Apple event 2025 date time and where to watch live
The theatre is set. Apple’s ‘Awe-Dropping’ event later today promises to deliver what has become the tech industry’s most predictable surprise: another iPhone. And yet, here I am, wanting Apple to surprise me. The iPhone is no longer a single idea. It is a family with different personalities, and if the chatter is even half right, we are about to meet a new one that is very, very thin.
Here’s what intrigues me about today’s expected announcements: it’s not the individual features, but the sum of the incremental obsession.
The centrepiece of Apple’s event will reportedly be the ultrathin iPhone 17 “Air”, and this might be the most interesting product Apple has made in years, precisely because it shouldn’t exist.
I think it exists because Apple loves a design flex every few years. Think about it: we complain endlessly about battery life, camera bumps, and the need for more storage. Apple’s response? Let’s make a phone that will inevitably compromise on all three. The rumoured 5.5mm thickness would make it the thinnest iPhone ever, thinner even than the iPhone 6 that everyone remembers bending.
But here’s the thing: I actually want this phone. Not because it makes practical sense, but because it represents something we’ve lost in the smartphone race: the willingness to make bold design choices that prioritise experience over spec sheets. The original MacBook Air was criticised for having too few ports, no optical drive, and questionable performance, but it was also transformative.
The iPhone 17 Air might have terrible battery life and a camera that can’t compete with its siblings. But as a statement piece in a line-up with two heavier Pros, it makes strategic sense. If the panel is 120Hz and the main camera is a solid 48-megapixel shooter, a lot of people will not care about the second lens.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max represent the opposite philosophy: maximum capability crammed into a device that’s still somehow pocketable. Along with the iPhones, Apple will likely have updated the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3, but let’s be honest, the Pro phones are why we’re all really here.
The camera bump spanning the full width of the phone is going to be divisive. I would still love a completely flat back one day. Make the body a millimetre thicker, fill the extra space with a battery and let us retire the slab-on-slab camera hump look. Apple will not go that far, but a slightly thicker Pro Max is being floated and I am not mad at it.
On design, I am curious about the material shuffle. The talk is of aluminium making a comeback on Pros with a glass window for wireless charging. Titanium was nice to hold and nice to market. Aluminium is easier to shape, easier to colour, and if Apple is cutting weight while adding thickness and battery, it could be a net positive.
But the rumoured jump to 48-megapixel telephoto sensors isn’t just about pixel counts. The practical argument is stronger. A bar spreads the bulge, makes the wobble less annoying on a desk and gives Apple the room for a larger sensor stack or a deeper periscope. If the leaks are accurate, we’re looking at 8× optical zoom with the kind of detail that actually matters. If that happens, I will happily tolerate a wider camera island and a chunkier top end. Proper optics need volume. Computational tricks are smart, but they are still imitations of what glass and distance do for free.
On the battery front, the numbers being kicked around put the Pro Max north of 5,000mAh, and a bigger leap for the smaller Pro, too. Apple usually translates raw capacity into real longevity through efficiency. If we get new A19 silicon, vapour chamber cooling on Pros, and eSIM-only variants that reclaim internal volume, the phone simply lasts longer after the first year.
The original Apple Watch was criticised for trying to do too much. The Ultra feels like Apple is finally embracing that criticism and running with it. Satellite connectivity, blood pressure monitoring, and whatever other sensors they can cram into that titanium case; this is what wearable computing should be pushing toward.
The regular Apple Watch has become the smartphone of smartwatches. The Series 11 should bring a new chip and health features that feel like meaningful progression, such as the high blood pressure detection that has been rumoured before.
AirPods Pro 3 with heart rate and better fit rather than headline ANC claims makes sense to me. Audio quality on the current set is already fine for most people. Health data and tighter Watch synergy are the logical next step.
What I want from Apple tonight is not a moonshot. It is a bunch of thoughtful choices that add up to a noticeably better year with a phone. Longer battery because they used the freed SIM-tray space smartly. A zoom that is actually optical and good. A screen that reflects less and scrolls better.
The iPhone 17 Air might be the most interesting product announcement in years, not because it’s the best phone Apple will make, but because it represents a different philosophy about what smartphones can be. The Pro models will probably be exceptional, but in predictable ways. The Apple Watch will get better at keeping us healthy and connected.
If we get that, I will call it a good year for iPhone.
The show starts in a few hours. Pre-orders usually open the first Friday after and first deliveries the Friday after that. If Apple sticks to that cadence, tonight’s announcements will help you decide your lane. Are you buying reach, stamina and headroom with a Pro? Are you buying thin, light and elegant with an Air? Or are you buying the most iPhone for sensible money with the standard 17?
