New York
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It’s the equal of Super Bowl Day for diehard Apple followers.
On Tuesday, Apple is expected to announce the newest iterations of the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at its annual {hardware} event. The event, which Apple has teased with the phrase “awe dropping,” kicks off from the firm’s Cupertino, California, headquarters at 1 p.m. ET.
While the iPhone event is at all times Apple’s most necessary of the year, the strain to impress with its newest gadgets is especially high this year. The firm’s gross sales have been bumpy for years, the iPhone is falling behind opponents on synthetic intelligence and Apple has been caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s commerce wars. Considering these challenges, a easy refresh in the iPhone’s coloration choices or digicam capabilities would virtually actually not be sufficient to appease customers or shareholders.
Apple shares have been down round 2.5% since the begin of this year as of Monday night time’s shut, largely lacking out on the massive market rally that has been going down – notably in Big Tech – since the spring.
Apple has been tight-lipped about its plans for the event, as regular. But the firm is reportedly hoping {that a} new, slimmer mannequin of the iPhone — doubtlessly known as the “iPhone Air”— might be sufficient to spur a robust uptick in gross sales, by giving customers extra choices along with the launch of the core iPhone 17 fashions.
Some analysts additionally predict Apple may raise iPhone prices as a result of of tariffs. And whereas most don’t anticipate any main Apple Intelligence bulletins, Wall Street is hoping for some readability on the firm’s AI strategy.
Here’s what we learn about the event and what Apple is anticipated to announce. NCS might be protecting the event reside.
The most anticipated announcement anticipated on Tuesday is the introduction of a slimmer addition to the iPhone 17 lineup, probably known as the iPhone Air, based on reports from Bloomberg and TFI Securities.
Apple is rumored to be asserting 4 iPhone 17 fashions: the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Air.
Of these 4 anticipated fashions, the iPhone 17 Air will doubtless be the foremost attraction. It can be the first time Apple has added a slimmer new system to its lineup, though that would come at the expense of battery life and the digicam, based on Bloomberg. Its display is anticipated to be bigger than the common iPhone 17’s however smaller than the super-sized Pro Max, the report states.
The Air may give Apple a brand new different to its entry-level and high-end gadgets, after its Mini and Plus fashions struggled to catch on with customers. And the “Air” branding would align with fashions in Apple’s different product strains: the MacBook Air and the iPad Air.
Android rivals have tried to beat Apple to the punch by releasing their very own thinner smartphones. Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, with 5.8-millimeter sides, in May. And Tecno, a smaller smartphone maker, announced the 5.9-millimeter Tecno Slim final week at IFA, a significant client tech commerce present in Europe.
The relaxation of the iPhone 17 lineup is additionally anticipated to see enhancements to core functionalities like battery life, camera quality and design.
“With hardware and design under its command, but the unpredictable landscape of AI out of its hands, Apple is determined to capture consumer excitement and keep momentum rolling, regardless of the shifting tides in technology,” Emarketer senior expertise analyst Gadjo Sevilla stated in emailed commentary final week.
Apple not often hikes the worth of its most necessary product. But that could change this year, with Apple expecting to take a $1.1 billion hit as a result of of tariffs this quarter.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimated in a analysis be aware final week that Apple will elevate the worth of the iPhone Pro mannequin by $100 and listing the iPhone Air for $100 greater than the mid-range iPhone 16 Plus.
Monness Crespi Hardt analyst Brian White estimated in a be aware on Monday that iPhone costs will go up 5% to 10% in comparison with the earlier year’s mannequin.
A costlier iPhone could possibly be a tough promote for customers — and an issue for Apple because it faces steeper competitors from Google and Samsung, notably in the case of AI options. But analysts say that after years of retaining costs secure, buyers might give Apple a move for barely larger costs, particularly if it impresses with the iPhone Air.
“In the face of rising inflation in recent years, we commend Apple for not taking advantage of the crisis to price gouge customers as has occurred across numerous industries,” White stated. “That said, we believe Apple is warranted in hiking prices with the iPhone 17 family” as a result of of the uncertainty round tariff insurance policies, he added.
Morgan Stanley analysts known as the doubtless hikes “modest” and stated they’d be unlikely to dent iPhone demand.
Analysts told NCS earlier this year that Apple may additionally look to quietly elevate costs by charging additional for additions like elevated storage, slightly than upping the base price ticket in a approach that would trigger sticker shock for customers.
Several of Apple’s different core gadgets are additionally anticipated to get a refresh, doubtless with an emphasis on new design and health-related options.
Health has been a key focus for the firm (and its competitors) as a technique to get extra customers to purchase Apple Watches and join providers like Apple Fitness+. Apple may additionally roll out a paid Health+ service subsequent year, Bloomberg has reported.
Apple will doubtless announce its new Apple Watch Series 11, in addition to a brand new professional mannequin, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and lower-cost mannequin, the Apple Watch SE 3. Both the decrease and high-end fashions are anticipated to get bigger screens and sooner chips. And Gurman experiences that Apple may add satellite tv for pc connectivity, already an important emergency feature in the iPhone, to the Ultra 3.
The high-end AirPods mannequin may get their first improve in three years. Apple might announce the AirPods Pro 3 which may have a smaller charging case, reside translation capabilities and, doubtlessly, a coronary heart price mannequin, in accordance to Bloomberg.
But Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst recognized for his Apple product forecasts, has predicted a good larger replace for the AirPods Pro subsequent week, with the potential inclusion of a small digicam that might make gesture management simpler. That may assist Apple compete with new kinds of AI-powered gadgets like smart glasses.
That could possibly be necessary as firms proceed to experiment with gadgets which might be “less reliant on traditional touch screens and keypads,”as Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice chairman and principal analyst for market analysis agency Forrester, put it in an interview forward of Tuesday’s event.
“You can almost sense that there is something coming around the corner,” Chatterjee stated. “There will be a viable alternative to these traditional phones.”
–NCS’s Lisa Eadicicco contributed to this report.