Today, Apple streamed their "Awe Dropping" event, which, as expected, covered a number of products. These products include the AirPods Pro, Apple Watch, and iPhone. This article will cover the last of these, the iPhone.
Common Features
Today, Apple introduced four new iPhone models: the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air. While each of these has its own set of features, there are some common features amongst all of the models, so let us look at those, starting with the Center Stage Camera.
Center Stage Camera
Each of the iPhone models introduced today has new cameras. While rear cameras differ between the models, they all have a new 18 MP Center Stage Camera.
The 18MP Center Stage camera has a bunch of new features. Besides the increase in the number of megapixels, up to 18 from 12, the Center Stage Camera system, as the name suggests, has Center Stage built in. From Apple's press release:
The Center Stage front camera features the first square front camera sensor on iPhone, offering a wider field of view and higher resolution — up to 18MP for photos — to capture more detail.
One of the additional benefits is that the Center Stage camera system can now take both landscape and portrait selfies, all without needing to rotate the phone. The Center Stage camera will allow you to quickly change the size of the selfie, simply by tapping on the iPhone screen.
This does not work with just photos, it will also work with videos as well. Therefore, if you are on a FaceTime call and additional people come into view, the camera can automatically adjust the field of view so everyone can be in frame.
Dual Capture
A second feature of all of the iPhone 17 models, and the iPhone Air, is called "Dual Capture". Dual Capture will allow you to record using both the front and back cameras. When you do this, you will be able to show your reaction all while filming the action. Additionally, during FaceTime calls, or third-party apps, Center Stage for video calls keeps users stable and positioned in frame.
Starting Storage
One other change this year is that the starting amount of storage in all of the iPhones is 256GB. This is up from 128GB in last year’s models, except for the iPhone Pro Max, which started at 256GB last year.
N1 Processor
The iPhone models introduced today all have a new network chip that is entirely designed by Apple, called the N1 chip. The N1 combines Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread support in a single chip. The N1 supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking. Apple’s states that the N1 is more power efficient, which adds to overall battery life for all devices.
That is all the common features for the iPhones introduced today. Let us look at each of the models, starting with the iPhone 17.
iPhone 17
The iPhone 17 is the newest in the iPhone lineup, and it takes the iPhone 16 and adds even more. Some of the biggest changes are in the processor, the screen, the rear cameras, and battery life. Let us start with the processor, the A19.
A19
The processor that allows the iPhone 17 to run is the A19. The A19 is an improvement over the A18 in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The A19 is a 3-nanometer processor that has 6 cores, 2 performance cores, and 4 efficiency cores. According to Apple, the A19 is 1.5x faster than the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13.
The A19 also has a 5-core GPU, which Apple states is 2x faster than the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13. One of the other changes with the GPU is that each GPU processor has its own Neural Engine accelerator. This should improve neural engine tasks and processing.
Physical Size and Screen
The iPhone 17 has a slightly larger size; it is 2mm taller at 149.6mm, up from 147.6mm, but it is slightly narrower, down to 71.5mm from 71.6mm with the iPhone 16. This change in physical size has allowed the screen to increase from a 6.1-inch screen to a 6.3-inch screen. The physical size of the screen is not the only change.
The screen is now a 120Hz ProMotion display, just like on the iPhone Pro models. This is the first non-Pro iPhone to get this feature. The 120Hz ProMotion display is adaptive in terms of its refresh rate. It can go as low as 1Hz, up to 120Hz, depending on need.
The iPhone 17 also has an Always-On display. Just like the previous iPhone Pro models, the iPhone 17 display will be always on, but in a dimmed state, should you choose to keep it enabled.
Rear Cameras
The iPhone 17’s rear cameras are a big upgrade, with a 48MP dual fusion camera system. The main camera on the iPhone 17 is a 48MP sensor, the same as the iPhone 16. However, the Ultra Wide camera is vastly improved. The Ultra Wide camera is now a 48 megapixel sensor, up from 12 megapixels. From Apple’s iPhone 17 press release:
A new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera captures up to 4x the resolution compared to the previous generation, so users get even more detail for uniquely framed, wider-angle shots or macro photography.
The optical zoom options remain the same as the iPhone 16, at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x. But, with the 48 Megapixel ultra wide, the detail should improve.
Battery
The iPhone 17 has improved battery life, up to 30 hours of video playback, up from 22 hours on the iPhone 16. You can charge via USB-C, at USB 2 speeds, or via MagSafe. You now get 25 Watt charging with MagSafe, an improvement over the 22 Watts on the iPhone 16.
Colors, Pricing, and Availability
The iPhone 17 comes in five colors. These are: Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, and Black. There are two storage sizes to choose from, 256GB or 512GB. The 256GB model is $799 and the 512GB is $999.
You can begin pre-ordering the iPhone 17 on Friday, September 12th at 5am Pacific time and they will be available starting on September 19th. Let us now look at the iPhone Air.
iPhone Air
The iPhone Air is a brand-new model of iPhone. It is not the iPhone 17 Air, just the iPhone Air. The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone available at just 5.64mm, or 0.22 inches deep. The actual dimensions of the iPhone Air are 6.15 inches (156.2mm) tall, 2.94 inches (74.7mm) wide, and it weighs just 5.82 ounces.
A19 Pro and C1X
The iPhone Air is powered by the A19 Pro. The A19 Pro in the iPhone Air consists of a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. There is also a 5-core GPU.
With the release of the iPhone 16e, Apple introduced the C1, Apple’s first custom-designed cellular modem. The iPhone Air has the C1X. The C1X improves the efficiency by using up to 30% less power than the C1, which will improve overall battery life.
Screen
Much like the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air has an Always-On ProMotion Display and can run at 120Hz. The physical size of the screen is 6.5 inches, so a bit larger than the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro, but still smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Design and Battery
The iPhone Air is designed to be as light as possible, but still rigid. One of the ways to accomplish this is to use titanium, which is what Apple has done. The iPhone Air has a titanium frame. The back of the iPhone Air is composed of Ceramic Shield, to help protect it against scratches.
The iPhone Air is designed to have as much battery as possible. This means that a vast majority of the components of the iPhone Air are in the camera plateau. Below is a photo of the internals of the iPhone Air.
As you can see, a lot of the components are in the camera plateau, leaving the remainder of the area available for the battery. According to Apple, the battery life of the iPhone Air is up to 27 hours of video playback, which is less than the 30 hours on the iPhone 17, but more than the 22 hours on the iPhone 16.
Rear Cameras
Given the small space for the components, some tradeoffs need to be made. One area where a tradeoff was made was with the cameras. There is only a single lens on the iPhone Air. It is a 48-megapixel camera, so it is a high resolution like the iPhone 17 models. It is capable of taking 24MP and 48MP photos.
The telephoto portion of the rear camera is a 12MP sensor with a 52mm focal length, so you can still take zoomed-in photos as well as 4K photos.
The iPhone Air has two optical camera options, 1x or 2x. Given the single camera on the iPhone Air, there is no macro photography on the device.
Accessories
With the thin design of the iPhone Air, there are some accessories to go with it. Two of the options available are cases. The first case is a thin case that comes in two colors, Frost and Shadow. These are ultra-thin cases that add a bit more protection to the iPhone Air.
The second case option is one that has not been seen since 2011: a bumper case. The bumper case will add a bit more protection around the edge of the iPhone Air but leave the ceramic shield back exposed.
There is another accessory: a MagSafe battery. Just like previous MagSafe batteries, it will allow you to charge your iPhone Air while on the go and provide additional power for your iPhone Air.
Colors, Pricing, and Availability
The iPhone Air is available in four color options: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue. There are three storage options: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The 256GB model is $999, the 512GB model is $1199, and the 1TB model is $1399. You can begin pre-ordering the iPhone Air on Friday, September 12th at 5am pacific time, and they will be available starting on September 19th.
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max
The last iPhone models introduced today are the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The "Pro" and "Pro Max" models are designed to be the most advanced iPhones in terms of capabilities. The iPhone 17 Pro uses some advanced technology to deliver some of the most advanced features on an iPhone.
Design
The iPhone 17 Pro has a unibody frame that is machined out of solid aluminum. It is made of aluminum to be able to dissipate heat rapidly. This is also accomplished with a vapor chamber that has de-ionized water inside the chamber. This chamber has been laser welded closed. The vapor chamber is designed to quickly move the heat away from the components to allow even mor substained performance.
A19 Pro
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Max are powered by the A19 Pro. This version of the A19 Pro has a 6-Core CPU, with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. There are also 6 GPU cores, which is more than the iPhone 17 Air’s A19 Pro.
Battery
The battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro is up to 33 hours of video playback. This is six hours more than the iPhone 16 Pro. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has up to 39 hours of video playback, up from 33 hours on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Rear Cameras
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have the most advanced cameras available on any iPhone. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max take this to extremes with the 48MP Pro Fusion camera system.
There are three lenses on the iPhone 17 Pro: a 48MP Main camera, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, and a 48MP Fusion Telephoto. This is the first time that all of the cameras have had the same number of megapixels across all three cameras.
This new camera design does mean there is a change in terms of optical zoom. There are now five options for optical zoom: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x. The 5x option is no longer around; it was replaced with the 4x, and the 8x option is brand new.
According to Apple, the 4x zoom is equivalent to a 100mm lens. Similarly, the 8x zoom is equivalent to a 200mm lens. With these being optical zoom, these should provide decent-quality pictures, but time will tell on that.
As for digital zoom, it can now be up to 40x, should you have the need for that much zooming while taking photos.
Colors, Pricing, and Availability
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are available in three colors: Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. The iPhone 17 Pro is available in three storage options: 256GB for $1099, 512GB for $1299, and 1TB for $1499. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is available in four storage options: 256GB for $1199, 512GB for $1399, 1TB for $1599, and the 2TB is $1999.
You can begin pre-ordering the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max on Friday, September 12th at 5am pacific time, and they will be available starting on September 19th.
Closing Thoughts
The new iPhone 17 is a pretty good upgrade over previous models. It comes in five color options and two storage options, 256GB and 512GB. The new A19 should provide faster processing, and the Always-On ProMotion display is a significant upgrade.
The iPhone 17 Air is a brand-new model. It is the thinnest iPhone so far at 5.6mm thick. It has some specific accessories, like the MagSafe battery, bumper case, and clear case with MagSafe.
The iPhone 17 Pro has the most advanced cameras of the iPhones introduced, with up to 8x zoom and new vapor cooling.
Pre-orders for the iPhones all start on Friday, September 12th at 5:00am pacific time and will be available starting Friday, September 19th, 2025.
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