Apple’s second keynote of the year is set to see the most significant announcement at an iPhone Keynote for a number of years with the introduction of a new iPhone Model, the iPhone Air, to go alongside the iPhone, iPhone E and iPhone Pro in the lineup, but as always the devil is in the details.

iPhone

In addition to the annual evolutionary spec bumps across the board, the iPhone is finally set to have its OLED screen upgraded so that it is capable of 120hz, and as a result gain support for ProMotion. This was a change that was a long time coming, and sees them skip the rumored 90hz compromise, which would have allowed them to maintain some differentiation when compared to the iPhone Pro.

Following in the footseps of the iPhone 16E released in April, the iPhone 17 is also going to utilize Apple’s own C1 modem, which has rolled without issue.

This year’s A Series Chip, the A19, is set to be one of the biggest year on year upgrades. It will be the first A Series Chip to be on TSMCs latest 3nm process, bringing energy efficiency alongside of performance improvements, but also due to Apple Intelligence see its RAM increased from 8GB to 12GB. It will be interesting if this additional RAM will be utilised as and when needed or if Apple reserve it to keep AI Models in memory for faster and more predictable performance.

The iPhone as will support Qi 2.2, which enables 25W wireless charging through compatible Wireless Chargers, and through a new MagSafe Charger 35W.

This also might be the year were Apple increases the $799 starting point for the iPhone in the wake of tarrifs, with expectations that the iPhone will start at $849 or even $899 to give them a buffer on their margins over the next year.

iPhone Pro

The iPhone Pro is set to move away from its Titanium Bezel, arguably its biggest aesthetic differential from the rest of the iPhone lineup, and move to an aluminum bezel as found in the rest of the iPhones. More uniqueley in the era of wireless charging, the back of of the iPhone Pro is also set to be aluminum with inset glass sections where the MagSafe coil is positioned behind.

The iPhone Pros Camera’s will move to a full width inset glass section across the back of the device, which will give them more space internally for additonal battery as well as a higher level of zoom in the telephoto lens.

The iPhone Pro will get the host of updates found in the iPhone, most significantly the upgrade to 12GB of RAM and Qi 2.2, but unlike the iPhone the iPhone Pro will remain with a Qualcomm modem for a least the next couple of revisions due to it having a higher level of peak performance.

The mininum storage of the iPhone Pro will be increased from 128GB to 256GB but this won’t come for free, with the iPhone Pro set to start at $100 more than last year’s model.

iPhone Air

The biggest update to the iPhone lineup this year will be the introduction of the iPhone Air, which will replace the iPhone Pro.

The iPhone Air will be close to the thickness, although slightly thicker, than the iPad Pro, making it the thinnest iPhone ever, which you can be guaranteed will be mentioned at every opportunity!

Like the iPhone and iPhone Pro, the iPhone Air will feature a camera bump across the width of the device, but unlike the other models announced today it will only feature a single camera.

Although a lot of people could probably do without the Ultra Wide or Telephoto Camera, the biggest compromise will be the battery life, or what is sacrificed to achieve a desirable level battery life. The most likley candidates being the lack of wireless charging and always on display, in addition to using the C1 Modem.

AirPods Pro 3

The AirPods Pro 2 have seen an unprecedented number of software updates since they were release 3 years ago around hearing health and conversational awareness, but it is finally time for a hardware refresh.

The AirPods Pro are set to get improved Echo cancellation as well as heart rate monitoring, which was introduced with Powerbeats Pro 2 earlier this year, in addition to a slightly thinner and more pocketable case.

Apple Watch Series 11

The Apple Watch Series 11 is set to be a very incremental update year on year, featuring the same form factor and SoC performance as the Series 10. The only changes I would expect to see this year is new colour options on the aluminum models.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is set to keep its form factor from the Ultra 2 and 1, but have its SoC upgraded to match the Series 11.

The only other rumored improvement is satellite SOS support, which would make a lot of sense with how the Apple Watch Ultra is marketed as something you would use while undertaking extreme activities.

OS Updates

This event will see the release date for Apple’s 26 OSs announced, with iOS and watchOS shipping alongside the new hardware next week, with macOS, visonOS and tvOS to follow this month.

Although there isn’t set to be any additional OS features we haven’t seen since WWDC, it does mean that Liquid Glass will start rolling out to the general public and the majority of apps adopting it over the course of the next year, at which point opting out for system UI components will no longer be an option.