Apple launches slimmer iPhone Air, new iPhone 17

CUPERTINO: Apple on Tuesday showed off a new, slimmer iPhone “Air” model with a “high density battery” and a brand new processor, as well as an iPhone 17, the latest upgrade to its flagship smartphone.

The iPhone Air model is the star of the annual product launch event, and Apple said the model is its most durable iPhone yet.

Apple said the base model iPhone 17 will have a brighter, more scratch-resistant screen. It also said the device will feature a new A19 processor chip, which will be made with 3-nanometer chipmaking technology and have improved capabilities for on-device artificial intelligence features.

Apple said the iPhone 17 will also have a better front-facing camera with a differently shaped sensor to make horizontal selfies look better.

The company also introduced a new version of its AirPods Pro wireless headphones and a blood pressure monitor in its latest Apple Watch.

The new AirPods Pro 3 will feature live translation of languages. Apple also said that if both people in a conversation are wearing the new AirPods Pro 3, the earbuds will translate conversations in near real time. Apple said the new AirPods will be priced at $249, the same as the previous generation, and become available on September 19.

The blood pressure monitor feature is pending regulatory approval, Apple said. The watch will not detect every case of high blood pressure but the company said it expects the feature to notify 1 million people and will make it available in 150 countries.

Apple did not raise the price on watch models either. New versions of the SE will cost $249, the Series 11 will cost $399 and the larger Ultra model will start at $799, as all their predecessors did.

Read more: Apple set to unveil ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air at September event

The iPhone Air will go head-to-head against Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S25 Edge, and analysts told Reuters it could be a stepping stone toward competing with Samsung’s folding phones, which are in their seventh generation.

A foldable phone is important for Apple to appeal to customers in China, where consumers like foldables and the company has been losing market share.

The event at the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters comes in the midst of a global trade reordering sparked by US President Donald Trump, with Apple estimating that tariffs will cost it more than $1 billion in the current fiscal quarter.

Analysts are watching closely to see whether the company will increase the price of iPhones, or seek alternative routes to making up for tariff costs such as keeping the prices of base iPhone models steady while increasing the cost of versions with more storage.

The new iPhones are expected to arrive without significant upgrades to Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, which Apple has pushed off until next year.

In the meantime, analysts are closely watching to see whether Apple, which has tapped ChatGPT creator OpenAI as a partner to power certain artificial intelligence features in its operating systems, will add more AI partnerships to its lineup before the arrival of a revamped Siri.