It’s September, and that means Apple is about to unveil the new iPhones that will accompany the pretty radical “liquid glass”‘ iOS 26 redesign unveiled back at WWDC 2025. Right now, we know very little about what the phones will look like, though I have seen some rumors from MacWorld that the phones will have some bright new colors and even a vapor chamber to keep the phone cool, according to Chinese tech site MyDrivers.
Whether or not these features will actually end up in the iPhone 17 is up in the air, but we won’t have to wait long to figure it out. There is also a chance we see some other Apple products make an appearance. There will probably be a new Apple Watch, as always, and there’s even a chance some of the more niche Apple products show up – new AirTags maybe? Either way, I’ll be updating this article as the event happens, so stay tuned to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Like looking at an uncomfortably warm apple through a heat camera. iPhone 17 Event Liveblog
All times are in EDT
Apple’s gaming phone?
1:38PM: Apparently the iPhone 17 will have 8 hours longer battery life during video playback than its predecessor. As for the camera, the base iPhone 17 will have a 2-lens setup with a 24MP default resolution. The file size is also smaller, which should make uploading photos to social media a bit faster. The camera also has a 48MP Ultrawide lens.
1:35PM: Oh, wow, the iPhone 17 will have up to 3,000 nits of brightness. That’s bright for a phone. The screen also has a new coating that should make it 3x more resistant to scratches, according to Apple. The new phones are powered by the new A19 chip, a 3nm SoC with a 6-core CPU, and a 5-core GPU. Apple claims this new chip has 20% faster than the iPhone 16 when it comes to GPU performance. This should make it a better gaming phone, but I’ll have to benchmark it to see exactly how it performs.
1:31PM: There are four new iPhone models this time around. And, hey, Tim Cook says iPhone 17 is incredible, so it has to be, right? The iPhone 17 comes in 5 diffferent colorways: Lavender, Mist Blue, Black, White and Sage.
1:29PM: Pricing on the new Apple Watch models is $249, $399, and $749 for the SE, Series 11 and Ultra, respectively. They’ll be on store shelves September 19.
1:27PM: Apple Watch Ultra is also getting a refresh, the big new feature is Satellite connectivity. This should help you stay connected in remote areas without cell coverage.
1:25PM: The new Apple Watch SE 3 now has an always-on display, gestures, and Sleep Apnea notifications. It also supports fast charging. These are all features that have been standard on the mainline Apple Watches for a while, but this one should be a bit more affordable.
1:22PM: Three new colorways for the Series 11: Natural, Gold, and Slate. Apple Watch SE is upcoming.
1:21PM: The Apple Watch Series 11 will also be able to help identify Hypertension, and the company expects FDA approval soon.
1:18PM: Apple Watch Series 11 has new glass that’s more scratch resistant, and finally supports 5G. This should lead to better network performance. Apple claims this will also boost battery life, and, well, maybe. Apple is claiming that the Apple Watch can help with my mental health – how??
1:15PM: A lot of testimonials about how Apple Watch has positively impacted people’s health and lives. Expect more health features in whatever the new Apple Watch is.
1:12PM: Apple is claiming 8 hours battery life with ANC on and 12 hours in transparency mode. If that’s real, that would be enough to get through a cross-country flight. We’ll see! They’ll be available September 19, either way. Watch is next.
1:10PM: The AirPods 3 are also smaller, with 5 sizes of ear tips to make them fit better “even during the most intense workouts”. The earbuds also have IP57 water resistance for rain and sweat. It has a heartbeat sensor!
1:07PM: The AirPods Pro 3 will have better bass than before, thanks to some fancy airflow tech. Apple is claiming that these new headphones have 4x the noise cancelling performance of the AirPods Pro 2. In fact, its claiming it has the best noise cancelling of any in-ear headphone. We even have our first Apple Intelligence mention, with live translation.
1:05PM: Starting with AirPods. A new generation of AirPods Pro – the last generation introduced the capability to act as hearing aids, and Tim Cook is claiming this new gen has even more capabilities.
1:02PM: This little montage has had like, every Apple product. How many things is the company announcing? Tim Cook is pretty serious about design this time around, and is really excited for Liquid Glass in the new operating systems. Me? Not so much, Windows Vista broke me.
1:00PM: And here we go. Starting with a Steve Jobs quote this time, ok.
12:55PM: Five minutes to go. How many times will we hear the phrase ‘Apple Intelligence’ over the next hour? I’m betting at least 10.
12:45PM: The stream has technically started. Make sure you refresh your browser if you’re trying to watch along. We’ve got music, and the same multi-colored Apple logo we had before. Things are happening.
12:35PM: It’s probably not going to be happen, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if this was the year Apple finally announced a foldable? It would definitely be fascinating to see it go head-to-head with the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel Fold 10.
12:20PM: If the vapor chamber is real, it could go a long way to making the iPhone 17 one of the best gaming phones. After all, recent mobile chipsets have been notorious for throttling during heavy workloads. If Apple is able to find a way around that, it could be huge.
12:00PM: The event starts in about an hour, and I’m just sitting here watching this holographic Apple logo. It kind of looks like the colors typically associated with thermal imaging. Maybe that weird vapor chamber rumor has some weight to it?
How to Watch the Apple iPhone 17 Event
If you want to watch Apple reveal the new iPhone yourself, you can do so on Apple’s own website and on YouTube. In my experience, if you open the page early, the stream won’t automatically start. So, make sure to refresh the page about 15 minutes before the event starts at 10am PT / 1PM ET.
Developing…
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra