Come on, here's the program list for Apple's "Spring Festival Gala" today.

There are just a few hours left before Apple's fall product launch event kicks off at Apple Park.

There haven't been many surprises with the iPhone in the past four years, but this year is finally a "big year":

The brand - new, lightweight iPhone 17 Air will be the star product at this launch event.

In addition to the iPhone, a series of new products such as watches, headphones, and smart home devices will also make their debut at this event, which is expected to be the most product - rich launch in recent years.

Apple's recent secrecy measures have been less than impressive. All the information about the new products has been exposed, and it's highly reliable. Based on this information, we've compiled ten highlights of the launch to help you preview this "tech gala".

Highlight 1: The Thinnest iPhone Ever

With a thickness of 5.5mm, the new iPhone 17 Air becomes the thinnest iPhone ever.

It will be the most important and innovative product at tomorrow's early - morning launch event, but it probably won't be the most "popular" model in the 17 series.

Why do we say that? Keep reading.

Not only is it ultra - thin, but the 17 Air also has a slightly larger screen: 6.55 inches, which is between the Pro (6.3 inches) and the Pro Max (6.9 inches).

You can't have your cake and eat it too. To achieve such a lightweight and thin body, Apple had to make some compromises.

Previously, there were reports that the battery capacity of the 17 Air was around 2800 - 2900mAh. However, according to information from Chinese market regulatory authorities, the final battery capacity might reach over 3000mAh - still not a large amount. For comparison, the iPhone 16 with a 6.1 - inch screen has a battery capacity of 3561mAh.

More importantly, according to sales information leaked by a South Korean telecom company last weekend, Apple seems to lack confidence in the 17 Air's battery life and has even prepared an official battery back - shell accessory. Will this allow heavy users to avoid charging twice a day?

▲ Battery back - shell from the iPhone 6s era

After the bad news about battery life, here's some good news: the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be equipped with a high - refresh - rate screen.

However, whether it will use the ProMotion technology name remains to be seen at tomorrow's event. After all, ProMotion is nominally a "Pro" feature, and the 17 Air doesn't seem like a Pro phone.

Under the guise of being lightweight, Apple has finally decided to remove the SIM card slot from the iPhone 17 Air and fully promote eSIM.

But this brings more problems: in China, where there's no established eSIM ecosystem for mobile phones, how can you use the 17 Air? Can you buy it at the initial launch?

There are currently many conflicting reports on this. Overall, e - commerce platforms, telecom operators, and physical retailers should have stocked up on the iPhone 17 Air, but it might have to wait for the telecom operators' eSIM policies to be finalized before it can be launched. That is, whether the 17 Air can be launched simultaneously with other models remains to be seen.

But there are two signals worth noting: 1) Two months ago, China Unicom revealed a mobile eSIM service page, but it's still in the experimental stage; 2) This afternoon, on September 9th, the China Unicom eSIM official account was re - verified as the "officially verified account for China Unicom's eSIM services".

Regarding the processor, some say the 17 Air will use the A19 processor (TSMC's N3P process), while others say it will be equipped with the A19 Pro, but with one less GPU core than the iPhone 17 Pro. In terms of other parameters, the 17 Air has a single 48 - megapixel/4K - recording camera, a single speaker, and is equipped with Apple's self - developed C1 baseband.

There are reports that the price of the 17 Air will be higher than the current Plus version, which costs $899 or 6999 RMB. It might reach $949, around 7499 RMB.

Leaked information from a South Korean telecom company shows that the starting price of the 128GB iPhone 17 Air in South Korea is 1.4 million won, approximately 7200 RMB.

The iPhone 17 Air is likely to exclusively feature a "sky - blue" color, the same as the M4 MacBook Air launched this year. The other three colors are black, white, and starlight (off - white).

Highlight 2: High - Refresh Screen on the Standard iPhone 17

The standard iPhone will finally get a high - refresh screen this time:

Multiple sources have revealed that the entire iPhone 17 series will be equipped with LTPO screens with variable refresh rates. However, similar to the 17 Air, the variable refresh rate of the iPhone 17 might also be reduced to avoid encroaching on the Pro version's market.

In terms of screen size, the iPhone 17 will also follow the Pro's lead and increase from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches.

Regarding the processor, the iPhone 17 will be equipped with the new A19 processor this year, manufactured using TSMC's third - generation 3nm process N3P, which will improve performance and power consumption.

The rear - facing camera won't have significant updates. The main camera will still be 48 megapixels, and the wide - angle camera will be 12 megapixels. The front - facing camera will be upgraded from 12 megapixels to 24 megapixels - all four models in this generation will receive this upgrade.

The iPhone 17 will also have more color options. In addition to black and white, the classic gray tone from the iPhone 6 will make a comeback, and the other two colors are bright lemon green and light purple/pink.

Highlight 3: Photography, Heat Dissipation, and Color on the Pro/Max

Famous leaker Majin Bu revealed that the iPhone 17 Pro series will be equipped with a VC vapor chamber for the first time, a heat - dissipation design that's already quite common in the Android camp.

▲ Image source: Manji Bu

This might also be the reason why Apple used a "thermal - imaging" Apple logo in the promotional materials for this launch: heat dissipation is one of the most important upgrades for the 17 Pro/Max series.

Moreover, the blue and orange colors in the materials happen to be the new colors for the 17 Pro/Max.

The "orange" color is close to bronze, brighter and more saturated than the "desert gold" of the 16th generation.

Improvements in imaging are also highly anticipated. Apple will focus its promotion on "imaging" and define it as "the biggest update in iPhone imaging history".

The large camera deco that runs across the back of the 17 Pro/Max not only makes the latest iPhone easily recognizable but also has imaging - related considerations.

Leaked information from a South Korean telecom company shows that the telephoto lens of the 17 Pro/Max will be upgraded to 48 megapixels, supporting up to 8x continuous optical zoom. More importantly, this is also Apple's first time to introduce a triple - camera combination with all 48 - megapixel lenses.

There are reports that this telephoto lens can also work with the Vision Pro, but it's still unclear how the whole mechanism will work. Apple is also likely to equip the 17 Pro/Max with a mechanical aperture, allowing users to adjust the light - intake path of the camera lens and further improve the depth - of - field effect.

▲ Variable aperture on the Huawei Mate 50

Previously, ifanr reported that Apple might add a self - developed professional photography app to the official version of iOS 26. It's still unclear whether this is a brand - new app or a new function of the Final Cut Camera. Even if it's launched, it might be exclusive to the Pro/Max series.

To make the iPhone a more independent creative tool for video workers, Apple will further enhance the video - shooting capabilities of the 17 Pro/Max. Leaked information from a South Korean telecom company shows that the Pro/Max will support 8K video and simultaneous front - and rear - camera recording.

The RAM of the iPhone 17 Pro/Max series will also be upgraded from 8GB to 12GB, further improving the phone's ability to keep apps in the background.

The 17 Air is super lightweight, while the 17 Pro Max might become thicker. Leaks suggest its thickness will reach 8.725mm, as it needs to accommodate a larger battery, with the power possibly reaching or exceeding 5000mAh.

Friends who have been complaining about the screen cut - out can take a break this year. It's rumored that Apple has redesigned the Dynamic Island hardware of the 17 Pro/Max, reducing the "pill" cut - out from 2 cm to 1.5 cm - a full 25% reduction!

Supply - chain information shows that Apple has achieved qualified yields and production volumes for anti - reflection/anti - glare screens, which are expected to be installed on the 17 Pro/Max models to improve the screen - reading experience in high - brightness environments.

There's also a "reverse - charging" function. The square area on the back of the 17 Pro/Max is also a wireless charging pad that can charge AirPods, Apple Watch, or even another iPhone.

Highlight 4: Domestic AI to Be Launched This Year

The promise of AI continues: Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Apple failed to deliver on its promise to launch a domestic Apple AI in mid - 2025 but is still working hard to launch it as soon as possible.

In terms of the launch time, Apple plans to implement it with the iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2 update by the end of this year.

As for the model providers, current information indicates that Alibaba and Baidu will be involved, providing model support for the base model, Siri, and visual intelligence, respectively.