Apple releases A19 chip with iPhone 17, the thinnest iPhone ever starts at $999, Pro price increase for the first time in eight years

On September 9th, Eastern Time, and at 1 AM Beijing Time on the 10th, Apple's most significant new product launch event of the year, themed "Awe Dropping," kicked off this fall.

Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized in his brief opening speech that design is "the core of everything we do," stating, "Design has always been the cornerstone of our company and our business. Design is not just about how things look or feel; it’s about how products work."

The new iPhone released on Tuesday also reflects Apple's most significant design innovation in eight years—the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever. As previously reported by the media, the iPhone Air has a thickness of only 5.6 millimeters. To meet the advanced performance under such a lightweight body, Apple has created a super energy-efficient iPhone, equipping the Air model with the company's most advanced A19 Pro chip, the latest self-developed N1 Bluetooth and WiFi chips, and the C1X modem.

The base model of the iPhone 17 series comes standard with the A19 chip, and the display refresh rate adjustment feature, previously exclusive to Pro models, is now included in the standard version. The high-end Pro version is equipped with Apple's most advanced camera system and features professional video recording capabilities.

In terms of pricing, Apple has increased prices for high-end and mid-range models compared to the previous generation 16. The starting price of the high-end Pro version is $100 higher than the previous Pro model, marking the first price increase for Pro models since 2017. The iPhone 17 does not have a mid-range Plus version; instead, the starting price of the Air is $100 higher than the 16 Plus. The starting prices for the standard iPhone 17 and Pro Max remain the same as the previous generation.

According to Apple's official website in China, the starting price for the iPhone 17 in the Chinese market is 5,999 yuan, the iPhone 17 Air starts at 7,999 yuan, and the iPhone 17 Pro is priced at 8,999 yuan.

Apple also launched the new generation of high-end wireless earbuds, AirPods Pro 3, which may monitor heart rate, and Apple AI supports real-time translation. Additionally, Apple updated its entire line of smartwatches, releasing the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3. The Series 11 can monitor data to identify whether users have high blood pressure and provide sleep scores, while both Ultra 3 and Series 11 support 5G networks.

Apple also announced that the latest version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 26, will be launched next Monday. For most users, the biggest change in iOS 26 is the visual design overhaul. Apple has replaced the "liquid glass" appearance of iOS 16 with new animations and transparent designs, replacing the static opaque buttons and menus throughout the system, aiming to make user interactions with the software as smooth as flowing water.

The standard version of iPhone 17 starts at $799, equipped with the largest front camera sensor.

Then, the highlight of this launch event, the iPhone, made its appearance. Cook stated that this iPhone series is "completely new," including four new models The entry-level model of the iPhone 17, the so-called standard version, starts at $799 and is available in five colors: lavender purple, misty blue, black, white, and sage green.

In terms of external configuration, Apple claims that the display of the iPhone 17 entry-level model features a "second-generation super ceramic panel," with scratch resistance three times that of the first generation. It also adopts a brand new seven-layer anti-reflective coating, improving readability in bright light. The outdoor peak brightness of the entry-level model reaches 3000 nits, which is a significant enhancement for outdoor use.

Previously, the Pro models of the iPhone had ProMotion functionality. This feature represents adaptive refresh rate technology that allows the display's refresh rate to reach up to 120 Hz and can also automatically lower the refresh rate, making the entire interface smoother.

This Tuesday, Apple announced that the entry-level model of the iPhone 17 will also have the ProMotion feature of the Pro models. Additionally, the entry-level model has a 6.3-inch screen, slightly larger than the previous generation, with relatively smaller bezels. This means the screen size will increase, but the overall size of the phone remains the same as the previous generation 16.

One highlight of the iPhone 17 is the camera upgrade. It is equipped with a 48-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, with a resolution four times that of the previous generation 16. Apple has equipped the iPhone 17 with a brand new "Center Stage front camera," offering better framing and a wider field of view. This is the largest front camera sensor in iPhone history.

Apple stated that this is a square sensor capable of capturing higher resolution photos and videos. Commentators believe this is a significant upgrade for selfie enthusiasts.

iPhone Air thickness of 5.6mm equipped with three new self-developed Apple chips with "all-day battery life"

Apple has launched a new lightweight iPhone called the iPhone Air. This is Apple's first iPhone with significant design changes since the iPhone X was introduced in 2017.

The iPhone Air features what Apple calls a "space-grade" titanium frame, available in four colors: black, white, gold, and sky blue.

Apple states that this phone has a thickness of 5.6 mm, thinner than the 5.8 mm Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

An Apple spokesperson said, "Our goal is to create an iPhone that feels futuristic, powerful, yet as thin as paper, as if it is within reach."

The iPhone Air features a 6.5-inch screen, slightly larger than the standard iPhone 17, and like the latter, it has ProMotion functionality, with a new super ceramic panel on both the front and back.

The bending resistance of the iPhone Air "exceeds" standard levels, with the compressive strength of its new back glass increased fourfold. In addition to the camera, the new camera area accommodates more components, such as chips and other sensors.

Previously, media reports raised concerns about the battery life of this ultra-thin phone.

This Tuesday, Apple stated, "Although lighter and thinner, the iPhone Air still boasts an amazing all-day battery life."

The internal design of the Air maximizes battery space, while the new iOS 26 operating system will feature new power-saving functions that can learn user patterns and predict when battery levels may run low.

Apple has developed a new Bluetooth and WiFi chip, the N1, for WiFi and Bluetooth. In addition to the N1 chip, the iPhone Air will also be equipped with the new C1X modem, which is twice as fast as the C1 modem used in the iPhone 16e.

"The design of the iPhone Air can only be achieved with Apple chips. The high-performance A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips make it the most energy-efficient iPhone to date."

The iPhone Air is equipped with a new 18-megapixel front-facing Center Stage camera. Additionally, it has added video recording capabilities, allowing simultaneous video recording from both the front and back. To save internal space, the iPhone Air uses a design dedicated to eSIM cards.

Apple announced that starting from this Friday, September 12, it will accept pre-orders for the iPhone Air from customers in over 63 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and India, with sales starting next Friday, September 19. Sales will begin in an additional 22 countries and regions starting September 26.

The iPhone 17 is the first generation model equipped with the A19 chip; both the Air and 17 Pro use the A19 Pro chip

Apple has brought a comprehensive upgrade to the "brain" of the iPhone 17. Apple released the new A19 chip, built on a 3-nanometer (nm) process, featuring a 6-core CPU (including 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), as well as a 5-core GPU, which improves GPU performance by 20% compared to the A18 chip.

Apple claims that the A19 allows devices to run large language models (LLM) faster. Users transitioning from older iPhones to the new model will experience a significant speed boost.

The iPhone 17 becomes the first generation model equipped with the A19 chip, thus offering faster speeds, higher efficiency, and includes a new display engine and a more powerful AI neural engine Apple stated that the Visual Intelligence feature in iOS 26 allows users to ask questions about content on the iPhone screen, such as helping users identify furniture they want to purchase from online images.

Apple introduced that the iPhone Air and the "most powerful iPhone to date"—the iPhone 17 Pro and its Max version—are equipped with the more advanced A19 Pro chip. It is Apple's most powerful iPhone chip to date.

When used in conjunction with Apple's self-designed heat spreader, the A19 Pro enables the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max to achieve up to a 40% improvement in sustained performance compared to the previous generation, making it ideal for gaming, video editing, and running large local language models.

iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, Max starts at $1,199

The high-end versions of the iPhone 17, Pro and Pro Max, start at $1,099 and $1,199, respectively, available in deep blue, bright orange, and silver. Pre-orders begin on Friday, September 12, and sales start on Friday, September 19.

Cook stated that the iPhone 17 Pro is a phone that Apple has rebuilt from "the ground up." Apple's Vice President of Design, Molly Anderson, mentioned that the Pro models of the 17 series have returned to aluminum materials.

Unlike the previous two generations of Pro that used titanium, the iPhone 17 Pro uses aluminum as its shell material, while the Air uses titanium. Commentators believe this shows that Apple has made trade-offs in terms of heat dissipation and weight.

Apple introduced that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max feature a self-designed heat spreader, laser-welded to a sturdy, lightweight, and highly thermally conductive unibody aluminum chassis, which not only provides the best performance of any iPhone to date but also significantly improves battery life.

Apple claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are equipped with the company's "best camera system ever." Its front-facing Center Stage camera has 18 million pixels, while the rear triple-camera system has 48 million pixels each, with 4x zoom (100 mm) and 8x telephoto zoom (200 mm), a four-prism telephoto, and an improved stabilization system.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, stated that the iPhone 17 Pro model has undergone significant upgrades in video recording. He revealed that the entire presentation on Tuesday was filmed using the 17 Pro.

The video features of the iPhone 17 Pro include ProRes RAW recording and video sync Genlock support. Commentators noted that this move is clearly aimed at positioning the phone as a professional video recording device

AirPods Pro 3 Can Monitor Heart Rate, Apple AI System Supports Real-Time Translation

The new wireless earbuds AirPods Pro were first unveiled. The price of AirPods Pro 3 is $249, the same as the previous generation AirPods Pro 2, available for pre-order starting this Tuesday, with shipping beginning on September 19.

One of the highlights of AirPods Pro 3 is the real-time translation feature supported by Apple's personal AI system, Apple Intelligence. This means that when someone speaks in a language other than the user's native language, the user can hear the conversation in their native language through the AirPods.

The appearance of AirPods Pro 3 is the same as the previous generation AirPods Pro 2, featuring a brand new acoustic multi-port acoustic architecture that can "change the bass response," enhancing vocals in music, shows, and calls.

Apple has equipped AirPods Pro 3 with "foam-injected" ear tips designed to improve active noise cancellation (ANC), which is twice as effective as the previous generation and four times that of the first generation AirPods Pro 1.

Another highlight of AirPods Pro 3 is the heart rate monitoring feature, equipped with a heart rate monitor. Apple states that the earbuds include a new edge AI model for activity and calorie tracking. AirPods Pro 3 can be used as a fitness device in conjunction with the Fitness app on the iPhone.

Apple claims that the fit and sweat and water resistance of AirPods Pro 3 have been improved. The battery life has been extended from 6 hours to 8 hours, and a new hearing assistance mode provides an additional 10 hours of usage, increasing battery life by 4 hours.

Apple Watch 11 Can Identify Whether Users Have High Blood Pressure

Next up is the high, medium, and low-end Apple smartwatches, Apple Watch, all available for pre-order starting Tuesday, with shipping beginning on September 19.

Apple positions the Apple Watch as a health assistant, stating that Apple Watch 11 is the company's "thinnest and most comfortable watch," starting at $399.

In terms of medical advancements, the biggest improvement in the Apple Watch 11 series is its ability to monitor high blood pressure patients. It will not display accurate blood pressure readings but will determine within 30 days whether the user has high blood pressure Apple stated that its algorithm utilizes data from optical heart rate sensors to identify whether users suffer from chronic hypertension by analyzing vascular response data over a 30-day period in the background. This technology is based on a series of medical studies involving 100,000 participants.

Apple warned that the algorithm cannot detect all cases of hypertension. It is expected that this feature will be launched in 150 countries/regions this month and will "soon" receive approval from the U.S. regulatory agency FDA.

Apple also anticipates that in the first year of the Apple Watch Series 11 launch, the device will be able to notify at least 1 million undiagnosed hypertension users.

The Apple Watch 11 features sleep tracking capabilities, providing sleep scores and guiding users on how to improve their sleep. Apple utilized data from 5 million nights of sleep to develop this feature.

Apple stated that the scratch resistance of the Apple Watch 11 has doubled, making it more durable, and the battery life has increased from 18 hours to 24 hours. Another highlight of the Series 11 is the 5G modem, which means it supports 5G connectivity.

Apple introduced several new watch faces, including a standard clock and a new watch face made from liquid glass, as well as a range of new bands designed by Nike and Apple, along with bands and watch faces from the Hermès brand.

Apple also launched the next generation of Apple Watch SE. The Apple Watch SE 3 is priced at $249 and is equipped with the S10 chip, an always-on display, and new hover gestures, such as swiping the wrist to dismiss notifications.

Compared to its predecessor, the Apple Watch SE 3 offers some new health features, such as wrist temperature monitoring and sleep apnea notifications. The Apple Watch SE 3 also features a speaker for the first time, which can be used to play media. The SE has an 18-hour battery life and, for the first time in the SE series, includes fast charging capabilities.

After a year, Apple upgraded its high-end smartwatch, releasing the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It starts at $799, the same as its predecessor. The new Apple Watch Ultra has a narrower bezel, a slightly larger screen, a higher refresh rate, and better brightness angles. Like the Series 11, it also supports 5G networks. One of its highlights is the ability to connect to satellite networks