Technologies

iPhone 17 Launch: Everything We Expect to Be Announced at Apple’s September Event

The event is likely slated for early September and should feature the iPhone 17 line, Apple Watch Series 11 and maybe more.

There is nothing in this world that is certain, except for death, taxes and the reveal of a new iPhone every year. We’re likely weeks away from Apple’s iPhone 17 event, but we’ve already seen a lot of the product lineup through leaked photos and rumors.

In addition to the base model, you can expect an iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max and a slim version, nicknamed the iPhone 17 Air to be revealed during the event. We’re also likely to see an Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 and maybe an Apple Watch SE, which last got updated in 2022. The AirPods Pro 3 might also make their debut.

Tying the whole lineup together is iOS 26 which was showcased at WWDC 2025 and should drop shortly after the event.

Here are the biggest rumors and leaks about Apple’s new hardware. We’ll continue updating this piece ahead of the iPhone 17 event. Apple hasn’t announced any products or confirmed rumors, and we likely won’t find out for sure until the September iPhone event.

When will the iPhone 17 event be? What’s the iPhone 17 release date?

If you’re excited about the new iPhone’s debut, you might not have to wait long. Multiple leaks point to an early September date for Apple’s iPhone 17 reveal.

A July 13 newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted that an event is likely slated for Sept. 9 or Sept. 10. German site iPhone-Ticker claimed it gained access to internal documents from a local carrier that lined up with the Sept. 9 date. We don’t have access to these documents, so the rumors should be taken with a grain of salt. If these leaks turn out to be true, we can expect preorders for the new Apple hardware to begin on Sept. 12, with a release date of Sept. 19.

iPhone 17

The standard iPhone is the cornerstone of Apple’s September presentation, and the iPhone 17 should be no different. All in all, this year won’t mark a groundbreaking shakeup for the iPhone. That’s supposedly coming next year, for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary. But there are still new features to get excited over in the meantime.

The largest alteration to the design is rumored to be the phone’s camera bump, which will more closely resemble the pill-shaped design of Google’s Pixel. Analyst Jeff Pu also believes that the selfie camera will be 24 megapixels — a solid upgrade from the 12-megapixel front-facing camera present in the iPhone 16 lineup.

There are conflicting rumors about the iPhone 17’s internal specs. Pu stated that the new phone will have the same A18 chipset used in the iPhone 16, while leaker Fixed Focus Digital suggested that the phone will be upgraded to the A19 chip. It’s unknown whether the iPhone 17 will get a physical battery upgrade, but the Adaptive Power feature included within iOS 26 should help extend the phone’s battery life nonetheless.

Prominent leaker Majin Bu posted photos of the purported iPhone 17 lineup on X, and if they’re accurate, the device will come in black, blue, silver, purple and green.

iPhone 17 Air

The iPhone 17 Air could replace the Plus model in the lineup. Its key feature could be an ultra-thin design, like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. It will be interesting to see if the slim design comes with a sacrifice to battery life, like with the S25 Edge. A Bloomberg report states that the Air could be as thin as 5.5mm. Pu notes that the Air will likely have a 6.6-inch display, with a resolution of 1,260×2,740 pixels.

There is a mix of rumors about the Air’s chip, with trusted sources such as Bloomberg reporting that it will have the standard A19 chip. More recently, MacRumors reported on a leaker’s assertion that the phone will contain the A19 Pro chip, but there’s no substantial evidence pointing toward either claim.

According to MacRumors, the Air has a 2,800-mAh battery — though it might be the first Apple phone to use a high-density silicon battery, which could increase actual battery capacity by between 15% to 20%. Note that the Adaptive Power feature shipping with iOS 26 might help with the battery life.

Judging by the numerous leaked photos and renders, it’s also extremely likely that the Air will have only one wide-angle rear camera, like the iPhone 16E. The front camera may also be moved to the left of the Dynamic Island cutout (that camera sensor bar at the top of the phone’s display) to maintain its form.

While the iPhone 17 is expected to stay at the baseline 8GB of memory, the Air could have 12GB of RAM, which is the same memory that the Pro and Pro Max phones are rumored to include.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

Whereas the Air is expected to make sacrifices in order to achieve its design, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are the most premium models in the lineup. Recent photos substantiate rumors that the Pro’s chassis will change from titanium to aluminum, which will make them lighter than previous models.

The biggest rumored upgrades coming are the cameras. MacRumors reported that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an 8x optical zoom telephoto lens up from the 5x one on the 16 Pro. Pu wrote that the Pro phones will feature a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which is a substantial improvement over the 16 Pro’s 12-megapixel sensor. He similarly reports that the selfie camera will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, up from the 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the 16 Pro.

As reported on by MacRumors, one leaker claimed the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have the biggest battery in any iPhone to date — and the Pro will likely have a similarly sized battery. Bu claimed that both phones will have a vapor chamber cooling system, which could help keep these batteries from overheating on the sunniest summer days.

The Pro phones will come with the A19 Pro chip, but while the iPhone 17 Air could likely have a five-core GPU, the Pro and Pro Max will have a six-core GPU, ensuring better performance across the board.

For folks who care about showing off their new phone, you’ll be happy to know that one supposed leaker on Weibo claimed that one of the color choices for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max is related to the slick iOS 26 Liquid Glass design, while we’ve seen leaked mockups of the Pro in black, silver, dark blue and orange.

Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and SE

The Apple Watch Series 11 could get key improvements to its core features, battery life and performance.

We might not see a drastic change in design from the Apple Watch Series 10, but MacRumors reports that the Series 11 could get a more energy-efficient screen with higher resolution and better brightness settings (which could improve battery life). Keeping with the trend of upgrading the processor in each new Apple Watch, we should see an S11 chip present in the Series 11.

Gurman reported back in March that Apple has been testing blood pressure tracking for future Apple Watch models, but it’s unclear how far along in development that feature is and whether it’s ready for release with the Series 11.

What is extremely likely to debut at this event, on the other hand, is the Apple Watch Ultra 3, since MacRumors found imagery for the smartwatch buried within the iOS 26 beta. The photos show an Ultra watch with a slightly larger display, clocking in at a 422×514-pixel resolution. The Ultra 3 would likely share an S11 chip with the Series 11. While the Ultra 2 already boasts the longest battery life of any Apple Watch, an S11 chip could see even greater returns on a single charge for the Ultra 3 — it could last three or four days in low-power mode.

The most unique feature that could come to the premium new Apple Watch is satellite connectivity. According to Gurman, Apple has been exploring adding this feature to the next Ultra model — if implemented, it would enable emergency messaging and location sharing in areas without cell service. Google’s new Pixel Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to support satellite connectivity.

There are some hints that we might see a new SE model. For starters, there hasn’t been an SE since 2022, which means Apple could be primed for a release this year. A report from Gurman also stated that there’s a possibility that a next-gen SE could be in the works. The next SE design could largely focus on an improved exterior, according to Gurman, but it’s also likely that the budget watch could get an upgrade to Apple’s S9 chip.

The WatchOS 26 AI-powered Workout Buddy feature would also be standard for any new Apple Watch introduced at this event, though they’ll need to be paired up with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.

AirPods Pro 3

It’s been a hot minute since Apple has updated the AirPods Pro. The second iteration of the premium wireless earbuds was released in 2022, and the company has been radio silent about the AirPods Pro 3 despite releasing new AirPods models every year since 2019.

That’s likely to change very soon, since MacRumors contributor Steve Moser found references to the AirPods Pro 3 in the underlying code for iOS 26’s first beta.

Bloomberg’s Gurman predicts that the product announcement will happen during the iPhone 17 event. He also reported that the new design will likely feature heart-rate monitoring as a key feature, similarly to the Powerbeats Pro 2. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo further reported that the company is looking to add infrared cameras to future AirPods, but this hardware might not be ready until the AirPods Pro 4.

It’s also rumored that the AirPods Pro 3 could have an interactive touchscreen display in the charging case, doubling as a remote control. It’s also possible that the new wireless earbuds will have an H3 chip, an improvement over the AirPods Pro 2’s H2 chip that could improve battery life, enhance sound quality, provide better active noise cancellation and perform better during voice calls.

Announcement, beta and iOS 26 launch

A new generation of Apple hardware calls for new software as well, and iOS 26 is changing far more than the operating system’s naming convention. The iOS 18 successor — which was announced at WWDC — is on its fourth public beta, which fixes a number of bugs from the previous update and brings the software more in line with the most recent developer beta version.

We know what many of the main features of iOS 26 will look like before its full release. The design is largely minimalist, with a heavy emphasis on Liquid Glass, which presents a colorless «all clear» alternative to the light and dark mode interfaces. This unobtrusive design will make dynamic changes to the lock screen, where the time and date will change to fit your photo, and Safari, where unused tabs will gravitate toward the top of the screen.

The Camera, Photos, and FaceTime apps are also going back to basics with simplified designs, while the Messages app is getting more colorful. The biggest features for iOS 26 are call screening for unknown numbers, live translation for calls and texts, a dedicated Games app and lyrics translations on the Music app.

For an in-depth breakdown of all of the iOS upgrades Apple has revealed (as well as the updates the company didn’t mention), check out the roundup from CNET’s Jeff Carlson here.

We’ll continue to update this piece as more details for the upcoming iPhone 17 event are confirmed. Check back in for more information about release dates and upcoming Apple hardware as it becomes available.

Technologies

Kohler Wants to Put a Tiny Camera in Your Toilet and Analyze the Contents

The company’s new Dekoda toilet accessory is like a little bathroom detective.

Some smart litter boxes can monitor our pets’ habits and health, so having a camera in our human toilet bowls seems inevitable. That’s just what kitchen and bathroom fixture company Kohler has done for its new health and wellness brand, Kohler Health.

The $599 Dekoda clamps over the rim like a toilet bowl cleaner, pointing an optical sensor at your excretions and secretions. It then analyzes the images to detect any blood and reviews your gut health and hydration status. Depending on the plan you choose, the subscription fee is between $70 and $156 per year.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

At toilet time, you sign in via a fingerprint sensor so that the device knows who’s using the facilities. (Please wash your hands before signing out or tracking your progress.) Then, check in with the app for the day’s analysis and trends over time.

Wait until you’re off the pot, though, before you start doomscrolling your health. The device has a removable, rechargeable battery and uses a USB connection.

Kohler says it secures your data via the aforementioned fingerprint scanner and end-to-end encryption, and notes that the camera uses «discreet optics,» looking only at the results, not your body parts.

«Dekoda’s sensors see down into your toilet and nowhere else,» the company says.

Kohler warns that the technology doesn’t work very well with dark toilet colors, which makes sense. I’m sure there could be an upsell model with a light on it. Maybe the company could add an olfactory sensor, since smell reveals a lot about your gut health too. It could track «session» length or buildup under the rim to alert whoever has responsibility to clean it.

Kohler must have been straining to find appropriate lifestyle photos to include with the publicity materials. Many of the images are hilarious, featuring fit-looking men and women drinking water and staring off into space contemplatively — probably thinking about gas.

Technologies

Who’s Up to Fight Mega-Corporations in the Outer Worlds 2 on Xbox Game Pass?

Save the universe by fighting one CEO at a time in The Outer Worlds 2, plus play other great games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October.

Space is the final frontier, and it’s packed with some devious mega-corporations who are out to make a buck in The Outer Worlds 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can fight them in the highly anticipated sequel starting on Oct. 29.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Hollow Knight: Silksong, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in October, including Ninja Gaiden 4.

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PowerWash Simulator 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

If you’ve ever spent hours watching people on YouTube clean dirty rugs, cars and other grimy objects, you should check out PowerWash Simulator 2. As the name suggests, this sequel is all about blasting away dirt and filth from pools, homes and other objects around town. You have a furry kitty companion, and yes, you can pet them when you’ve finished cleaning.

Bounty Star

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

The American Southwest has devolved into a lawless, post-apocalyptic desert called the Red Expanse in this game. You’re out to clean the place up in this game by taking down major bounties issued by the government, and the best way to do that is by piloting and customizing a giant mech, of course. When you want to nurse your wounds, head back to your run-down garage to rest, grow and cook food and raise animals. It’s like a cozy Armored Core game.

Super Fantasy Kingdom (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 24.

After returning from a hunting trip, you find your 8-bit kingdom wrecked in this game. You must rebuild your domain in this roguelite, city builder. But as night falls, hordes of monsters emerge to tear everything back down. Build, mine, cook and grow your home, and prepare to defend it from all dangers.

Halls of Torment

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 28.

Get ready to descend into the deadly Halls of Torment in this retro, horde survival game. You can choose between 11 playable characters, each with their own playstyle, and equip various items and abilities to survive waves of enemies. This game is like Vampire Survivors, so if you like that game give this one a shot.

The Outer Worlds 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Clear your calendar for this sequel to the award-winning sci-fi adventure, The Outer Worlds. This time, you’re an Earth Directorate agent investigating the cause of devastating rifts that could destroy humanity. You have a new ship, new crew, new enemies and mega-corporation goons standing between you and the answers.

1000xResist

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 4.

One thousand years in the future, humanity is hanging on by a thread after a disease spread by alien occupation forces people to live underground in this sci-fi adventure game. You play as Watcher, and you fulfill your duties well, until one day you make a shocking discovery. This game won a Peabody Award in 2024, and it was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing that same year, so get ready for a story like no other.

Football Manager 26

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Get ready for a more immersive matchday experience in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. You can build a star-studded squad with new transfer tools, and this entry features official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.

Game Pass subscribers can play the standard or Console edition of this game.

Games leaving Game Pass on Oct. 31

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Oct. 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Jusant
Metal Slug Tactics
Return to Monkey Island

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.

Technologies

Does Charging Your Phone Overnight Damage the Battery? We Asked the Experts

Modern smartphones are protected against overcharging, but heat and use habits can still degrade your battery over time.

Plugging your phone in before you head to bed might seem like second nature. That way by the time your alarms go off in the morning, your phone has a full charge and is ready to help you conquer your day. However, over time, your battery will start to degrade. So is keeping your phone plugged in overnight doing damage to the battery?

The short answer is no. Keeping your phone plugged in all the time won’t ruin your battery. Modern smartphones are built with smart charging systems that cut off or taper power once they’re full, preventing the kind of «overcharging damage» that was common in older devices. So if you’re leaving your iPhone or Android on the charger overnight, you can relax.

That said, «won’t ruin your battery» doesn’t mean it has no effect. Batteries naturally degrade with age and use, and how you charge plays a role in how fast that happens. Keeping a phone perpetually at 100% can add extra stress on the battery, especially when paired with heat, which is the real enemy of longevity.

Understanding when this matters (and when it doesn’t) can help you make small changes to extend your phone’s lifespan.

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The science behind battery wear

Battery health isn’t just about how many times you charge your phone. It’s about how it manages voltage, temperature and maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when they’re exposed to extreme levels: 0% and 100%.

Keeping them near full charge for long stretches puts additional voltage stress on the cathode and electrolyte. That’s why many devices use «trickle charging» or temporarily pause at 100%, topping up only when needed.

Still, the biggest threat isn’t overcharging — it’s heat. When your phone is plugged in and running demanding apps, it produces heat that accelerates chemical wear inside the battery. If you’re gaming, streaming or charging on a hot day, that extra warmth does far more harm than leaving the cable plugged in overnight.

Apple’s take

Apple’s battery guide describes lithium-ion batteries as «consumable components» that naturally lose capacity over time. To slow that decline, iPhones use Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and pauses charging at about 80% until just before you typically unplug, reducing time spent at high voltage.

Apple also advises keeping devices between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and removing certain cases while charging to improve heat dissipation. You can read more on Apple’s official battery support page.

What Samsung (and other Android makers) do

Samsung offers a similar feature called Battery Protect, found in One UI’s battery and device care settings. When enabled, it caps charging at 85%, which helps reduce stress during long charging sessions.

Other Android makers like Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi include comparable options — often called Adaptive Charging, Optimized Charging or Battery Care — that dynamically slow power delivery or limit charge based on your habits. These systems make it safe to leave your phone plugged in for extended periods without fear of overcharging.

When constant charging can hurt

Even with these safeguards, some conditions can accelerate battery wear. As mentioned before, the most common culprit is high temperature. Even for a short period of time, leaving your phone charging in direct sunlight, in a car or under a pillow can push temperatures into unsafe zones.

Heavy use while charging, like gaming or 4K video editing, can also cause temperature spikes that degrade the battery faster. And cheap, uncertified cables or adapters may deliver unstable current that stresses cells. If your battery is already several years old, it’s naturally more sensitive to this kind of strain.

How to charge smarter

You don’t need to overhaul your habits but a few tweaks can help your battery age gracefully.

Start by turning on your phone’s built-in optimization tools: Optimized Battery Charging on iPhones, Battery Protect on Samsung devices and Adaptive Charging on Google Pixels. These systems learn your routine and adjust charging speed so your phone isn’t sitting at 100% all night.

Keep your phone cool while charging. According to Apple, phone batteries perform best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius). If your phone feels hot, remove its case or move it to a better-ventilated or shaded spot. Avoid tossing it under a pillow or too close to other electronics, like your laptop, and skip wireless chargers that trap heat overnight.

Use quality chargers and cables from your phone’s manufacturer or trusted brands. Those cheap «fast-charge» kits you find online often deliver inconsistent current, which can cause long-term issues.

Finally, don’t obsess over topping off. It’s perfectly fine to plug in your phone during the day for short bursts. Lithium-ion batteries actually prefer frequent, shallow charges rather than deep, full cycles. You don’t need to keep it between 20% and 80% all the time, but just avoid extremes when possible.

The bottom line

Keeping your phone plugged in overnight or on your desk all day won’t destroy its battery. That’s a leftover myth from a different era of tech. Modern phones are smart enough to protect themselves, and features like Optimized Battery Charging or Battery Protect do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Still, no battery lasts forever. The best way to slow the inevitable is to manage heat, use quality chargers and let your phone’s software do its job. Think of it less as «babying» your battery and more as charging with intention. A few mindful habits today can keep your phone running strong for years.