more natural, with a focus on voices.

A lot of these changes are helped by a better fit. Apple redesigned the shape of AirPods; they are smaller, fit more comfortably, and have new tips. Some foam is now used in the tips, and they come in five sizes instead of three. Plus, the battery life has gone up: eight hours in ANC mode and ten hours in transparency mode.

All of this is great, but we haven't gotten to the headline features yet: translation and fitness tracking.

AirPods Pro 3 can help you translate when you are with people who don't speak your language. Press both stems, and your iPhone will listen for foreign speech. It will try to lower the volume of the person talking, making it easier for you to hear the translation your phone will speak through your AirPods. When you speak in your native language, your iPhone will translate that into the other language being spoken, and show the translation on the screen for the other person to read. Of course, if you both have this feature, the conversation can feel a bit more natural. Note that this works with AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, provided you have an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

You can also use AirPods Pro 3 as a way to track your fitness. Heart rate sensors and accelerometers work together to monitor how hard you're exercising, estimating calories burned, steps taken, and more. You can start and stop workouts from the Fitness app on your phone, and the Workout Buddy feature coming in the next OS updates will work with these AirPods, even if you have no Apple Watch. If you're someone who wants to track your progress in exercising, but otherwise doesn't want to wear a tracker, the new AirPods might be a good option.

Apple Watches

Apple updated its entire Apple Watch lineup this year. All the models got a similar ceramic coating as the phones, making their screens twice as hard to scratch. Again, there was no word on whether the coating improved the ability of the glass to withstand impacts.

They all also gained a sleep score feature. You can check your sleep score in the morning, to get an idea of how well you slept. While the obvious response to this might be, "I know how I slept, I can tell how tired I am," there's more to it. Apple will show you what went into the score. You can easily tell if the problem is a lack of REM sleep, or frequent awakenings, or something else. Seeing what impacted your score could help you identify possible problems you can address.

Blood pressure monitoring comes to the Ultra 3 and Series 11, though not the SE 3. It will also work in a few older Apple Watch models. You can't use your watch to see your blood pressure whenever you want. Instead, your watch and phone will analyze the previous thirty days of sensor data, and alert you if signs of high blood pressure (called hypertension) were found. Apple says that this won't catch all cases, but it should catch a lot. The way it works is neat: it uses light to watch how your blood vessels react to each heartbeat, then uses data models to try to work out whether your blood pressure is too high. The feature requires approval from the health regulators in each country, so it won't be available right away.

All three new watch models also gain 5G cellular support. This should make cellular connections faster.

Apple Watch SE 3

Perhaps the biggest update was to the cheapest model. Apple Watch SE 3 gained several features, mostly stemming from the S10 SoC, the same chip found in the flagship watch models.

The SE 3 now supports the double tap and wrist flick gestures. It can measure body temperature, letting it show the temperature reading and provide menstrual cycle and retrospective ovulation tracking. The screen is now an always-on display. Sleep tracking, the new sleep score, and playing media through the speaker are all supported. The battery lasts 18 hours and can fast-charge. It even sports 5G connectivity.

In short, the SE 3, which still starts at $249, is now a far more capable and appealing Apple Watch. It doesn't do blood pressure, the battery doesn't last as long, it's a little thicker, and there's only one casing option, but these upgrades make it a great choice for a lot of users. It sounds like it'll be similar to a Series 9, but with an updated chip, and I can say from personal experience that the Series 9 is a wonderful little device. The SE 3 comes in starlight and midnight colors.

What if you want more, though? What if you want the very latest Apple has to offer. In that case, you want the Series 11, or maybe the Ultra 3. That said, there's no new chip this year. While there are some new features, you're not getting an increase in speed or a bevy of new sensors.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

The Ultra 3 is the model that changed the least. The screen is brighter and slightly larger, though the casing size hasn't changed. It also refreshes more often when in always-on display mode, letting you see more frequent updates. This doesn't impact VoiceOver users at all.

5G connectivity and SOS over Satellite round out the new features. The latter is a welcome change: if you're stuck and without cellular service, and you brought your watch and no phone, you can now connect to a satellite to get help.

Don't worry about these new connectivity options eating up battery, though. The Ultra 3 claims 42 hours of battery per charge, and still supports fast charging. It comes in the same natural and black colors as last year.

Apple Watch Series 11

The Series 11 gains the sleep score, 5G, and other features mentioned above. Compared to the Series 10, though, there's not a whole lot that's new. The big change is battery life: Series 10 claims up to 18 hours, while Series 11 claims up to 24. For normal use, you can probably expect even longer than those numbers. Combined with fast charging (Apple claims 0-80% in 30 minutes, just like Series 10), you won't have to spend much time charging.

Apart from that, the Series 11 supports the wrist flick gesture, and it has the tougher screen we talked about earlier. That's about it. Well, that and the colors. This model comes in Rose Gold, Jet Black, Silver, and Space Gray if you get the aluminum one. The titanium one comes in Natural, Gold, and Slate. Pre-orders are already open for all the watches.

Wrapping Up

That's everything. New AirPods, new iPhones, new Apple Watches, release dates for the next big software updates, and new cases and straps. What do you think? Are you considering any upgrades? Have you already pulled the trigger?

Personally, I'm intrigued by the new Series 11, but probably not enough to upgrade. I'm excited to get some hands-on time with an iPhone Air, but I have no plans to upgrade my phone. I just want to feel how thin it is, and what the forged plateau is really like. I love my AirPods 4, and don't see the need to get the new AirPods Pros. The fitness tracking in earbuds is really cool, but as an Apple Watch user, I don't really need it. Overall, there was some neat stuff today, but probably not enough to tempt me into any purchases. Probably. Let me know what you thought of today's announcements!