Nothing in this world is certain, except for death, taxes and the reveal of a new iPhone every year. Since receiving our invites to attend Apple’s “awe dropping” iPhone 17 event, we’ve been hard at work deciphering what the enigmatic Apple logo heatmap could mean. While that’ll remain a mystery until today’s Apple event keynote unfolds, we have seen a lot of the expected product lineup through leaked photos and rumors from industry analysts.
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Here are the biggest rumors and leaks about Apple’s new hardware. Whether you plan to watch the stream or just check in with the big announcements, CNET experts are bringing the latest live Apple event coverage to you during the Apple event keynote.
Based on the Sept. 9 event date, we can expect preorders for the new Apple hardware to begin on Sept. 12, with a release date of Sept. 19.
There is a mix of rumors about the Air’s chip, with trusted sources such as Bloomberg reporting that it will have the standard A19 chip. More recently, MacRumors reported on a leaker’s assertion that the phone will contain the A19 Pro chip, but there’s no substantial evidence pointing toward either claim.
According to MacRumors, the Air has a 2,800-mAh battery — though it might be the first Apple phone to use a high-density silicon battery, which could increase actual battery capacity by between 15% to 20%. Note that the Adaptive Power feature shipping with iOS 26 might help with the battery life.
Judging by the numerous leaked photos and renders, it’s also extremely likely that the Air will have only one wide-angle rear camera, like the iPhone 16E. The front camera may also be moved to the left of the Dynamic Island cutout (that camera sensor bar at the top of the phone’s display) to maintain its form.
While the iPhone 17 is expected to stay at the baseline 8GB of memory, the Air could have 12GB of RAM, which is the same memory that the Pro and Pro Max phones are rumored to include.
The biggest rumored upgrades coming are the cameras. MacRumors reported that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an 8x optical zoom telephoto lens, up from the 5x one on the 16 Pro. Pu wrote that the Pro phones will feature a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which is a substantial improvement over the 16 Pro’s 12-megapixel sensor. He similarly reports that the selfie camera will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, up from the 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the 16 Pro.
We might not see a drastic change in design from the Apple Watch Series 10, but MacRumors reports that the Series 11 could get a more energy-efficient screen with higher resolution and better brightness settings (which could improve battery life). Keeping with the trend of upgrading the processor in each new Apple Watch, we should see an S11 chip present in the Series 11.
What is extremely likely to debut at this event, on the other hand, is the Apple Watch Ultra 3, since MacRumors found imagery for the smartwatch buried within the iOS 26 beta. The photos show an Ultra watch with a slightly larger display, clocking in at a 422×514-pixel resolution. The Ultra 3 would likely share an S11 chip with the Series 11. While the Ultra 2 already boasts the longest battery life of any Apple Watch, an S11 chip could see even greater returns on a single charge for the Ultra 3 — it could last three or four days in low-power mode.
The most unique feature that could come to the premium new Apple Watch is satellite connectivity. According to Gurman, Apple has been exploring adding this feature to the next Ultra model — if implemented, it would enable emergency messaging and location sharing in areas without cell service. Google’s new Pixel Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to support satellite connectivity.
The Camera, Photos and FaceTime apps are also going back to basics with simplified designs, while the Messages app is getting more colorful. The biggest features for iOS 26 are call screening for unknown numbers, live translation for calls and texts, a dedicated Games app and lyrics translations on the Music app.
For an in-depth breakdown of all of the iOS upgrades Apple has revealed (as well as the updates the company didn’t mention), check out the roundup from CNET’s Jeff Carlson here.
We’ll continue to update this piece as more details for the “awe dropping” Apple event are confirmed. Check back for more information about release dates and upcoming Apple hardware as it becomes available.
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