We’ve all been expecting an Apple Event in September, and the Cupertino-based technology giant has just made it official by sending out invites for a special event on September 9, with the tagline, “Awe dropping”.
There’s certainly a lot we’re expecting, and the special event will kick off at the fairly standard time for Apple events. It’ll start at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST on September 9, 2025 (3am September 10 AEST) from Apple Park, but have no fear if you didn’t score an invite. The event itself will be livestreamed, much like previous Apple keynotes, and TechRadar will be on the ground, breaking it all down as it happens.
Judging by the rumors and what Apple has shown off at previous September special events, we’re expecting the iPhone 17 lineup – including the all-new, super-thin iPhone 17 Air – new Apple Watches, and AirPods, as well as a tremendous amount of software.
You might recall, but Apple showed off its new Liquid Glass interface and ethos for its iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS platforms – all of those, or at least a majority, should get release dates as Apple’s promised a “Fall” launch (that’s a September to November timeframe).
Ahead, we’re breaking down what the invite tells us and a bit more about what to expect at the September 9 ‘Awe dropping’ event.
What does the ‘Awe dropping’ invite tell us?
Now that the September 9, 2025, Apple special event is official, all eyes are on the invite itself. The “Awe-dropping” take on the Apple logo is an interesting one, seemingly viewing it through a thermal imaging, heat-sensing view. There’s a strong shade of a vibrant orange, a dark blue, as well as an aqua blue, green, and even some yellow here.
Could this be hinting at a new cooling system for the rumored iPhone 17s, or perhaps a thermal camera joining the setup? The former seems the most likely. It could also be pointing at colors for the new iPhones, which makes sense, given some rumors are suggesting a shade of orange for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Get ready for an awe dropping #AppleEvent on Tuesday, September 9! pic.twitter.com/uAcYp2RLMMAugust 26, 2025
What can we expect at the event?
The likely star of ‘Awe dropping’ will be the iPhone 17 lineup. We expect four models again, but this time the iPhone 17 Air may replace the Plus alongside the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Air will likely have an opportunity to showcase its design prowess by matching the Liquid Glass interface closely and narrowing the gap with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. The 17 Air is expected to be super thin – somewhere around 5.5 millimeters – with a powerful chip inside.
It’ll be interesting to see if the standard iPhone 17 gets the same chip as the Pros – likely the A18 – or if it stands alone. A redesigned single-lens camera is rumored, and Apple will need to address battery life, especially if the 17 Air replaces the long-lasting Plus model.
For the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, we expect performance upgrades from new Apple-made silicon inside, and there could be some changes to how Camera Control works, according to recent rumors. Another new report suggests that the volume rocker and Action Button might be combined into one
Now, if you’re after the best cameras Apple has to offer, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are still expected to offer three lenses, but in a new design. We’ve all grown accustomed to a square camera bump, but according to reports, Apple might be raising the bar in the same way that we’ve seen with the Google Pixel family. You’ll still find a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses here, but the latter is expected to get a serious upgrade.
The iPhone 17 will likely look pretty similar to the iPhone 16, though I, for one, am hoping Apple sticks with some vibrant colors here. As I noted in the iPhone 16 review, an upgrade to 120Hz screens for the entry-level iPhone would be a much-appreciated addition, and it’s always a possibility, judging by rumors that the iPhone 17 lineup could usher this in across the board. There’s also reporting that the selfie camera on every new iPhone will kick things into a high gear of 24 megapixels.
All of these are expected to run iOS 26 out of the box with the new look and many new features, like major upgrades to Messages, and Apple will most certainly tout some new Apple Intelligence features here.
So what can we expect from an Apple Watch Series 11? Well, it should stick with a similar build and look to the Series 10. Still, under the hood, the processor should be upgraded for faster performance on the device, and hopefully, more efficient running for battery life. The Series 11 should be able to track Blood Oxygen out of the box around the globe, and even in the United States, as Apple has reintroduced that feature to the Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2.
It will still take the reading with sensors on your wrist, but you view the results on your iPhone – a smart workaround. That health tracking capability should be here alongside heart rate, ECG, a skin temperature sensor, and sleep tracking, though recent reports also note that blood pressure monitoring might be introduced this year as well. You’ll also get Workout Buddy when tracking workouts as part of watchOS 26 and a new gesture.
As for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, we’d expect it to keep a similar look available in two colors – silver or black – and mostly the same size. Though, as we’ve seen with other Apple Watches, the design team could slim down bezels to offer an even larger display that gets considerably brighter. After all, it’s designed as an adventure, ultra-rugged Apple Watch. It also gets several new features as part of watchOS 26, and if new health features are on the horizon, it’s likely the Ultra will have feature parity with the Series 11.
Considering it’s been two years since AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C and Apple rolled out new features for these buds alongside AirPods 4 and AirPods Max with USB-C in 2024, there’s a good chance we’ll see AirPods Pro 3 at the September event.
These will likely offer some upgrades over the current design, but a reinvention isn’t likely needed, given the current look’s popularity. Still, the charging case here could be slimmed down a bit, and it might adopt a similar LED and button structure as AirPods 4, which would mean a switch to a capacitive button rather than a physical one.
Powerbeats Pro 2 already features in-ear heart rate tracking, so there is an excellent chance these arrive on the new AirPods Pro alongside a performance boost from a new processor. You may not need the heart-rate tracing functionality here if you have an Apple Watch, though.
There’s also the rumored live translation feature, which would take on the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds and Google’s Pixel Buds 2 Pro. Don’t expect AirPods Pro with cameras this year, though.
Apple can only fit so much into just one event, but rumors point to the rest of 2025 being jam-packed for the tech giant. We can also expect new iPads – including an 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with the M5 chip – and new Mac desktops and MacBooks with the M5 as well as upgrades to the HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K.
As for when those arrive, it could be that Apple saves those for October or November. There’s also talk of an upgraded Apple Vision Pro with a faster processor over the M2, but it likely won’t bring the price down considerably.
As with all Apple rumors, it’s important to remember that nothing is officially official until it’s announced by the tech giant. So you’ll want to stick with TechRadar on September 9, 2025, to follow along with our live reporting on Apple’s Special Event, as we’ll have boots on the ground.
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