Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is gearing up to unveil its iPhone 17 lineup at Tuesday's "Awe Dropping" event and leaks suggest this could be one of the company's boldest refreshes in years.
What To Expect At Apple's September Event
The Cupertino tech giant will host its annual product showcase on Sept. 9 at the Steve Jobs Theater, starting at 10 a.m. PT. The iPhone 17 series is expected to feature four models -- iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max -- alongside new Apple Watch editions and redesigned AirPods Pro 3.
The star of the lineup could be the iPhone 17 Air, rumored to be the thinnest flagship Apple has ever made, drawing inspiration from the MacBook Air.
See Also: Apple iPhone 17 Event: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 Air, Apple Watch 11, AirPods Pro 3 And More Expected On ';Awe Dropping' Day
The following are the five biggest changes we can see in the upcoming lineup:
ProMotion Display Comes To Base Model
Apple's 120Hz ProMotion display, long exclusive to Pro editions, may finally reach the standard iPhone 17. Reports say Apple will use an LTPO OLED panel, allowing dynamic refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz, improving visuals and battery efficiency.
Major Selfie Camera Upgrade
The iPhone 17 may ditch the 12MP front-facing camera used since 2019 in favor of a 24MP sensor with a six-element lens. This shift promises sharper selfies and clearer video calls.
Bigger Screen And Slimmer Frame
Leaks suggest the display could grow from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches without increasing the phone's footprint, thanks to metalens technology that reduces the size of Face ID and Dynamic Island components. A thinner aluminum frame could also make the device lighter.
Apple's Own Wi-Fi 7 Chip
Apple is reportedly moving away from third-party Wi-Fi solutions by launching its in-house Wi-Fi 7 chip in the iPhone 17 series. Faster speeds, lower latency and smoother connectivity across Apple devices are expected.
Faster Charging And New A19 Chip
Performance gains could come via the A19 chipset, though some reports suggest the base model may still use the A18. More notably, Apple is rumored to introduce 50W wireless charging -- double that of the iPhone 16 and faster than Samsung's Galaxy S25.
Analysts Say AI Still Missing
Despite the excitement over design and hardware, some investors remain skeptical. Andersen Capital's Peter Andersen told CNBC that Apple's focus on incremental upgrades is "ignoring the elephant in the room" -- its lagging AI efforts.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives has also called Apple's AI strategy a "disaster," while others argue the company could regain ground once Siri integrates Google's Gemini model in 2026.
Price Action: Apple shares fell 0.76% in Monday's regular session and slipped another 0.26% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, per Benzinga Pro.
According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, AAPL maintains a solid upward trend across short, medium and long-term periods, with additional performance details available here.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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