Apple‘s fall event is in the books, and the iPhone 17 lineup is official. This year, it’s not just about a simple upgrade; the American technology giant has fundamentally restructured its smartphone family.

The familiar “Plus” model is gone, replaced by the all-new, impossibly thin iPhone Air. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have been completely redesigned from the inside out, not just for looks, but for a singular purpose: tackling heat to deliver relentless, sustained performance. Rounding out the series is the standard iPhone 17, which inherits a slew of “Pro” features that make it a massive leap over its predecessor.

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The big story is choice. Apple is no longer offering a simple “good, better, best” lineup. Instead, it’s presenting four distinct philosophies: a powerful new baseline, a premium device focused on design, and two Pro models engineered for the most demanding users.

Pricing and availability: Global and Philippines

As always, the most pressing questions are “how much?” and “when?” Preorders for all four iPhone 17 models kick off globally on September 12, with devices landing in stores on September 19. That includes more than 63 countries and regions, such as Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. A second wave of availability rolls out to 22 additional markets on September 26.

Here’s the official U.S. pricing, which sees the death of the 128GB storage tier across the board:

• iPhone 17:
  • 256GB:$799
  • 512GB: $999
• iPhone Air:
  • 256GB: $999
  • 512GB: $1,199
  • 1TB: $1,399
• iPhone 17 Pro:
  • 256GB: $1,099
  • 512GB: $1,299
  • 1TB: $1,499
• iPhone 17 Pro Max:
  • 256GB: $1,199
  • 512GB: $1,399
  • 1TB: $1,599
  • 2TB: $1,999

Notably, only the smaller iPhone 17 Pro sees a $100 price hike, though like the others, it now starts with double the storage.

And while an official Philippine release date has not yet been announced, local pricing for the iPhone 17 series has already been published. The official suggested retail prices are as follows:

• iPhone 17
  • 256GB: P57,990
  • 512GB: P72,990
• iPhone Air
  • 256GB: P72,990
  • 512GB: P87,990
  • 1TB: P102,990
• iPhone 17 Pro
  • 256GB: P79,990
  • 512GB: P94,990
  • 1TB: P109,990
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
  • 256GB: P86,990
  • 512GB: P101,990
  • 1TB: P116,990
  • 2TB: P146,990

The iPhone Air is the real headline

The most talked-about device is undoubtedly the new Apple iPhone Air. At an astonishing 5.6mm thick and weighing just 165 grams, it takes the “thin and light” obsession from the iPad Air and brings it to the iPhone. It’s crafted from a grade 5 titanium frame and feels like a completely new class of device.

Here's the photo Samsung doesn't want you to see.

The Apple iPhone Air compared with the Galaxy S25 Edge 📷📏

Does a thin smartphone matter to you? pic.twitter.com/at3udGLdzq

— PCMag (@PCMag) September 9, 2025

Compared with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

iPhone Air Hands-On! #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/f9Z43L0TO8

— Safwan AhmedMia (@SuperSaf) September 9, 2025

Apple iPhone Air hands-on video

Here’s the interesting strategic play, though: The Air is powered by the top-of-the-line A19 Pro chip, the same silicon inside the Pro models. So you’re actually looking at a premium, design-focused smartphone with a Pro-level brain and Apple’s new, more efficient C1X cellular modem.

The key tradeoff is the camera. The iPhone Air features only a single 48-megapixel main camera on the back. It’s a calculated decision, targeting users who prioritize aesthetics, portability, and raw speed over the photographic versatility of a multi-lens system. For a starting price of $999/P72,990, you’re betting on design over telephoto.

The Pro models get serious about heat

For years, the biggest challenge for flagship phones hasn’t been peak performance, but sustained performance. With the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is tackling this problem head-on. The new design swaps the previous titanium frame for a strong, lightweight aluminum unibody, but the real magic is inside: an Apple-designed vapor chamber laser-welded into the chassis.

This entire system is designed to pull heat away from the A19 Pro chip and dissipate it across the body, leading to what the company claims is 40% better sustained performance. This is Apple finally and explicitly addressing thermal throttling, a direct nod to hardcore mobile gamers and professional video creators.

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The camera system also gets a monumental upgrade. All three rear cameras — main, ultrawide, and telephoto — are now 48-megapixel sensors. The telephoto lens is the star, using a new tetraprism design to deliver an 8x optical-quality zoom at a 200mm equivalent focal length, the longest ever on an iPhone. For pro filmmakers, the addition of ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock support turns the iPhone into an even more serious production tool.

The universal upgrade: A clever selfie camera

Perhaps the most delightful feature is one that comes to all four Apple iPhone 17 models: the new 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera. Apple has introduced the first-ever square sensor for a front camera on an iPhone.

This larger sensor area allows for a genius trick: You can now take wide, landscape-oriented selfies while holding the phone vertically. The camera uses AI to simply rotate and expand the field of view to fit everyone in, solving the awkward fumble of turning your phone sideways for a group shot. We think it’s a genuinely clever, user-facing innovation that everyone will immediately get.

The standard iPhone 17 is no slouch

Don’t sleep on the base model. The standard iPhone 17 gets two of the most requested “Pro” features: a Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion for a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and the Always-On display. This alone should make the handset feel dramatically faster and more fluid.

It runs on the new A19 processor, which is a step down from the A19 Pro, and gets a camera bump of its own, with a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera to complement the 48-megapixel primary one. The diagonal camera layout is gone, replaced by a clean, vertical pill shape. At $799/P57,990 with double the starting storage, the baseline iPhone is more “Pro” than ever.

The fine print: What else is new?

Across the board, the entire lineup gets some key quality-of-life improvements:

• Brighter displays. All four models now hit 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness.
• Tougher build. The new Ceramic Shield 2 on the front offers 3x better scratch resistance. For the Air and Pro variants, Ceramic Shield now also protects the back.
• Faster connectivity. A new Apple-designed N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the entire lineup.
• eSIM-only in select markets. All four devices are eSIM-only in regions like the U.S., the UK, and parts of Europe, with dual eSIM support available — but travelers and frequent carrier switchers should check local compatibility before upgrading.
• iOS 26. The smartphones will launch with the next generation of iOS, featuring a “Liquid Glass” redesign and the growing capabilities of Apple Intelligence.

iPhone 17 vs iPhone Air vs iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Specs comparison

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