Apple launches iPhone lineup. Tim Cook says it’s unlike anything we created before

Chief executive Tim Cook described the new phones as “unlike anything we have created,” positioning the device as Apple’s answer to growing competition from Samsung’s slim Galaxy S25 Edge and Chinese manufacturers including Xiaomi and OnePlus.

The launch comes as Apple faces tariff costs exceeding $1 billion in the current fiscal quarter, with imported iPhones subject to approximately 25% duties under the Trump administration’s trade policies.

India is among the main production and assembly hubs for many of Apple’s devices – the electronics and smartphones category is at present exempted from the steeper 50% tariff that most other Indian goods attract when imported into the US, though it is not clear how long this breather would last.

iPhone overhaul

Apple replaced its traditional four-model structure, dropping the Plus variant in favour of the new Air model. The standard iPhone 17 features a larger 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches) with ProMotion technology and 3,000 nits peak brightness — the highest ever on an iPhone.

The iPhone 17 Air, with its 6.5-inch display housed in a 5.6mm titanium frame, represents Apple’s thinnest iPhone design. The device uses 80% recycled spacecraft-grade titanium and features ceramic shield protection on both front and rear surfaces for the first time.

Despite the constrained internal space, Apple maintains the Air achieves all-day battery life through redesigned component architecture and the new A19 Pro chip, which the company claims delivers “MacBook Pro levels of compute performance.”

Health tech advances

The Apple Watch Series 11 introduces hypertension detection using optical heart sensor data analysed over 30-day periods. Apple developed the feature through studies involving more than 100,000 participants and expects to notify over one million people with undiagnosed hypertension in the first year.

“High blood pressure impacts approximately 1.3 billion adults worldwide,” said Apple health executive Sumbal Desai. “The American Heart Association has referred to it as a silent killer because it often occurs with no obvious symptoms.”

The feature awaits regulatory approval from the FDA and other authorities, with availability expected in 150 countries this month.

The Apple Watch Series 11, priced starting at ₹46,900, also includes improved cellular coverage with 5G connectivity and enhanced sleep tracking with comprehensive sleep scoring that analyses duration, consistency, and sleep stage data.

Audio Innovation

The third-generation AirPods Pro, also a new product, introduce live translation capabilities, allowing real-time language interpretation during conversations whilst automatically lowering the speaker’s volume. The earbuds feature redesigned acoustic architecture that Apple claims delivers four times more effective noise cancellation than the original AirPods Pro.

The earbuds also add heart rate monitoring during workouts, previously requiring an Apple Watch for such health tracking. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at ₹25,900.

Performance models

The iPhone 17 Pro models feature redesigned thermal management using vapour chamber cooling and aerospace-grade aluminium with 20 times better thermal conductivity than previous titanium designs. This enables 40% better sustained performance compared to the iPhone 16 Pro during intensive tasks.

All three rear cameras now use 48-megapixel sensors, with the telephoto camera offering 8x optical zoom at 200mm — the longest optical zoom available on an iPhone. The Pro Max model achieves up to 39 hours of video playback, Apple’s longest battery life specification.

The biggest update is reserved for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, priced from ₹46,900, which features the largest display ever in an Apple Watch using wide-angle OLED technology. The Ultra 3 adds satellite connectivity for off-grid communication and emergency features in select countries, along with enhanced GPS and workout tracking capabilities.

Apple maintained existing pricing structures despite analyst predictions of increases due to tariffs. The company continues manufacturing primarily in China and India, where these devices will be available later this month.

The announcements come as Apple’s stock has declined 4% year-to-date whilst competitors including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta have posted significant gains. However, Apple shares have recovered in recent months as tariff impacts appear more manageable than initially projected.

The devices will be available for pre-order starting Friday, with general availability beginning the following week in India and most international markets.

Starting Prices

iPhone 17 256 GB - ₹82,900

iPhone Air 256 GB - ₹1,19,900

iPhone 17 Pro 256 GB - ₹1,34,900

iPhone 17 Pro Max 256 GB - ₹1,49,900

AW Series 11 - ₹46,900 (42MM)

AW Ultra - ₹89,900 (49MM)

AW (SE) - ₹25,900 (40MM)

AirPods 3 - ₹25,900