Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping."
The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes:
iPhone 17
Display Changes
- The iPhone 17 now comes with a 6.3-inch display, up from 6.1 inches, making it the same size as the iPhone 17 Pro. The larger screen means the device is a little taller, thicker, and heavier than the iPhone 16, though slimmer bezels help offset some of the increase.
- Apple has equipped the phone with a Super Retina XDR OLED display protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which is said to deliver three times better scratch resistance than the previous version.
- The display also gains ProMotion support, enabling adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz. This brings smoother scrolling and animations while also unlocking Always-On display functionality.
- Brightness has been upgraded as well, with peak outdoor brightness rising to 3000 nits from 2000 nits. Typical brightness remains at 1000 nits, while HDR content can still reach up to 1600 nits.
New Camera Technology
- An upgraded 18-megapixel front-facing camera improves selfies and video calls, while a square sensor allows for capturing portrait and landscape photos without rotating your iPhone. It also supports Center Stage for wider views when capturing images and taking video calls.
- The Center Stage front camera enables ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, and users can now record on the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture.
- A new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera captures up to 4x the resolution compared to the previous generation. The upgrade means iPhone 17 features all 48MP rear cameras for the first time.
Processor Upgrades
- The iPhone 17 is equipped with an A19 chip built on Apple's third-generation 3-nanometer node. It includes a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, with each GPU core featuring a Neural Accelerator designed to improve on-device generative AI and other system-intensive tasks.
- There's also an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine, an updated display engine, and a new image signal processor.
Battery Innovations
- Thanks to the new A19 chip and an Apple-designed N1 networking chip, the iPhone 17 is more efficient for improved battery life. It lasts up to 30 hours when watching videos, or up to 27 hours when streaming – more than 6 hours longer than the iPhone 16.
- Charging speeds have also been improved. The iPhone 17 can fast charge to 50 percent in 20 minutes with a 40W or higher power adapter. It can also reach 50 percent in 30 minutes with a MagSafe charger, and supports both MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging at 25W.
iPhone Air
Design
- At 5.6mm thick, the iPhone Air is Apple's thinnest ever iPhone, more than 3mm thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro. It features a polished titanium frame with a 6.5-inch display. Titanium is stronger than aluminum, and the iPhone Air was designed not to bend, making it more durable than any previous iPhone.
- Apple designed a camera "plateau" on the back of the iPhone Air that houses the 18-megapixel front-facing camera, the TrueDepth system for Face ID, the single-lens 48-megapixel rear camera, an Apple silicon chip, and a speaker.
- The iPhone Air includes all the same buttons and features as the iPhone 17 models, such as the Action button and Camera Control button.
Display
- The display matches the other iPhone 17 models, offering 1000 nits maximum brightness, 1600 nits peak HDR brightness, and 3000 nits peak outdoor brightness.
- It supports ProMotion with 120Hz refresh rates, which also enables Apple's Always-On display technology.
- Apple has added an improved anti-reflection coating to reduce glare.
Processor
- The iPhone Air is powered by the A19 Pro chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 17 Pro, but with one fewer GPU core.
- The chip includes a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores, paired with a 5-core GPU and 12GB of RAM.
- Each GPU core features a Neural Accelerator, which Apple says delivers 3x more peak GPU compute for improved on-device AI and other demanding tasks.
Camera Technology
- The single-lens rear camera uses the same 48-megapixel Fusion lens as the iPhone 17, supporting 1x and 2x zoom along with 28mm and 35mm focal lengths.
- Apple added a Dual Capture feature that lets you record with the front and rear cameras at the same time. The 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera also includes improved stabilization.
- The front-facing camera allows selfie photos in portrait or landscape mode without rotating the phone, and it supports Center Stage for video calls.
Battery Life
- The iPhone Air's battery lasts up to 27 hours when watching video or 22 hours when streaming video.
- Apple designed a $99 MagSafe battery pack for the iPhone Air that extends battery life to as much as 40 hours.
- The iPhone Air supports up to 20W wireless charging speeds. It can also fast charge, reaching 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher power adapter.
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
Design Changes
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Article Link: iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features
