Apple did its usual September show yesterday — lights, drone shots of Apple Park, Tim Cook’s rehearsed “good morning” — and out came a flurry of new gear. We got the iPhone 17 lineup, the ultra-skinny iPhone Air, new AirPods Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 11. Oh, and iOS 26 arrives September 15. But if you were hoping for fireworks, this wasn’t it. Apple gave us a lot of polish, some nice-to-have upgrades, and one sneaky change that could actually matter down the line.
Here’s what went down.
iPhone 17: the underdog turned star
This year, the regular iPhone quietly stole the show.
It finally gets a 120 Hz ProMotion display, a blinding 3000-nit outdoor brightness, and dual 48 MP cameras. Even the selfie cam leveled up with 18 MP and Center Stage auto-framing. Oh, and base storage now starts at 256 GB.
For years, the standard iPhone was the “settle-for” option. Now? It’s probably the smartest buy in the lineup. Unless you absolutely need Pro-level zoom or video tools, the iPhone 17 gives you 90% of the experience for less money. That’s a rare win for consumers.
iPhone 17 Pro & Pro Max: the safe bets
The Pros are still the muscle phones. You get the new A19 Pro chip, a vapor chamber cooling system to stop performance dips, and that headline-grabbing 8× zoom.
All solid upgrades. But if you’ve got a 15 Pro or 16 Pro, are you really itching to upgrade? Probably not. These are incremental changes — nice, but hardly game-changing.
And then there are the colors. Deep blue, cosmic orange, silver. That’s it. No Black, no premium hues like we got last year. For a line that’s supposed to scream “premium,” the Pro finishes feel like Apple phoned it in.
iPhone Air: style icon, not workhorse
At 5.6 mm thin, the iPhone Air is jaw-dropping. It’s lighter than you’d expect, tougher thanks to titanium, and gorgeous in every shade (space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue).
Beyond the design flex, it’s basically a Pro in skinny jeans. Same A19 Pro chip, same performance, a single camera, but a highly capable one at that. The only bold move is that it’s eSIM-only worldwide — no physical SIM slot at all. Great for Apple’s vision of the future, not so great if you’re the kind of traveler who buys a cheap SIM at the airport.
It’ll be the Instagram darling of 2025, no doubt. But is it practical? Well that will depend on how much you value thinness over flexibility.
AirPods Pro 3: fitness gear in disguise
AirPods Pro finally look built for sweat. The third-gen buds bring five tip sizes, IP57 water resistance, and 2× stronger noise cancellation. Oh, and they can now track your heart rate during workouts.
That’s cool, but also about time. Plenty of rivals have been doing this for years. Apple’s late to the gym party, but at least the new AirPods Pro feel like they belong there.
Apple Watch Series 11: your wrist nagging you about health
The series 11 gained hypertension notifications and a sleep score, nudging you if your long-term heart data looks worrying or if your sleep sucks. The Workout app got a refresh, scratch resistance improved, and battery life is still stuck at 24 hours.
But it’s another nudge, not a leap. And when competitors are hitting multi-day battery life, 24 hours feels tired.
The move that matters: Apple’s own radios
Here’s the sneaky bit Apple didn’t make a big deal about, but should have: the new N1 wireless chip and C1X modem.
For the first time, Apple is using its own radios for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G. That means tighter integration, fewer dropouts, and lower power draw. It also means Apple now controls another piece of the iPhone puzzle. Just like it did with the Mac.
This is the real story of the event. Not thinner phones, not heart-rate-tracking earbuds. Apple quietly tightened its grip on the iPhone’s guts. And that has long-term consequences.
iOS 26: shiny, not shocking
Dropping September 15, iOS 26 adds Live Translation in calls, a new Liquid Glass UI, and expanded on-device AI. Nice to have. But again, nothing that’ll blow your socks off.
Geekhub verdict
Apple’s 2025 lineup is… fine. Polished, consistent, safe. But not thrilling.
- The iPhone 17 is the surprise star. It’s the best value and closer to the Pro than ever.
- The Pro models are steady but uninspired. Faster chips and better cooling can’t hide the lack of excitement — and those color options are a snooze.
- The iPhone Air is beautiful, but beauty alone doesn’t make it groundbreaking.
- AirPods Pro 3 and Watch Series 11 are nice upgrades, but mostly Apple playing catch-up.
- The real shake-up is Apple’s move to control its own radios. That’s the kind of shift you’ll feel every day — and the one Apple wants you to forget is even happening.
Apple called this its “thinnest, most advanced lineup ever.” But for many, it’ll feel like another year of evolution, not revolution.
And maybe Apple feels it doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel when everyone’s already rolling along inside its ecosystem.
