Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/ Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Lineup, Including Ultra-Thin iPhone Air Adam Engst At its September 2025 'Awe Dropping' event, Apple announced its latest iPhone lineup, starting with a notably improved iPhone 17 and including a much-rumored new model: the ultra-thin iPhone Air. The company also unveiled redesigned iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models featuring a new 48-megapixel Telephoto camera and aluminum unibody construction for improved thermal performance. All three models now start with 256 GB of storage. The [1]iPhone 16e ($599), [2]iPhone 16 ($699), and [3]iPhone 16 Plus ($799) continue to provide lower-cost options for those for whom the $799, $999, or $1099 starting prices of the iPhone 17 models are too high. You can pre-order all the new iPhone 17 models at 5 AM Pacific on Friday, 12 September 2025, and they'll be available a week later on 19 September 2025. iPhone 17 The standard [4]iPhone 17 builds on last year's model with worthwhile improvements to its display, camera system, processing capabilities, and durability: * Larger 6.3-inch display: Apple increased the screen size slightly and thinned the bezels, while adding ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz and always-on functionality. The display can scale its refresh rate down to 1 Hz to preserve battery life, and at 3000 nits, it's the brightest iPhone display yet. * 48-megapixel Dual Fusion camera system: The iPhone 17 now features a dual 48-megapixel Fusion system, anchored by a main camera that enables a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto. A new 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera quadruples the resolution over the iPhone 16's ultra-wide camera, offering more detail in landscapes and macro shots. * Center Stage front camera: Powered by a new square sensor that offers a wider field of view, the iPhone 17's new selfie camera can automatically reframe shots to keep multiple people in view without rotating the phone. The 18-megapixel sensor also promises higher-resolution photos and stabilized video. * A19 chip: Apple's latest processor boosts CPU and GPU performance, increases memory bandwidth, and accelerates Apple Intelligence tasks. While I never want to mock performance advances, I can't remember the last time any iPhone has felt slow. Then again, I don't play games, which are presumably the main apps that stress the processor. * Higher scratch resistance: Apple claims that its new Ceramic Shield 2 coating delivers three times better scratch resistance. Although I presume Apple has data to back up that claim, it feels irrelevant'you'll only know if some incident causes a scratch, not what might have happened but didn't. The iPhone 17 comes in five colors (black, white, mist blue, sage, and lavender), starting at $799 for 256 GB of storage. iPhone Air Although heavily rumored ahead of the event, the [5]iPhone Air still wowed audiences as Apple's thinnest iPhone ever at just 5.6 mm. At 165 grams, it's relatively light, though not as light as many previous smaller iPhones. Although those specs imply improved portability, the iPhone Air's 6.5-inch display makes it taller and wider than both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. Its notable features include: * Ultra-thin titanium design: To deliver a thin, lightweight device designed to be highly durable, Apple gave it a titanium frame and used Ceramic Shield 2 on both sides. We'll see how it holds up in practice'it will be a bad look for Apple if it turns out to flex under pocket pressure. * Redesigned internal architecture: Apple introduced a new 'plateau' design'a reimagined, wider camera bump that houses many of the iPhone Air's core components while maintaining a more balanced feel than traditional camera bumps. This architectural change allowed Apple to maximize battery space in the body and claim 'all-day' battery life, though its video playback time still falls 3 hours short of the standard iPhone 17's 30-hour rating. (As always, Apple's battery life estimates are worthwhile only for comparative purposes.) * 48-megapixel Fusion camera: The iPhone Air's single 48-megapixel Fusion camera is a notable compromise compared to the dual and triple Fusion camera systems in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. You'll lose the capabilities provided by the Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras. * New N1 and C1X communication chips: A new N1 wireless networking chip delivers Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread networking support, while the updated C1X cellular modem promises twice the speed and 30% better power efficiency compared to the C1 chip Apple introduced in the iPhone 16e. Apple used the N1 in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro too, but reserved the C1X for the iPhone Air. The iPhone Air comes in four finishes (space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue), starting at $999 for 256 GB. Apple also introduced a slim MagSafe battery pack that extends the video playback spec to 40 hours, along with a clear case and a bumper case, plus a new cross-body strap that works with the cases. iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max As usual, the [6]iPhone 17 Pro models are where Apple flexes its camera technology, making them the choice for serious photographers and videographers. Changes aimed at that audience include: * Aluminum unibody: Moving away from last year's titanium, the new aluminum unibody design provides better thermal conductivity while increasing the weight by only 7 grams. Apple even added a vapor chamber to improve heat dissipation, so if you break an iPhone 17 Pro open'which is probably extremely difficult'it would be wet inside. * A19 Pro chip: The iPhone 17 Pro features the new A19 Pro chip, which incorporates neural accelerators into each GPU core and leverages the improved thermal design for consistent high performance. You may notice if you're doing serious video work. * Triple 48-megapixel camera system: All three rear cameras'housed in the 'plateau''now feature 48-megapixel sensors. The new 48-megapixel Telephoto camera uses a tetraprism design to provide both 4x optical-quality zoom with 48-megapixel shots and 8x optical-quality zoom with 12-megapixel images. * Pro video features: ProRes RAW capture and Genlock synchronization support make the iPhone 17 Pro more suitable for professional filmmakers. The iPhone Pro models come in three anodized aluminum colors: silver, deep blue, and a cosmic orange that's the boldest iPhone Pro color ever. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1099 for 256 GB, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1199, and both are now available with a 2 TB storage option. Upgrade Decisions In the last two years, I have felt as though the base'level iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 were the most compelling upgrades for most people. That remains true again this year. The $799 iPhone 17 is the easy choice for most people looking to upgrade, with a larger, better screen, increased durability, improved front and rear cameras, more base-level storage, and faster charging. The $999 iPhone Air occupies an awkward slot in the lineup. On the one hand, it's thin and light, but on the other, it's also taller and wider than its siblings, and has the weakest camera system. It's hard to recommend paying $200 more for a phone that's less capable than the iPhone 17, and easy to justify $100 more for an iPhone 17 Pro. Unfortunately, it seems as though the iPhone Air is primarily aimed at those for whom form trumps function. I'd rather see Apple refocus its efforts on a smaller iPhone rather than making one that's even larger yet. The iPhone 17 Pro continues to be aimed at professional photographers and videographers. The shift to aluminum frames and focus on thermal performance makes sense given that my iPhone 16 Pro could get pretty hot, and I seldom do anything that would tax its performance. I'm sure creative professionals push it much harder. Given the level to which the iPhone 17 continues to catch up with the iPhone 17 Pro, it's hard to recommend the Pro models to anyone who doesn't know exactly how they'll take advantage of their advanced specs. All that said, I also think that there's little need for most people to upgrade from an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16'the changes, while welcome, aren't that significant. Once you get back to the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, however, the camera and performance improvements, not to mention the longer runtime from a new battery, become more compelling. Personally, since I'm much more interested in macro photography than higher zoom levels, I may drop down from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 and save $300. I think its new 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera will provide the same level of macro capabilities that I'm used to in the iPhone 16 Pro (see '[7]Understanding the iPhone 16 Pro's 48-Megapixel Macro Photography'¦ and Reverting to 12-Megapixel Shots,' 4 October 2024), and the iPhone 17 Pro's new 48-megapixel Telephoto camera won't help at all in that category. It's just too bad that the iPhone 17 colors are so weak. Where do you come down on the upgrade decision? References Visible links 1. https://www.apple.com/iphone-16e/ 2. https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-16 3. https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-16 4. https://www.apple.com/iphone-17/ 5. https://www.apple.com/iphone-air/ 6. https://www.apple.com/iphone-17-pro/ 7. https://tidbits.com/2024/10/04/understanding-the-iphone-16-pros-48-megapixel-macro-photography-and-reverting-to-12-megapixel-shots/ Hidden links: 8. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/ScreenFloat-Shot-of-Arc-on-2025-09-09-at-14-51-01-scaled.jpg 9. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/iPhne-17-Ultrawide-Camera-scaled.jpg 10. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-spec-card-scaled.jpg 11. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Air-specs-scaled.jpg 12. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Pro-camera-scaled.jpg 13. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Pro-specs-scaled.jpg .