TECH giant Apple on Tuesday unveiled four new iPhone models that mark the latest editions to its marquee product. That includes the introduction of the iPhone Air, which Apple says is its thinnest smartphone yet. And, as seen in years past, its newest phones boast better cameras, longer lasting batteries and a handful of other upgrades across the board. The latest devices come with a new A19 chip, which will particularly help power Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) features. With hiked tariffs impacting many goods sold in the U.S., some analysts speculated that California-based Apple may raise iPhone prices. But for the most part, Apple is sticking with the same price tags it’s slapped on its newest iPhones over recent years, after Google also held steady on prices for its new Pixel smartphones. Apple’s going price for the iPhone 17, which officially hits stores Sept. 19, begins at about US$800 — compared to US$1,100 and US$1,200 for its iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. The iPhone Air will start at US$1,000. In addition to better camera quality on its front and back facing lenses, iPhone 17’s front camera has been upgraded across its lineup to have a wider field of view and new sensor, allowing you to take landscape photos and other selfie orientations without having to rotate your phone. iPhone’s new Air offering also gives users the option to record videos using the front and back cameras simultaneously. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max added a more powerful telephoto lens, among other improvements. Apple also boasted longer battery life across its iPhone 17 lineup. It said that its new iPhone Air, in particular, would be the tech giant’s most power-efficient iPhone yet. The iPhones Apple rolled out last year were the first the company designed with a wide range of new AI features. The iPhone 17 lineup announced Tuesday doesn’t make as many leaps as its predecessor — but each phone will come with Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 26, which will feature incremental AI advances. Previewed at its developers conference in June and set to also launch next week, iOS 26 will include capabilities like allowing you to take a screenshot and get a breakdown of what’s on your screen, as well as more live translation offerings. Apple on Tuesday also pointed to other features powered with AI that are specific to the iPhone 17 line, such as its new “Center Stage” feature for its front-facing camera. Still, Apple is playing a bit of catchup in the AI arena overall, and has run into some recent missteps. While the iPhone 16 has proven to be popular, the models didn’t sell quite as well as analysts had anticipated because Apple failed to deliver all the AI-fueled improvements it had promised, including a smarter and more versatile Siri assistant. The Siri improvements have been pushed back until next year. In addition to the iPhone 17, Apple also unveiled other gadget updates Tuesday — including AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. Among updates to Apple’s newest AirPods is live translation, which uses on-device AI to translate when other languages are spoken around the person using them. Similar live translation offerings have been previous rolled out by rival Google, for its Pixel products. Apple’s boasted a new “sleep score” tracking feature and hypertension notifications for its Series 11 smart watch. The hypertension feature flags for potential high blood pressure — taking data from the heart rate sensor and analyzing it for patterns related to hypertension. Apple on Tuesday noted that this is still pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Meanwhile, Apple says its latest high-end sports watch — the Ultra 3 — now features the biggest display and longest battery life seen in any of the company’s watches, among other updates. (SD-Agencies) | 