On Tuesday, Apple, as standard for a September, unveiled its latest-generation tranche of iPhones, Apple Watches, wi-fi headphones, and the like, at its as-usual-prerecorded “Awe Inspiring” occasion (right here’s final yr’s occasion protection from yours actually, if a preparatory reminiscence refresh is important). Admittedly, there wasn’t something terribly shocking unveiled, in no small half as a result of a lot of it was predictable (final yr’s iPhone 16 sequence was outmoded by this yr’s 17 sequence, for instance…duh…) and a variety of it was additionally inevitable, “thanks” to the same old inner, companion (case suppliers and mobile carriers, for instance) and provide chain gamers’ in-advance leaks. By no means worry, nevertheless: I nonetheless discovered loads of fascinating (at the least to me) tidbits big-and-small that I’ll be sharing within the following sections.

The chips

I’ll begin with what the engineers on the market are most occupied with: the brand new telephones’ internals. A lot because the generational number-naming cadence for the brand new telephones (three of them, at the least: maintain that thought) was predictable, so too is the cadence for his or her SoCs: final yr’s A18 processors have been outmoded by A19s (once more…duh). And as standard, we don’t have a variety of particulars on them—clock speeds, cache dimension specifics, and many others.—though Geekbench benchmarks on the “Professional” variant are already printed. So, what do we all know? Right here’s the baseline A19, with a CPU cluster comprised of two efficiency and 4 effectivity cores, and a five-core GPU:

And right here’s what Apple says about it:

Constructed on third-generation 3-nanometer know-how, A19 delivers highly effective efficiency, effectivity, and an enormous enhance in velocity. An up to date show engine, ISP, and Apple Neural Engine energy options like Apple Intelligence and the latest-generation Photographic Types. The 6-core CPU is 1.5x quicker than the A15 Bionic chip in iPhone 13, and the 5-core GPU is greater than 2x quicker than A15 Bionic, unlocking gorgeous graphics and next-level cellular gaming. Neural Accelerators are additionally constructed into every GPU core to assist run highly effective generative AI fashions on system.

For comparability’s sake, the A18 was additionally a two-performance-core/four-efficiency-core CPU cluster structure, with GPU core counts from 4 to 6 relying on the goal system, albeit “binned” throughout check from the very same originating sliver of silicon, I ‘spect.

Now for the A19 Professional:

Similar two-performance-core/four-efficiency-core CPU cluster structure because the baseline A19. So, what’s the “diff”? Apple claims that the “Professional” efficiency cores have each enhanced department prediction and front-end bandwidth, and the brand new effectivity cores have extra “last-level” (possible translation: core-shared) cache: a 50% capability enhance, to be exact. Now for the GPU:

Two graphics cluster choices, at the least to this point: 5- and 6-core counts. Keep tuned for which cellphone(s) every goes into. And right here’s what Apple says in regards to the A19 Professional:

A19 Professional is Apple’s most succesful iPhone chip but. When paired with the Apple-designed vapor chamber, A19 Professional allows iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone 17 Professional Max to ship as much as 40 p.c higher sustained efficiency than the earlier technology — preferrred for gaming, video modifying, and working giant native language fashions. The 6-core CPU is the quickest CPU in any smartphone, and the 6-core GPU structure consists of Neural Accelerators constructed into every GPU core, a bigger cache, and extra reminiscence than A18 Professional. The GPU works in tandem with the brand new 16-core Neural Engine to energy Al fashions, gorgeous graphics, and AAA gaming titles like Arknights: Endfield, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and better body charges.

Following each Apple-authored paragraphs I’ve already shared is one other one, revealing one other IC, this yet another revolutionary versus evolutionary, though the idea’s already confirmed:

The iPhone 17 lineup additionally introduces N1, a brand new Apple-designed wi-fi networking chip that permits Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Along with powering the most recent technology of wi-fi applied sciences, N1 improves the general efficiency and reliability of options like Private Hotspot and AirDrop.

Apple has lengthy said its aspiration to “personal” as a lot of the silicon basis of its merchandise as potential—with the possible exclusion of DRAM and flash reminiscence, together with picture sensors—though long-term on that final one, who is aware of? Broadcom had traditionally been Apple’s predominant provider of wi-fi networking know-how, though Apple had already ventured out by itself with earbuds (Bluetooth) and sensible watches (each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi). That mentioned, and maybe clearly, the N1, whose growth was rumored again in December, is a notable development on this basis from each efficiency and performance standpoints, together with the welcome inclusion of Matter-related Thread assist.

And talking of wi-fi connectivity, what in regards to the mobile facet of the household? Apple’s iPhone 16e, launched earlier this yr, had first-time included the corporate’s in-house-developed mobile subsystem, the C1. Now there’s the C1X successor:

C1X, a brand new mobile modem designed by Apple…is as much as 2x quicker than C1, and for a similar mobile applied sciences, it’s even quicker than the modem in iPhone 16 Professional, whereas utilizing 30 p.c much less vitality total. This makes C1X essentially the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone.

That mentioned, the C1X is included in solely one of this September’s new telephones. Right here’s a touch: energy consumption is especially essential with this explicit thriller cellphone mannequin. And the draw back: consequently, it doesn’t assist mmWave 5G mobile knowledge companies. Keep tuned for the main points (assuming you haven’t already figured it out after visiting one of many earlier hyperlinks).

One different IC-related development, supported by the A19 SoC sequence (and presumably future A-, M-, and other-series chips as properly), bears point out. It’s Reminiscence Integrity Reinforcement, which Apple describes as follows inside a detailed Safety Engineering and Structure (SEAR) submit:

Reminiscence Integrity Enforcement (MIE) is the fruits of an unprecedented design and engineering effort, spanning half a decade, that mixes the distinctive strengths of Apple silicon {hardware} with our superior working system safety to supply industry-first, always-on reminiscence security safety throughout our units — with out compromising our best-in-class system efficiency. We consider Reminiscence Integrity Enforcement represents essentially the most vital improve to reminiscence security within the historical past of client working programs…

Reminiscence Integrity Enforcement is constructed on the sturdy basis supplied by our safe reminiscence allocators, coupled with Enhanced Reminiscence Tagging Extension (EMTE) in synchronous mode, and supported by in depth Tag Confidentiality Enforcement insurance policies. MIE is constructed proper into Apple {hardware} and software program in all fashions of iPhone 17 and iPhone Air and gives unparalleled, always-on reminiscence security safety for our key assault surfaces together with the kernel, whereas sustaining the facility and efficiency that customers anticipate.

With all due respect, SEAR might need gotten at the least a bit out over its skis; conceptually related schemes have already been applied by Microsoft (in Home windows 11) and Arm (supported, for instance, by Google starting with the Pixel 8 sequence). That mentioned, as The Verge notes:

Apple says its implementation goes a step additional, with the power to guard all customers by default and by designing its A19 and A19 Professional chips for enhanced safety, whereas nonetheless including reminiscence security modifications for older {hardware} that doesn’t assist the brand new reminiscence tagging options. The corporate additionally says its new mitigation for Spectre V1 leaks works with “just about zero CPU price” — as efficiency hits have been a problem for reminiscence integrity and different security measures — with the entire modifications making “mercenary spy ware” much more costly to develop.

Time will inform, I suppose.

The iPhone 17s

(iPhone 17)

(iPhone 17 Professional Collection)

Almost 1,500 phrases in, and I haven’t even gotten to the merchandise themselves but? Oh, hassle. Let’s velocity issues alongside for the rest of this piece by switching to bullets the place potential:

• There are three of them this time: the baseline iPhone 17, the high-end iPhone 17 Professional, and the Professional Max.
• The iPhone 17 runs the baseline A19 SoC, whereas each “Professional” fashions embed the six-GPU-core variant of the A19 Professional.
• iPhone 17 capacities begin at 256 GBytes, for a similar $799 price ticket that the 128 GByte iPhone 16 bought for a yr in the past. That very same 128 GByte iPhone 16, now promoting for $100 much less ($699), is the one capability variant of that specific 16^th-generation mannequin nonetheless provided by Apple for buy (together with each 128 GByte and 256 GByte variations of the iPhone 16 Plus, apparently, in addition to the extra just lately launched iPhone 16e, in fact). And naturally, the iPhone 15s have been expunged from the corporate’s product line.
• Flip to the Professional variants, and issues get much more fascinating. Once more, there’s no 128 GByte 17^th-generation possibility. However no iPhone 16 Execs (or Professional Maxes, for that matter) are being bought any longer, both, so $1,099 (in equity, matching what the 256 GByte iPhone 16 bought for a yr in the past) is now your lowest-priced 17 Professional entry level (therein explaining the “touched by tariffs” nuance on this submit’s title). And hey, when you’ve obtained $2,000+ sitting round begging to be burned, you possibly can as a substitute spend it on a 2 TByte iPhone 17 Professional Max…
• I discover this fairly fascinating; all three telephones are bought in each bodily SIM (solely in some international locations) and eSIM-only choices. What did Apple do with the inner area freed up by the elimination of the bodily SIM tray and different {hardware} bits? They as a substitute devoted it to higher-capacity batteries, at the least for Professional fashions; eSIM-only telephones spec longer between-charges working life.
• In at present’s instance of “insincere characteristic set restrictions to be able to encourage buy upgrades”, the USB-C port on the iPhone 17 solely runs at USB2-compatible 480 Mbps knowledge switch fee speeds. Must you want to shoot video on certainly one of them, you’ll shortly run out of inner storage after which understand that the tethered external-storage bandwidth isn’t as much as snuff, both…or you possibly can simply proactively purchase an iPhone Professional mannequin as a substitute. And earlier than you level to the A19-vs-A19 Professional differentiation as the foundation trigger…the different just-released iPhone (which I’ll focus on subsequent) is A19 Professional-based, however is USB2-only, too.
• Talking of video (and picture seize extra typically); each rear cameras on the iPhone 17 now have 48 Mpixel picture sensors (vs 12 Mpixels for the ultrawide within the iPhone 16). The identical goes for the three cameras on the Professional fashions (on the 16^th technology predecessors, the telephoto was 12 Mpixels). And all three fashions’ entrance cameras not solely bump up the decision from 12 Mpixels to 16 Mpixels but additionally assist Heart Stage AI-enabled algorithms that dynamically crop and interpolate to maintain topics centered within the body.
• The shows are actually protected by next-generation Ceramic Protect 2 coatings; the again panel on Professional fashions now has prior-generation Ceramic Protect safety, too. As for sizes and such, the iPhone 17 makes the largest jumps; from 6.1” diagonal to six.3” (together with generationally shrunken bezels), now additionally supporting dynamically switching (to optimize for at-the-moment software want vs battery life, which Apple manufacturers as ProMotion) refresh charges as much as 120 Hz (and all the way down to 1 Hz).
• The Professional units’ frames are actually as soon as once more aluminum-fabricated, basically (presumably) to simplify the fabrication course of and in any other case cut back price (of the uncooked materials, together with permitting for reuse of scrap) vs titanium. Tariffs strike once more…
• And whereas the baseline iPhone 17 RAM capability is generationally unchanged at 8 GBytes, the Professional variants bump it from 8 to 12 (reportedly) GBytes. AI strikes once more…
• Oddly, there’s no black (or near-black) shade possibility provided for both of the Professional fashions
• All three fashions proceed to depend on Qualcomm mobile subsystems, presumably (if for no different motive) to afford them with non-compulsory mmWave 5G assist.
• And final, however not least: does that new backside-spanning “digital camera bar” association for the iPhone 17 Professional fashions remind you at the least considerably of a Google Pixel, or what?

The iPhone Air

Apple sells “Air” laptops. And “Air” iPads. So, you needed to know an “Air”-monicker iPhone was going to reach in the end, proper? Proper.

A fast apart, as soon as once more with the big-picture theme of tariff-counteracting strikes to protect earnings. Eager-eyed readers might need observed that there’s no 6.7″ “Plus” iPhone model on this technology. Granted, the baseline iPhone 17 show is a smidge greater than it was earlier than, as already famous. However need one thing brand-new and even greater, and also you’ll want to leap all the best way as much as the $1,199-or-higher 6.9” iPhone 17 Professional Max…or make a lateral transfer as a substitute, to the $999-or-more 6.5” iPhone Air.

What do you get for paying $200 greater than a baseline iPhone 17 of the identical capability?

• The aforementioned barely bigger show
• The aforementioned extra highly effective CPU (though this model of the A19 Professional is simply “binned” for 5 lively GPU cores, and I’m betting it’s additionally comparatively underclocked for thermal and battery life causes)
• A 1 TByte capability possibility (for “solely” $1,399)
• 09 inches/2.16mm much less thickness (0.34 inch/8.75 mm for the iPhone Air, versus 0.31 inch/7.80 mm for the iPhone 17)
• 42 ounces/12 grams much less weight (5.82 ounces/165 grams for the iPhone Air, versus 6.24 ounces/177 grams for the iPhone 17)
• And a titanium-based body. Apple apparently was loath to have one other “Bendgate” on its palms…unhealthy pun meant:

And what do you lose, past an additional $200? Properly…

• A second bottom digital camera
• mmWave 5G mobile knowledge connectivity (that is the “thriller mannequin” talked about earlier, primarily based on Apple’s C1X chip, when you hadn’t already figured it out)
• Battery life: a 3,149 mAh battery for the iPhone Air, not counting the $99 Air-only MagSafe exterior battery, versus 3,692 mAh for the iPhone 17
• Slower charging speeds: 20W-max MagSafe and USB-C charging on the iPhone Air, once more presumably as a consequence of thermal issues, versus 25W MagSafe and 40W (60W burst) USB-C charging on the iPhone 17
• A bodily SIM possibility, at the least in some international locations (the iPhone Air is eSIM-only, to squeeze as a lot battery capability inside as potential for working life causes, presumably)
• And no “17” generational qualifier (which makes me surprise simply what the corporate will name the following one?)

However hey, identical to the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air additionally helps solely USB2 480 Mbps-max wired knowledge switch charges (as I hinted at earlier), so…sigh.

The Apple Watches

(Apple SE 3)

(Apple Collection 11)

(Apple Watch Extremely 3)

Nearing 2,500 phrases. Oh, d-d-d-dear! Apple’s newest-generation watches are modest-at-best upticks from their precursors, in truth. The SE 3 and Extremely 3 have migrated from the S9 to S10 SoC internally…that mentioned, it’s lengthy been rumored that Apple’s saved its smartwatch SoCs pretty-much-to-completely similar the previous few generations, solely altering the identify stamped on prime. Befitting this potential actuality, the S10 stays the identical from the Collection 10 to the new Collection 11.

All three watches acquire new health-monitoring and -analysis capabilities, which Apple admittedly, surprisingly, additionally plans to retrofit to current previous smartwatch generations. The entry-level SE 3 additionally inherits the earlier mainstream-and-above-only always-on show possibility. On the excessive finish, the Extremely 3 will get direct-connect satellite tv for pc communications capabilities…practically three weeks later than the notably extra reasonably priced (roughly half the value, in actual fact) Google Pixel Watch 4, and practically every week behind Garmin’s also-satellite-cognizant fēnix 8 Professional. Oh, and dual-band GPS. See earlier versus-Google Pixel Watch 4 remark.

The AirPods Professional 3

Final, however not least, new-generation high-end Bluetooth earbuds (following their year-ago up to date mainstream siblings). Y’know, when references to an unannounced product present up in launched (albeit beta) software program, my normal rule of thumb is that the product received’t keep unannounced for lengthy, capisce?

Right here’s what Apple claims in regards to the AirPods Professional 3:

AirPods Professional 3 ship unbelievable sound high quality and the world’s greatest in-ear Energetic Noise Cancellation (ANC) — eradicating as much as 2x extra noise than the previous-generation AirPods Professional, and 4x greater than the unique AirPods Professional.

Impartial rumors and ears-on evaluation admittedly again up the corporate’s comparative-ANC claims, however are extra reserved of their audio-quality enchancment assessments (then once more, after I need to do essential music listening, Apple earbuds aren’t what I’d suppose to seize first…or second…or…). The H3 SoC upgrade-enabled inclusion of heart-rate detection is fascinating; I simply hope that lightning doesn’t strike twice, re Apple-owned Beats’ Powerbeats 2 incapacity to stroll and chew gum on the identical time (extra precisely: play music whereas monitoring coronary heart fee on gymnasium gear). I imply…isn’t listening to music the elemental level of this stuff?

Dwell language translation (and reside broadcast of that translation to a different AirPods set wearer) is one thing I very a lot look ahead to making an attempt out..and I’ll, as a result of ever-generous Apple is backfilling the characteristic to the AirPods Professional 2, too (Q: Did you say AirPods Professional 2, Brian? A: Sure, I did, and real ones too; a narrative for one more day). The transition from silicon to foam ear suggestions is fascinating, too. And usually-generous Apple now consists of 5 different-sized tip units for optimum person match functions. However generosity has limits. No bundled USB-C cable (any extra) for you. Have I but talked about tariff prices resulting in counterbalancing price reductions elsewhere?

Miscellany

Talking of wi-fi earbuds, shortly earlier than the launch occasion, a teaser video of Beats’ newest Powerbeats Match appeared on Apple’s personal YouTube channel:

However as I write these phrases, they’re not but formally introduced. My principle: Apple deliberately held them again, eager to showcase earbuds that solely work with Apple units versus (additionally? As a substitute?) introducing ones that had been cross-platform, together with…insert ominous pipe organ sound…Android.

Different tidbits:

• A lot as I’ve needled Apple versus Google on this writeup, I’m compelled to level out that every one the merchandise that Apple introduced on Tuesday shall be out there for preorder on Friday, September 12, with in-store gross sales (and shipments) commencing the next Friday, September 19. In distinction, a notable chunk of what Google introduced three weeks in the past received’t be out there till subsequent month.
• Talking of dates, the varied “26” working programs unveiled at WWDC in June will all “go gold” on Monday, September 15. That mentioned, I’ve already obtained the “gold” variations of Google’s Materials 3 Expressive revamps working on my Pixel telephones and Pixel Watch and am lovin’ em, so….
• And one remaining little bit of proof of Apple’s (typically) generosity: the corporate has prolonged its free satellite tv for pc connectivity promotion to iPhone homeowners for one more yr.

So, there you go: an as-usual mixture of the spectacular, the mundane, and a number of factors in between. That mentioned, who am I making an attempt to idiot? “It’s all for naught;” Apple will promote the whole lot it’s obtained (sure, particularly the iPhone Air). Having handed by means of 3,000 phrases a couple of paragraphs in the past, undoubtedly spiking poor Aalyia’s blood strain within the course of, thus concludes at present’s Winnie the Pooh-themed submit. Let me know your ideas within the feedback!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line e-newsletter.

 Associated Content material

• It’s September in Apple land, so guess what it’s time for?
• The Apple iPhone 16e: No extra fiscally pleasant “SE” for thee (or me)
• Cracking the case of a smartphone and its unfairly crack-accused case
• When you made it by means of the schtick, Google’s newest merchandise had been fairly improbable
• The 2025 WWDC: From Intel, Apple’s Almost Free, and the New Interfaces Are…Extra Shiny?

The submit Apple’s 2H 2025 bulletins: Tariff-touched however not sure, at the least for this spherical appeared first on EDN.