Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air with 40% Performance Boost

Apple Inc. held its September new product launch event, unveiling four new iPhone models, including the iPhone Air, along with updates to the Airpods Pro 3 and three Apple Watch models. The iPhone 17 features a 3nm process A19 chip, a 6.3-inch screen with a 120Hz ProMotion display, and an upgraded 4800 million pixel dual-camera system. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are equipped with the A19 Pro chip, which offers a 40% performance improvement over the A18 Pro. Both models feature a triple 4800 million pixel camera system with a maximum focal length of 200mm. The Pro series also highlights its heat dissipation design, using a one-piece aluminum alloy body and vapor chamber cooling.

The iPhone Air, the most anticipated model, is equipped with the A19 Pro chip in a 6CPU+5GPU configuration. It boasts a 6.5-inch ProMotion display with a peak outdoor brightness of 3000 nits, making it the brightest iPhone to date. The device is also the thinnest iPhone, with a thickness of only 5.64mm and a weight of approximately 165 grams. It features a titanium alloy frame and ceramic crystal panels on both the front and back for added strength. The iPhone Air does not have a physical card slot and relies solely on eSIM technology. According to Apple's official website, the iPhone Air (model A3518) is the only iPhone model in mainland China that supports eSIM, and iPhones purchased overseas cannot install eSIM description files from mainland China's operators. China Unicom is the only supported eSIM operator in mainland China, and users must activate their eSIM at a physical store after purchasing the device.

Pricing for the new iPhones starts at 5999 yuan for the iPhone 17, 7999 yuan for the iPhone Air, 8999 yuan for the iPhone 17 Pro, and 9999 yuan for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. All four models will be available for pre-order starting this Friday evening and will officially go on sale next Friday. In addition to the iPhones, Apple also updated the Airpods Pro 3 and Apple Watch series. The Airpods Pro 3 features a 2x improvement in active noise cancellation and a redesigned shape for better fit. It also includes a custom optical pulse wave (PPG) sensor for heart rate monitoring. The Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3 models now support 5G communication. The Series and Ultra models have added a "high blood pressure notification" feature, which uses optical heart rate sensor data to analyze the user's vascular response to heartbeats. The algorithm runs passively in the background, reviewing 30 days of data and notifying the user if it detects persistent high blood pressure symptoms. This feature is supported on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as Ultra 2 and 3 models. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 also includes built-in two-way satellite communication, doubling the signal strength with a redesigned antenna. This allows users to send messages to emergency services, friends, and family, and share their location even when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.