Everything Apple announced at "Awe Dropping" event: iPhone Air, iPhone 17, AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and more

Apple just wrapped up its annual fall event, dubbed "Awe Dropping," and it had some genuine 'awe dropping' moments. No, there wasn't the Siri that we were promised a while ago, but there were things like an "Air" iPhone, the biggest "awe dropping" moment of the show. Then, there were a pair of redesigned Pro iPhones,new AirPods Pro that come after a wait of two years, and the regular iPhones finally have the ProMotion screen — each worthy of being called an "awe dropping" moment in its own right. Oh, and worth mentioning, there are new watches as well — the Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and the SE 3. And we also now have dates for the class of '26 OS updates.With the event over now, here's a wrap up of everything Apple announced at its "Awe Dropping" event.

iPhone Air is Apple's slimmest iPhone ever

18 years later, iPhones have had their 'Air' moment with the iPhone Air. As the name suggests, it's the slimmest iPhone to date, measuring just 5.6 millimeters in thickness and weighing 156 grams. What makes the iPhone Air particularly impressive is its construction – Apple has managed to pack 80 percent recycled titanium into the frame while achieving this thinness.

Replacing the bigger sized Plus model of the iPhone, the iPhone 17 Air sits between the standard iPhone 17 and the Pro models with a price tag of Rs 1,19,900, featuring a 6.5 inches ProMotion screen, the A19 Pro chip, and a single 48MP camera but Apple says it'll do four focal lengths. Oh, it's also the first one to come with Apple's in-house N1 wireless networking chip and C1X cellular modem. All that is packed beneath the pill on the top with the battery in the latter part of the chassis.The ultra-slim device comes with compromises of its own, first being not having two cameras like the regular iPhone but sticking with just one. Though, despite having the larger part of the chassis the battery inside is smaller than the rest of the iPhones, which Apple says will last an "all-day," but if you still need it to go longer, Apple will be selling a power pack for it. Last but not the least, the Air also ditches physical SIM cards entirely, relying solely on eSIM due to its ultra-thin frame.The 'Air' iPhone can be seen as Apple's attempt to create a new category within its iPhone lineup, like it did a few years ago with the Plus, and again few years back with the 'mini.' Although, this time it's sticking to a tried and tested formula of Air, much like how the MacBook Air and iPad Air carved out their own spaces.

iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max have a new look and build

For a long time, people have been making fun of the stove burner design of the Pro iPhones that came into life over half a decade ago with the iPhone 11 Pro(s). The design was long over Apple's typical 3-year refresh period, but the inevitable has happened this year with the iPhone 17 Pros. The glass that the cameras sit on now spans across the entire length of the rear, and Apple's calling it the "plateau," which moves the half-cut Apple logo down a little to fit neatly inside the MagSafe's magnetic coils.Not really a cosmetic change, but rather a structural change is that the two new Pro models this year now are made of aluminium, switching back from the titanium that has been used for the last two generations of Pro models. The switch to aluminium, Apple says, is because the metal handles heat way better than the titanium ever did. Plus, there's also a vapor chamber inside.Now, this new "plateau" isn't just for the looks, but this design creates more room inside for a bigger battery. The Pro Max now gets up to 39 hours of video playback, which is pretty impressive.All rear cameras are now 48MP, including 48MP telephoto camera with a next-generation tetraprism design and a sensor half-a-size larger than before. This enables 8x optical zoom at 200mm – the longest reach ever on an iPhone – while the 4x zoom at 100mm provides classic portrait focal length. Digital zoom goes all the way to 40x if you really need it.As if the Pro iPhones weren't already a filmmaker's favourite, Apple's throwing in some more upgrades. The iPhone 17 Pro(s) now can do ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock for syncing multiple cameras, plus Dual Capture for recording front and back cameras simultaneously.The iPhone 17 Pro comes in 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes (the Pro Max), both with Ceramic Shield protection front and back. The A19 Pro chip delivers "MacBook-level processing power,” in numbers about 40% better sustained performance than last year's model, thanks largely to that vapor chamber keeping things cool.Colours are limited to three this year: deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver. Yeah, there's no black colour this time around. Pricing starts at Rs 1,34,000 for the Pro and Rs 1,49,900 for the Pro Max. For the first time, you can get a Pro Max with 2TB of storage, though that'll cost you Rs 2,29,900.

iPhone 17 gets the 'Pro' feature everybody has been waiting for

After years of keeping ProMotion locked away in the Pro models, Apple has finally brought 120Hz displays to the regular iPhone 17. It keeps the same look as the last year, but the regular iPhone did undergo a serious redesign a year ago. So no complaints there. The 6.3-inch screen that's also now bigger than before, refreshes at between 1 Hz to 120Hz, and Apple's also managed to bump up the peak brightness to 3,000 nits and trim down the bezels by a bit, though the overall design remains largely unchanged from last year.The two cameras on the rear, which still sits on the good old pill, are now 48MP, including the ultra wide lens that used to be stuck at 12MP. Apple's calling it "dual fusion" camera system. The new ultra-wide captures about 4x more detail than before, which should make those sweeping landscape shots look a lot better. The main camera still has that 2x telephoto zoom built right in, so you're getting more versatility without needing extra camera bumps.Apple's also borrowing the Center Stage camera from the iPad for the front. It's a 18MP square sensor that can automatically frame group selfies and rotate between portrait and landscape modes. You can finally take landscape selfies without doing that awkward phone flip. The camera just figures it out on its own.The new A19 chip is about 1.5x faster than the iPhone 13's processor. Not a number toBattery life stretches to 30 hours of video playback, which is a solid jump from last year's numbers.Apple's doubled the starting storage to 256GB, finally ditching that cramped 128GB base model. The iPhone 17 shows up in five colours – black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white – starting at Rs 82,900 when pre-orders open September 12.

Crossbody straps gets Apple's seal of approval

The crossbody straps for phones, and even for iPhones have long existed. But, it's now Apple will be selling it themselves, and it's made in the typical Apple fashion. It's made from recycled yarn and has these flexible magnets that let you adjust the length easily. Comes in 10 different colours, so you can probably find something that matches your style. At $59, it's not cheap, but it'll definitely beat those weird third-party solutions.

Bye bye FineWoven, it's time to try TechWoven cases

Apple's FineWoven cases didn't really have a good run. So, it's having another go at the whole fabric cases thing, since it won't use leather ever again. The new ones are called TechWoven and these use multiple coloured yarns to create a dimensional texture feel. Apple says they're scratch and stain resistant too, which is always nice. These come in black, blue, purple, sienna, and green. iPhone Air

is getting its own special treatment with ultra-thin cases that won't ruin that svelte profile. There's a translucent case in frost and shadow colours, plus a bumper case that comes in four matching colours for those who want minimal protection without the bulk.For the regular iPhone 17, Apple's keeping things simple with clear cases and silicone options in five colours: black, neon yellow, light moss, anchor blue, and purple fog.

AirPods Pro 3 have heart rate sensors in them, and they are also better at cutting noise

It's been almost three years since Apple updated the AirPods Pro, and the wait was worth it. Their party trick? These have heart rate sensors in them, and they can track your workouts. That aside, they still very much are the AirPods, so yes they get better noise cancellation, or as Apple put it in numbers these can cancel out noise 4x more than the original AirPods Pro. Oh, and they improve on the sound as well.Apple completely redesigned the fit based on over 10,000 ear scans and more than 100,000 hours of research, which sounds like overkill but apparently resulted in earbuds that fit way more people properly. The ear tips now come in five sizes including a new XXS option, and they're foam-infused for better noise isolation. They've also bumped up the water resistance to IP57, so they should handle sweaty workouts just fine.There's a custom sensor that pulses infrared light 256 times per second to measure blood flow, and combined with data from your iPhone, it can track over 50 different workout types. You can close your Activity rings, track calories burned, and get personalised coaching with Workout Buddy that uses Apple Intelligence to give you motivational prompts based on your fitness history.Live Translation is another standout feature that works hands-free. You can have conversations with people who speak different languages, and the AirPods will translate in real-time. It supports English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish at launch, with more languages coming later this year.Apple says they’ll last up to 8 hours with noise cancellation on, and in Transparency mode, you get up to 10 hours. The AirPods Pro 3 cost Rs 25,900 and you can pre-order them today for September 19 availability.

Apple Watch Series 11 will keep track of your blood pressure

The Apple Watch Series 11's headline feature is hypertension notifications, which use the optical heart sensor to detect signs of chronic high blood pressure – a condition that affects 1.3 billion people globally and often goes undiagnosed. The feature analyses how blood vessels respond to heartbeats over 30-day periods, alerting users if consistent signs of hypertension are detected.Sleep tracking gets a major upgrade with the new Sleep Score feature, which provides transparent metrics about sleep quality based on duration, consistency, wake frequency, and time spent in each sleep stage. The scoring algorithms were developed using over 5 million nights of sleep data from Apple's studies.The Series 11 also features 5G cellular connectivity for the first time, a redesigned antenna system for better coverage, and Ion-X glass that's twice as scratch-resistant. Battery life extends to 24 hours. Apple Watch Series 11

is available in aluminium and titanium finishes starting at Rs 46,900.

The Watch Ultra 3 is still very much the ultimate sport and adventure watch. Now, it features built-in satellite communications that work even when you're completely off the grid. Those wearing it can text emergency services, message friends and family, and share their location via satellite – all from their wrist.Apple says the satellite feature required some engineering, making them reengineer the radio to cover more frequencies and redesigning the antenna to double signal strength for communication with satellites 800 miles above Earth traveling at 15,000 mph.The Ultra 3 also features the largest Apple Watch display ever thanks to LTPO3 technology, which makes borders 24% thinner while increasing screen area. Battery life extends to 42 hours in normal use and 72 hours in Low Power Mode. The Ultra 3 starts at Rs 89,900 and will be available in natural and black titanium.

Apple's most affordable Watch SE gets even better

The SE 3 brings many premium features down to the Rs 25,900 price point, including an always-on display for the first time, 5G cellular connectivity, and fast charging that's twice as fast as the previous generation.Health features include sleep score, retrospective ovulation estimates, sleep apnea notifications, and wrist temperature sensing. The S10 chip enables on-device Siri, double-tap and wrist-flick gestures, and voice isolation for clearer calls.The SE 3 maintains the same 18-hour battery life despite adding the Always-On display and comes with cover glass that's 4x more crack-resistant than the previous generation.

We have the dates for iOS 26 release

While this never gets talked about during all the flashy new hardware Apple has to show during its Fall showcase, it's always in the fine print where Apple spills the beans on the release dates for its software updates, and all of Apple's 2026 operating systems — iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, and watchOS 26 — are releasing on September 15. The 2026 batch of software updates brings the new "Liquid Glass" design language that adds translucent elements throughout the interface.