Nothing in this world is certain, except for death, taxes and the reveal of a new iPhone every year. Since receiving our invites to attend Apple’s “awe dropping” iPhone 17 event, we’ve been hard at work deciphering what the enigmatic Apple logo heatmap could mean. While that’ll remain a mystery until today’s Apple event keynote unfolds, we have seen a lot of the expected product lineup through leaked photos and rumors from industry analysts.
In addition to the base model, you can expect an iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max and a slim version, nicknamed the iPhone 17 Air, to be revealed during the event. We’re also likely to see an Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and maybe an Apple Watch SE, which was last updated in 2022. The AirPods Pro 3 might also make their debut.
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iOS 26 and its minimalistic Liquid Glass feature tie the whole lineup together. The latter was showcased at WWDC 2025 and should be released shortly after the event.
Here are the biggest rumors and leaks about Apple’s new hardware. Whether you plan to watch the stream or just check in with the big announcements, CNET experts are bringing the latest live Apple event coverage to you during the Apple event keynote.
Here’s what the iPhone 17 could look like, in an array of different colors.
What is the ‘awe dropping’ Apple event on Sept. 9?
The iPhone Plus might be replaced with a sleeker iPhone 17 Air in this year’s product lineup. Here’s a rendering of what that might look like.
iPhone 17 Air
The iPhone 17 Air could replace the Plus model in the lineup. Its key feature could be an ultra-thin design, like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. It will be interesting to see if the slim design comes with a sacrifice to battery life, like with the S25 Edge. A Bloomberg report states that the Air could be as thin as 5.5mm. Pu notes that the Air will likely have a 6.6-inch display, with a resolution of 1,260×2,740 pixels.
There is a mix of rumors about the Air’s chip, with trusted sources such as Bloomberg reporting that it will have the standard A19 chip. More recently, MacRumors reported on a leaker’s assertion that the phone will contain the A19 Pro chip, but there’s no substantial evidence pointing toward either claim.
According to MacRumors, the Air has a 2,800-mAh battery — though it might be the first Apple phone to use a high-density silicon battery, which could increase actual battery capacity by between 15% to 20%. Note that the Adaptive Power feature shipping with iOS 26 might help with the battery life.
Judging by the numerous leaked photos and renders, it’s also extremely likely that the Air will have only one wide-angle rear camera, like the iPhone 16E. The front camera may also be moved to the left of the Dynamic Island cutout (that camera sensor bar at the top of the phone’s display) to maintain its form.
While the iPhone 17 is expected to stay at the baseline 8GB of memory, the Air could have 12GB of RAM, which is the same memory that the Pro and Pro Max phones are rumored to include.
It’s time for an upgrade to the Apple Watch and its premium edition. The budget smart watch might also get a new iteration this year.
Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and SE
The Apple Watch Series 11 could get key improvements to its core features, battery life and performance.
We might not see a drastic change in design from the Apple Watch Series 10, but MacRumors reports that the Series 11 could get a more energy-efficient screen with higher resolution and better brightness settings (which could improve battery life). Keeping with the trend of upgrading the processor in each new Apple Watch, we should see an S11 chip present in the Series 11.
Gurman reported in March that Apple has been testing blood pressure tracking for future Apple Watch models, but it’s unclear how far along in development that feature is and whether it’s ready for release with the Series 11.
What is extremely likely to debut at this event, on the other hand, is the Apple Watch Ultra 3, since MacRumors found imagery for the smartwatch buried within the iOS 26 beta. The photos show an Ultra watch with a slightly larger display, clocking in at a 422×514-pixel resolution. The Ultra 3 would likely share an S11 chip with the Series 11. While the Ultra 2 already boasts the longest battery life of any Apple Watch, an S11 chip could see even greater returns on a single charge for the Ultra 3 — it could last three or four days in low-power mode.
The most unique feature that could come to the premium new Apple Watch is satellite connectivity. According to Gurman, Apple has been exploring adding this feature to the next Ultra model — if implemented, it would enable emergency messaging and location sharing in areas without cell service. Google’s new Pixel Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to support satellite connectivity.
There are some hints that we might see a new SE model. For starters, there hasn’t been an SE since 2022, which means Apple could be primed for a release this year. A report from Gurman also stated that a next-gen SE could be in the works. According to Gurman, the next SE design could largely focus on an improved exterior, but it’s also likely that the budget watch could get an upgrade to Apple’s S9 chip.
The WatchOS 26 AI-powered Workout Buddy feature will also be standard for any new Apple Watch introduced at this event, though it will need to be paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
If you’re tired of light and dark mode, the new “all clear” Liquid Glass mode in iOS 26 might be just what you’re looking for.
Announcement, beta and iOS 26 launch
A new generation of Apple hardware calls for new software as well, and iOS 26 is changing far more than the operating system’s naming convention. The iOS 18 successor — which was announced at WWDC — is on its fifth public beta, which fixes a number of bugs from the previous update and brings the software more in line with the most recent developer beta version.
We know what many of the main features of iOS 26 will look like before its full release. The design is largely minimalist, with a heavy emphasis on Liquid Glass, which presents a colorless “all clear” alternative to the light and dark mode interfaces. This unobtrusive design will make dynamic changes to the lock screen, where the time and date will change to fit your photo, and Safari, where unused tabs will gravitate toward the top of the screen.
The Camera, Photos and FaceTime apps are also going back to basics with simplified designs, while the Messages app is getting more colorful. The biggest features for iOS 26 are call screening for unknown numbers, live translation for calls and texts, a dedicated Games app and lyrics translations on the Music app.
For an in-depth breakdown of all of the iOS upgrades Apple has revealed (as well as the updates the company didn’t mention), check out the roundup from CNET’s Jeff Carlson here.
We’ll continue to update this piece as more details for the “awe dropping” Apple event are confirmed. Check back for more information about release dates and upcoming Apple hardware as it becomes available.
