Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new iPhone 17 lineup, including the super-thin iPhone Air – but held prices steady despite President Trump‘s tariffs slamming the company’s bottom line.
In the first major redesign since 2017, the iPhone Air is just 5.6 millimeters thick and has a “space grade” titanium frame. It will come in four colors: white, black, gold and sky blue.
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The iPhone Air’s $999 price tag slots it between the company’s other models, as analysts had predicted.
“We’re taking the biggest leap ever for iPhone,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the event held at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
Apple also launched the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, the latest upgrade to its flagship smartphone, as well as a new version of its AirPods Pro wireless headphones and a blood pressure monitor in its latest Apple Watch.
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A 256-gigabyte version of the iPhone 17 base model will start at $799, the same as the previous iPhone 16 model with half the storage space.
The iPhone 17 Pro will start at $1,099 for a 256-gigabyte model, the same as the previous year’s model with the same storage size, but without the option of a smaller-capacity phone at a lower $999 like the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple did not raise the price on watch models or the new AirPods Pro 3 either.
The prices were an indication that Apple was ready to swallow the cost of tariffs to ward off competition from Samsung, Google and domestic rivals in China, even as it has predicted that the levies would cost it more than $1 billion in the current fiscal quarter.
Apple shares were down 1.5% at the closing bell.
Analysts had largely expected Apple to debut a thinner iPhone, and the company has gotten flack for a lack of innovative, exciting new launches.
“They’re leveraging their scale to try to keep prices where they are,” said Tom Mainelli, head of IDC’s Device & Consumer Research Group.
“I think Apple, like most tech vendors, are acutely aware, particularly in the US, that tariffs are going to impact consumers’ ability to spend in the second half of this year. So … they’re going to hold a line on prices and try to make it possible for people to upgrade between now and the end of the year at the same price as last year.”
Apple touted new cameras across its 17 and 17 Pro models, with four times the resolution of the iPhone 16.
Its large front camera sensor – which is almost twice the size of the previous model – comes after iPhone users snapped a whopping 500 billion selfies last year, according to Apple.
The iPhone 17 Pro has a new design, better zoom camera and a bigger battery, available in silver, dark blue and orange.
The new A19 Pro chip – which gives devices the same computing power as a MacBook Pro – will also be available in iPhone Pro models.
Apple also unveiled its AirPods Pro 3 – the first to include a live language translation feature.
Retailing for $249, the new AirPods offer improved audio features, like better noise cancellation; a heart rate sensor; and the best fit yet, available in five sizes.
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The wireless headphones will also have a longer battery life, lasting eight hours on a single charge, up from six hours previously.
Its new Apple Watch Series 11 offers new health features, like a blood pressure monitor that could alert users to possible complications – continuing Apple’s health push in its wearables.
The company said it expects to get FDA clearance for the feature in the coming weeks, and notify over 1 million people with undiagnosed hypertension in the first year alone.
Apple called the Series 11 its “thinnest and most comfortable watch,” with a stronger, more scratch-resistant glass and 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, starting at $399.
The tech giant also announced a lower-priced model – the Apple Watch SE 3 for $249 – and a pro version – the Apple Watch Ultra 3 at $799.
The pro model has the largest Apple Watch screen yet, satellite connectivity for emergency calls and a 42-hour battery life.
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