Apple Reveals Extremely-Skinny iPhone Air Alongside Smarter Wearables – Decrypt

Apple’s new iPhone Air, its slimmest smartphone but, led a slate of product bulletins Tuesday, as the corporate targeted on design, efficiency, and considerably restrained emphasis on synthetic intelligence throughout its units.

As an alternative of spotlighting a serious AI overhaul, humanoid robots, or a Siri reboot, the corporate leaned on thinner and extra environment friendly telephones—together with enhanced iPhone 17 fashions alongside the Air—higher-performance chips, and incremental steps towards embedding AI and machine studying into its well being, health, picture, and video purposes.

One instance: The brand new AirPods Professional 3 will supply a function known as Stay Translation, enabling the earbuds to translate speech in actual time via Apple Intelligence. Additionally they embrace upgraded ANC, heart-rate monitoring, and prolonged battery life.

Apple additionally highlighted the expanded use of recycled titanium and aluminum after the corporate stated in August it will convey iOS gadget glass manufacturing again to the USA. Here’s what was introduced on Tuesday.

iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

The iPhone 17 launched a number of upgrades, together with a 6.3-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show with slimmer borders, 3,000 nits of peak brightness, and a second-generation Ceramic Protect that Apple claims triples scratch resistance. A 48-megapixel Twin Fusion digicam system now features a new square-sensor entrance digicam, providing wider fields of view and AI-assisted group framing.

Powering the gadget is Apple’s A19 chip, a six-core CPU paired with built-in Neural Accelerators. Apple stated it allows on-device generative AI duties and doubles graphics efficiency in contrast with the iPhone 13. Battery life stretches to 30 hours of video playback, with quick charging by way of a 40W adapter.

The iPhone 17 begins at $799 with 256GB of storage and is available in black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white. Preorders open Sept. 12, with availability starting Sept. 19.

Extra notably, Apple launched the iPhone Air—a 5.6-millimeter gadget that repositions inside elements to maximise battery life in what it calls its lightest, most sturdy body but. The Air incorporates a 6.5-inch show with ProMotion assist as much as 120Hz and makes use of the identical Ceramic Protect on each back and front.

The cellphone runs on the A19 Professional chip and provides a brand new C1X modem that Apple says is twice as quick whereas drawing 30% much less energy. Connectivity contains Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, and quicker 5G. The digicam array features a 48-megapixel major sensor with what Apple says is optical-quality 2x telephoto and Focus Management for portraits.

A magnetic battery pack accent can lengthen use by as much as 40 hours. The iPhone Air begins at $999.

iPhone Professional fashions

The iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max spherical out the lineup, constructed with aerospace-grade aluminum, a vapor chamber cooling system, and the brand new A19 Professional chip. Each fashions function Tremendous Retina shows—6.3 inches for the Professional, 6.9 inches for the Max—and keep the three,000-nit brightness normal.

The Professional cameras go absolutely triple-lens: 48-megapixel major, extremely huge, and a telephoto with a tetraprism lens able to 4x optical zoom at 100mm and 8x digital zoom at 200mm. Professional-level video instruments embrace ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock syncing.

Apple claims the Professional Max delivers the longest battery lifetime of any iPhone, with as much as 39 hours of video playback. Each fashions assist eSIM in choose markets. The iPhone 17 Professional begins at $1,099; the Professional Max at $1,199, with capacities as much as 2TB.

Apple’s new Middle Stage entrance digicam, out there throughout the iPhone 17 Professional, Professional Max, and iPhone Air, introduces the primary sq. sensor on an iPhone and brings a number of AI-driven enhancements to each images and video.

The upgraded 18-megapixel digicam presents a wider discipline of view and permits customers to seize pictures and movies in portrait or panorama—even whereas holding the cellphone vertically. The system makes use of AI to detect topics and routinely regulate framing throughout group selfies, increasing the sector of view and rotating orientation to incorporate everybody within the shot.

Video instruments now embrace ultra-stabilized 4K HDR recording and a brand new Twin Seize mode that data from the entrance and rear cameras concurrently—geared toward creators filming response or commentary content material whereas capturing motion within the background.

Throughout FaceTime and third-party video calls, Middle Stage makes use of topic monitoring to maintain customers centered and in body, adapting as they transfer or shift positions.

Last Minimize Digital camera 2.0

Apple additionally introduced Last Minimize Digital camera 2.0, a serious replace to its professional video app that brings ProRes RAW and genlock assist to the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max.

ProRes RAW lets customers seize uncooked sensor knowledge for versatile post-production modifying, whereas genlock allows frame-accurate sync throughout a number of units for skilled multi-cam setups. The replace additionally provides open gate recording, Apple Log 2 for expanded dynamic vary, and 200mm telephoto seize at as much as 4K60 fps.

Last Minimize Digital camera 2.0 integrates with the brand new Middle Stage entrance digicam, providing guide management over orientation and framing for creators recording with the entrance lens. The app additionally helps timecode modes and pairing with Last Minimize Professional for iPad by way of Stay Multicam.

AirPods Professional 3 and Apple Watch

Apple additionally upgraded its line of wearables. The AirPods Professional 3, priced at $249, introduce real-time translation powered by Apple Intelligence. Spoken outcomes play via the earbuds, with contextual textual content showing on paired iPhones.

The earbuds now embrace a customized heart-rate sensor, assist for 50 exercise sorts, and a brand new “Exercise Buddy” function that provides voice teaching throughout train. Battery life hits eight hours, or 10 in hearing-aid mode. Foam-infused suggestions are available in 5 sizes, together with an XXS match.

On the wrist, the Apple Watch Sequence 11 provides a brand new ceramic coating, liquid glass face, and a round 5G antenna for improved effectivity. Battery life reaches 24 hours. Well being options embrace AI-powered hypertension detection, with FDA clearance pending, and new sleep monitoring with high quality scoring.

The Apple Watch SE 3 will get an always-on show, the S10 chip, and quicker 5G, with sleep monitoring, ovulation historical past, and apnea notifications.

On the high finish, the Apple Watch Extremely 3 provides a bigger, wide-angle OLED show, 42 hours of battery life (72 hours in low energy mode), and two-way satellite tv for pc messaging for emergency communication. It’s positioned for endurance athletes, with enhanced GPS, biking metrics, stroke detection for swimmers, and offline climbing maps. Pricing begins at $799.

Apple Intelligence

Apple continued its measured rollout of synthetic intelligence with iOS 26, introducing new options below the “Apple Intelligence” label that depend on on-device processing and privacy-first design.

Stay Translation, one of many flagship additions, allows real-time textual content and audio translation throughout Messages, FaceTime, and Cellphone—with outcomes delivered each audibly and on-screen. Apple stated the function works fully on-device and doesn’t require an web connection.

New visible intelligence instruments permit customers to take screenshots and instantly search or act on what’s proven—similar to figuring out landmarks, extracting textual content, or navigating to settings. These updates construct on Apple’s method of integrating machine studying into present workflows reasonably than overhauling the interface.

The corporate additionally launched screening instruments for cellphone calls and messages designed to filter out spam and undesirable interruptions, utilizing AI to prioritize related contacts.

Below the hood, iOS 26 options Apple’s personal basis mannequin—working regionally on-device—which is now accessible to third-party builders. Apple stated apps can leverage these capabilities to ship customized, non-public AI capabilities, even when offline.

Regardless of the brand new instruments, Apple Intelligence stops wanting providing a conversational assistant or chatbot. As an alternative, the corporate framed the options as utility-focused enhancements, embedded inside apps and designed to keep away from dependence on the cloud.