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Apple has just unveiled the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone Air, alongside the AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 & Apple Watch SE 3. When looking at this new line of products, your question might be, “What’s new?” or, “What’s different?”
The good news is that for the first time in a while, it felt like Apple actually innovated. Let’s break down some of the features that stood out.
iPhone 17
In the base iPhone 17 model, you can find the standard iPhone design we are so used to, but with some neat upgrades. Firstly, the screen now has a 120hz ProMotion adaptive display, giving users a buttery smooth experience that was previously only available on Pro models. The display is also 6.3 inches now, slightly bigger than the iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch screen.
Next, the front of the iPhone 17 is now protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which claims to have 3x better scratch resistance.
This year’s iPhones also introduce the 18MP Center Stage front camera that allows you to take better landscape selfies without physically rotating your phone. This can be done simply by zooming out & switching orientations in-camera.
There is also Dual Capture functionality now with both the front & rear cameras. This means you can take videos of yourself and what is in front of you, simultaneously. It’s a great feature for content creators who like filming reactions.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 17 start on 12 Sep at 8pm SGT, with the phones releasing on 19 Sep. Prices start at S$1,299.
iPhone Air
The “star of the show” for me was the iPhone Air. This is the thinnest iPhone ever, but with Pro levels of performance within. It has a faster A19 Pro chip as compared to the base iPhone 17, and is only 5.6mm thick with a larger 6.5-inch display — I just hope its sleek-looking titanium body is strong enough to prevent bending.
Apple also introduces a “plateau” to the back of an iPhone for the first time, which houses the 48MP Fusion Main Camera and other vital internals towards the top of the iPhone Air. This is an innovative design, but we will have to wait to confirm its durability.
Pre-orders start on 12 Sep, with the phone available from 19 Sep onwards. The iPhone Air starts at S$1,599.
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 17 Pro also introduces a new back design to the iPhone family. While it retains the usual 3-camera set-up, the array is now contained in a plateau — something that will take a while to get used to. But probably the most unexpected of all is the set of colours the iPhone 17 Pro comes in. You can get it in Silver, Deep Blue, and a brand new Cosmic Orange. The usual black and gold options can be found in the iPhone Air, but not here.
Similar to the other 2 new models of iPhones, the iPhone 17 Pro comes with all rear Dual Fusion cameras in 48MP. It allows you to take super high-quality photos using any of the lenses by activating both cameras simultaneously. Whether you’re shooting from afar or at macro-range, you can expect sharp & detailed results both at a distance and up-close. On the iPhone 17 Pro, you will have 8x optical-quality zoom, which Apple describes as “8 pro lenses in your pocket”.
To keep the phone going without overheating, it also has a vapour chamber that uses deionised water to dissipate heat. I guess we now have a water-cooled iPhone.
Go for the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you want the best iPhone battery life of up to 37 hours of video playback.
The iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max will also be available for pre-order on 12 Sep, and is releasing on 19 Sep at a starting price of S$1,749.
AirPods Pro 3
Aside from iPhones, Apple also announced the new AirPods Pro 3, boasting the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation. Beyond just having a more comfortable fit with foam tips and great sound, there are new intelligent features to expect too.
Conversation Awareness automatically detects when you’re talking to someone and adjusts the in-ear volume accordingly. New heart rate sensors make the AirPods Pro 3 compatible with the Fitness app. Live Translation lets you hear someone talking in another language while feeding translations to you in real-time. This also works the other way, allowing you to speak in your own language and feed translations into your iPhone or the other person’s AirPods Pro 3 directly. Yup, if both of you have a pair of AirPods Pro 3 each, you can have a face-to-face conversation in different languages.
You can make pre-orders from 9am SGT on 11 Sep, and it’ll be available starting 19 Sep at S$349.
New Apple Watches 2025
Apple also introduced the Apple Watch Series 11 in its latest presentation. Now with 5G support, wrist-flick gestures and an even tougher glass, the Apple Watch Series 11 is an improved daily companion. It can now even give you a Sleep Score and help you to understand your sleep patterns & improve your rest.
If you thought the Series 11 is powerful enough with 24 hours of battery life, consider the 42-hour battery of the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The Ultra 3 also comes with a bigger & brighter display in a default titanium case. If the starting price of S$599 for the Series 11 or the price tag of S$1,199 for the Ultra 3 is a tad too high for you, you’ll be delighted to know that there is also a new Apple Watch SE 3 starting at S$349.
All the new Apple Watches will be available from 19 Sep.
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