Apple unveils its 'thinnest iPhone ever'

Arguably, the most important smartphone launch of the year has taken place at Apple's Cupertino Headquarters in California, with the announcement of the iPhone 17 – it will be on sale in Australia on September 19.

While there are four models in the iPhone 17 line-up, the lower-cost large-screen model known as the 'Plus' has been cut from the line-up and in its place a new model known as the iPhone Air will be available.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.

How to be the first to get the new iPhone 17

Pre-orders are officially live, so secure your plan and device today.

iPhone Air: thin is good

Pre-order here!

2025 will be remembered as the year of the thinner phone, with Samsung having teased its 'Edge' device in January before its release just months ago, and as someone who didn't understand the need or desire, I can tell you it's surprisingly good to use a thinner, lighter phone.

It's hard to really quantify why, but holding it in the hand feels far better than the thicker phones of today – we have to admit, phones have grown larger and thicker over the last decade as we've demanded more performance, battery power and camera capabilities.

Interestingly, iPhone Air does compromise on two of those things. Its battery certainly isn't as big as the other iPhone models, while it also has just a single-lens camera.

Apple, though, is backing the product, claiming an "all-day" battery life, and incorporating its best camera technology into that single lens.

That means 48 megapixel shots, and a virtual but fully optical 2x zoom capability. There is no ultra-wide lens.

With the iPhone 16e entry-level iPhone, which launched earlier this year, the single lens camera was off-putting to the younger generation who love their ultra-wide 0.5 selfies and snaps, but also many users felt they "might need" the zoom available on the Pro models.

So with the Air sitting in the middle of the iPhone 17 line-up, its appeal will be fascinating to watch.

It's certainly a winner on aesthetics alone. Apple has given it a polished metal frame, and a sleek glass front and back, in four rather subtle colours: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold and Sky Blue.

The iPhone Air will be more expensive than the previous 16 Plus, the $1,799 price puts it below the Pro models in the iPhone 17 line-up.

The iPhone Air is eSIM only, so here are some plans under $20 to get you started:

iPhone 17

Pre-order here!

Kicking off the new 2025 range is the iPhone 17, with its dual camera system and design that follows last year's 16. In principle, it has not changed dramatically since the iPhone 12 from 2020.

Fortunately, prices have not gone up, so the iPhone 17 starts at $1,399.

While the iPhone 17 features the A19 silicon for great performance and Apple Intelligence compatibility, the cameras are what's notable here.

Both lenses get the 48 megapixel fusion camera, while the front camera might be the revolution of the year. A new square sensor means you can choose tight and wide selfies in both portrait and landscape mode, without rotating the phone.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

Pre-order the iPhone 17 Pro here!Pre-order the Pro Max here!

The crown jewel of the iPhone line-up is the Pro models. Despite the attention Apple's 'thin' phone will get, the Pro models are where the features are at.

Featuring an advanced triple lens camera system, which in this case again Apple has enhanced with their 48 megapixel capabilities. Photos and videos will have never looked this good.

The iPhone 17 Pro models will also be capable of 4 times zoom at 100mm, and 8 times zoom at 200mm, so some real advances in zoom there too, for both photo and video.

While the Pro models started at $1,799 last year, this year they start at $1,999, and that's not a price hike, it's a change in storage with the base model now getting 256GB of space up from 128GB, and there's even a 2TB option for those most worried about storage!

All iPhone models are available to pre-order from Friday, September 12 and go on sale Friday, September 19.

Trevor Long travelled to Cupertino as a guest of Apple.

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