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Ah, September. The kiddos head back to school, the geese head south for the winter, and we all head to Cupertino to see the new iPhones.
Apple’s latest product launch event is happening on September 9. The livestreamed announcement starts on Tuesday at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, and 6 pm British Summer Time. You can watch the livestream right here on this page, on Apple's website, or on Apple's YouTube channel. If you're already deep in the Appleverse, you can also watch in the Apple TV app on any screen where it runs.
For weeks, little nuggets of information about Apple's forthcoming device lineup have been regularly extracted from the various online rumor mines. Based on those whispers and Apple’s typical release schedule (which rarely varies) we can expect an event filled with announcements. We’ll likely see a full line of iPhones 17, including the base model, the Pro models, and a brand-new ultra-thin version called the iPhone Air. We are also expecting new Apple Watches and new AirPods. All of these devices will surely have some sort of AI-enabled capabilities. There might even be some Apple TV news.
Just know that Apple always stays tight-lipped in the lead-up to its launch events, so the information we’re providing here is speculative. Also, the company likes to drop a surprise or two during its presentation, so keep an eye out for WIRED's roundup of everything Apple announces once the event ends.
In the meantime, here's what to look out for.
Air Born
The biggest news of the event might just be about one of the lightest gadgets in the lineup. We’re expecting a new addition to the iPhone lineup called the iPhone 17 Air.
This phone is expected to be noticeably thinner and lighter than other iPhones. The Air is rumored to have a 6.6-inch OLED screen and come in at a svelte 5.5 mm thick. (That’s 2.3 mm thinner than the iPhone 16.)
Given the phone's slim size, the Air might come with some design tweaks and sacrifices to its internal powers to keep its lithe form. Rumors have indicated that the USB-C port won't be centered along the bottom of the phone.
Notably, rumor sites have posted that the Air will have a single 24-megapixel camera on the back, set off to one side of a Google Pixel-esque oval bulge along the back of the phone.
17 Again
As for the rest of the iPhones 17, Apple has teased lots of the new features coming to its new devices. The 17 lineup will be the first iPhones to natively make use of iOS 26’s Liquid Glass visual design, which the company announced at its WWDC event in June. While the visual aesthetic—turning icons and apps into rounded, smooth, translucent bubbles—is undeniably gorgeous, it is also probably going to be hard to read for people with vision issues.
The iPhone 17 Pro could have a slightly more stark redesign, with a more rectangular camera box that houses a new 48-megapixel camera among its collection of lenses. Some rumors indicate that Apple might swap the materials of its Pro models from titanium to a combination of aluminum and glass. Internally, the specs are likely to get a lift from Apple’s new iteration of its chipsets, possibly including an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 modem.
Watch Out
We’ll see announcements about the Apple Watch. Most likely are two new models: the Apple Watch 11 and a more expensive and capable Watch Ultra 3 version. Both are rumored to get improved battery life, as well as new features like a blood pressure monitor that can send alerts when it detects hypertension.
As it really likes to do, Apple will probably continue to focus its Watch marketing around how the thing will literally save your life. We’re also looking forward to seeing if Apple adds any more AI-powered features or satellite communications capabilities to its wearables.
And Then Some
Apple probably has a few more gadgets to throw out there. There is a possibility of a new 4k Apple TV and, perhaps, the AirPods Pro 3. This update to Apple's ubiquitous white earbuds will likely improve their battery life. There could also be some new capabilities introduced for assistive listening or language translation.
You can be certain that many of the features Apple touts at Tuesday’s event will incorporate machine intelligence. Like all tech companies, Apple is locked into AI grind, even if its attempts to really utilize its own Apple Intelligence platform have been slow to manifest.
