What to expect from Apple’s big reveal of the iPhone 17

Apple is expected to bet on ultra-thin designs to revive sluggish smartphone sales – a strategy that could cost battery life. Here’s what you need to know, including pricing.

Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 17 line-up at its headquarters in Cupertino, California this week.

Artificial intelligence isn’t the only battlefront between smartphone makers, with Apple and Samsung aiming to reignite sluggish sales with thinner devices – even at the cost of battery life.

Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 17 line-up at its headquarters in Cupertino, California this week. Analysts are anticipating this will include a new Air model, which will be about 5.5mm thick – 2mm thinner than Apple’s current Pro models.

Apple is also expected to keep its pricing largely unchanged, as it did with last year’s iPhone 16 line-up, after it avoided the most punishing tariffs from US President Donald Trump’s trade war.

JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee expects the Air will replace the current Plus model and cost $US899 ($1375) to $US949 ($1451).

But the pursuit of thinness is expected to come at a cost.

Mr Chatterjee has tipped it to feature a 2800mAh battery, a significant downgrade from the iPhone 16’s 3561mAh and the Plus model’s 4674mAh.

“The launch of iPhone Air with a slimmer form factor could appeal to a broader-than-anticipated consumer demographic, despite its feature set likely more akin to iPhone base models rather than Pro models,” Mr Chatterjee said.

“While expectations for iPhone Air volumes have moderated in recent months with the feedback from the supply chain that Apple is largely planning for about 10-15 million units in the second half of the calendar year, but there remains room for surprises from better consumer reception.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has committed $US600bn to making more products and components in the US.

“At this time, based on supply chain feedback, iPhone Air is expected to be priced at $US899 to $US949 range, but a release closer to $US800 could present an opportunity for upside and imply that more than one SKU (stock keeping unit) in the line-up will qualify for the regional subsidies, which are expected to continue at least until the end of the calendar year.”

This suggests Apple is targeting a specific niche, perhaps users who value design and portability above all else, or those who are frequently near charging points.

It is a similar strategy to rival Samsung. It launched the Galaxy S25 Edge in May, which featured a 3900mAh battery, compared with the standard S25’s 4000mAh.

It comes as smartphones are becoming harder to sell. Samsung and Apple experienced “largely flat” sales last year, according to Counterpoint Research, while China’s Xiaomi was 2024’s fastest-growing brand, ranked No.3 globally with 14 per cent share.

Mr Chatterjee said Apple was largely expected to keep pricing the same, despite concerns earlier this year that Mr Trump’s punitive tariffs on China – where Apple makes most of its products – would force the tech titan to lift prices.

“With Apple’s recent announcements relative to investments in US the assumption is that the company will largely be shielded from tariffs, driving expectations for limited pricing changes except for those associated with changes in the base storage configuration for the Pro model (i.e. iPhone 17 Pro price is expected to increase from $US999 to $US1099 as the base storage option is expected to change to 256GB) which exhibit limited price sensitivity of demand,” he said.

In May, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the Trump administration’s tariffs were expected to cost $US900m in the June quarter.

But it has so far avoided the US President’s most punishing levies after it pledged to invest an additional $US100bn to manufacture in the US last month, lifting its total commitment to $US600bn.

“This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we’re grateful to the President for his support,” Mr Cook said last month.

But while tariff concerns might be easing, the quest for market penetration, especially in China, introduces new pricing pressures, Mr Chatterjee said.

“Pricing will play a particularly strong role in demand in the China market where smartphones priced under CNY 6000 (~$840 USD) qualify for a 15 per cent discount.”

This crucial detail means that Apple isn’t just setting a price; it’s playing a strategic game to ensure its devices fall within the sweet spot for these lucrative subsidies.

Mr Chatterjee said it was unlikely that Apple would unveil its much-hyped update of its Siri voice assistant. Apple software boss Craig Federighi said in June at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference that the Siri update needed “more time to meet our high quality bar” as rivals Microsoft, Amazon and Google leapfrog ahead of it in the AI race.

“We do not expect any meaningful updates relative to personalised Siri or other AI features during this product launch,” Mr Chatterjee said.

“In addition to iPhones, Apple is expected to launch Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3, with modest incremental feature upgrades, including satellite connectivity and some health-related sensors in Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3, respectively.”