Apple launched its skinniest iPhone yet during the company’s highly anticipated product launch event Tuesday.
The yearly event, which was themed “Awe Dropping,” is the company’s chance at showcasing its newest devices to investors and customers alike, spurring excitement and demand for the products ahead of their launch. The occasion, held in the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, is widely considered Apple’s most important event of the year.
The star of the show was widely considered to be the iPhone 17 Air, which the company dubbed “the thinnest iPhone ever.” The device has a width of 5.6 millimeters and weighs only 165 grams, or approximately 0.36 pounds, but maintains a 6.5-inch screen display.
“iPhone Air is a total game changer,” said CEO Tim Cook during the presentation.
The thin smartphone model also features ceramic shields on both sides to ensure greater durability, along with improved camera systems and the A19 Pro chip. According to Apple‘s press release, the Air is “more durable than any previous iPhone” and is the “most power-efficient iPhone ever made.”
Before Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Air, its rival, Samsung, unveiled its own skinny phone with the 5.8 millimeter-wide Galaxy S25 Edge.
The iPhone 17 Pro was also introduced in the lineup, with similar features such as the ceramic shields and improved camera technology, along with new smartwatches and revamped AirPods.
Apple makes most of its money selling iPhones—comprising roughly half of the company’s sales, according to Bloomberg —and vowed to introduce major design upgrades to the iconic smartphone for the first time in five years.
Investors were left unimpressed, according to Bloomberg, after previous reporting of the new products left few surprises at the launch.
Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman told CNBC’s Power Lunch that the iPhone 17 was introduced during a “really tough” moment for a company that has made less than remarkable strides towards artificial intelligence.
“The problem with Apple is that everything that’s showing up today is, in fact, pretty incremental,” Newman said.
The iPhone 17 Air is currently priced at $999, while the Pro is priced at $1,099. According to the Associated Press, the Air’s pricing has remained the same as last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, while the Pro model experienced a 10 percent hike.
According to Reuters, the company’s shares dropped by 1.6% after Apple unveiled the new prices.
“I think Apple, like most tech vendors, are acutely aware, particularly in the U.S., that tariffs are going to impact consumers’ ability to spend in the second half of this year,” said Tom Mainelli, head of the International Data Corporation’s Device & Consumer Research Group, who spoke to Reuters.
“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.”
