163: Apple Announces iPhone 17, AirPods Pro 3, and More

13 snips

Sep 12, 2025

Excitement abounds as the iPhone 17 makes its debut with a 6.3-inch display and ProMotion for non-Pro models. The AirPods Pro 3 impress with advanced noise cancellation and a heart rate monitor. Apple Watch Series 11 offers some enticing upgrades, though opinions on its innovations are mixed. The iPhone Air boasts a sleek design but lacks a SIM card slot. Discussions explore Apple's evolving product strategy, new camera features, and the potential impacts on users. Overall, a blend of innovation and humor makes for an engaging tech conversation.

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INSIGHT

AirPods Gain Standalone Fitness Features

AirPods Pro 3 add a heart-rate sensor and support starting workouts from the iPhone without a watch.
Live Activity and fitness integration let AirPods track workouts and show data across devices.

INSIGHT

Significant Sound And Fit Improvements

AirPods Pro 3 deliver noticeably better ANC and fuller low-end compared with prior generations.
Foam tips and improved transparency make conversations sound more natural while wearing them.

INSIGHT

Series 11 Is An Incremental Update

Series 11 is a very small Apple Watch upgrade with limited hardware changes.
5G, stronger front glass, and battery accounting tweaks are the main differences this year.

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The iPhone 17 is finally here. On this episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of Apple's "awe-dropping" announcements this week, including the ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods Pro 3, and more.

Apple's ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ were introduced with significant hardware upgrades, including enhanced active noise cancellation, a built-in heart rate monitor, improved sound processing, and foam ear tips. In addition, Apple previewed a new Live Translation feature also coming to AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2.

The Apple Watch lineup received a refresh, with the Series 11 touting stronger front glass, 5G connectivity, and better battery life. The Apple Watch SE 3 now includes an always-on display and fast charging, while the Ultra 3 gains a new display and satellite connectivity. Apple also introduced hypertension detection and a new sleep scoring feature, which are available on older models.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ gains a 6.3-inch display, now with ProMotion for the first time in a non-Pro model, and the A19 chip. It features the same new 18-megapixel front-facing camera with Center Stage and a square sensor introduced across the lineup.

Apple introduced the iPhone Air as its thinnest iPhone yet with a radical new design. It includes a polished titanium frame, the A19 Pro chip with 12GB of memory, a faster and more efficient C1X 5G modem, a single rear camera, and a 6.5-inch display with ProMotion, but loses out on a physical SIM card slot and stereo speakers.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max were unveiled with a new design that abandons titanium in favor of an aluminum unibody structure, with a new full-width camera plateau and vapor chamber cooling. There is now a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 4x and 8x optical zoom options. Both devices include larger batteries that deliver over six hours more battery life than their predecessors, with storage starting at 256GB and reaching a new 2TB maximum on the Pro Max.

There were also a range of new accessories, including TechWoven cases for the Pro models, a crossbody strap, and a bumper case and MagSafe battery for the ‌iPhone Air‌.