Crowds thronged to Apple stores around the globe Friday to pick up the newest iPhones — the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air — on launch day. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself threw open the doors of Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City on Friday morning.
Alongside the exciting new iPhone lineup, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3 also arrived at Apple retail stores and authorized outlets on Friday
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Customers queue up outside Apple Stores to get their iPhone 17 early
Some people say the days of big crowds for iPhone launches are a thing of the past. But it’s not true — around the world, iPhone launches remain a remarkable consumer phenomenon. Sure, people don’t camp out for days or hire pro line-sitters like they used to, thanks to Apple’s preorder prowess. However, for Apple fans everywhere, there’s still something magical about picking up a new iPhone on launch day.
This year is no different — and the buzz about the most exciting iPhone lineup in years undoubtedly added to the launch-day crowds.
Like every year, big queues appeared outside Apple Stores in most countries, with excited customers lining up to get their hands on the new iPhones early. To celebrate the occasion, Apple posted launch day photos from its various stores worldwide.
Photo: Apple
As mentioned, Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand for the iPhone 17 launch in New York City. Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, stood at his side, with a horde of blue-shirted Apple Store employees clapping in the background.
iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, our new Apple Watch lineup, and AirPods Pro 3… what a day!
So thankful to be with our incredible teams and customers celebrating at Apple Fifth Avenue! pic.twitter.com/oECgNPFD5p
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 19, 2025
In San Francisco, a crowd of people queued up to pick up their new iPhones on Friday morning. Shoppers lined the sidewalks on both sides of the iconic Apple Union Square building, with Apple employees shuffling them into the store rapidly to fullfill preorders.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
2025 iPhone lineup generates buzz
Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air on September 9 at its Awe Dropping event. It opened preorders for the phones on September 12 in most markets worldwide. Soon after preorders went live, strong demand for the iPhone 17 Pro Max caused shipping times to slip to two to three weeks or longer.
Perhaps that’s because Apple revamped its iPhone Pro models in a big way this year. For enhanced thermal efficiency, it switched to an aluminium frame and added a sophisticated vapor chamber cooling system. Additionally, the rear gets a new design with a camera plateau and a two-tone look. The telephoto camera got a big upgrade, too, and now uses a 56% larger sensor. This allows Apple to offer optical image quality even at 200mm zoom.
The the first-of-its-kind iPhone Air stands out for more than just its slim design. It also features a plateau at the rear, which houses almost all its internals and a single 48MP camera. It uses Apple’s second-gen C1X modem for faster 5G connectivity. And like the iPhone 17 family, it uses Apple’s new N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity.
Unlike the Pro models, the super-slim iPhone Air remained available for near-launch-day delivery even 48 hours after preorders opened, hinting at softer consumer interest. Potential buyers likely remained wary of the iPhone Air’s battery life as well as its simplified camera. But, as TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently noted, the iPhone Air should win customers over in retail stores with its slim and lightweight design.
To put battery anxiety at bay, Apple also sells a MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone Air. It can boost the phone’s battery life by as much as 65%.
Decorations outside Apple BKC, Mumbai, ahead of the iPhone 17 series launch.
Looks absolutely stunning! pic.twitter.com/o6UkAguhIS
— sid (@immasiddx) September 18, 2025
New Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3 hit retail stores today, too
As for the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3, they are modest upgrades over their predecessors. The biggest highlights are longer battery life and 5G connectivity. On the Ultra 3, you also get satellite connectivity for Emergency SOS.
The third-generation AirPods Pro retain the same design as their predecessor. But they pack major upgrades, including a heart rate sensor, superior ANC and better sound quality.
If you did not preorder the new iPhones, AirPods, or Apple Watch, you can grab them from your nearest Apple Store today.
More photos from Apple Stores worldwide on iPhone 17 launch day
Apple Regent Street, London
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple
Apple BKC, Mumbai
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple
Apple Nanjing East, Shanghai
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple
Apple Sydney
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple
iPhone 17 brings some real upgrades over previous years' models, including an always-on, 120Hz ProMotion display, a much-improved Center Stage selfie camera and a minimum of 256GB storage.
- Pro-level features, including always-on, ProMotion screen
- Extra-durable Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass
- Available in lavender, sage, mist blue, white and black
- Brilliant Center Stage selfie cam
- Not Apple's most advanced camera system.
- Same design as iPhone 16.
Apple's most powerful iPhone gets a redesign and impressive new capabilities. The iPhone 17 Pro's aluminum unibody design looks different for sure, with a wider camera plateau. But the big changes are inside: the powerful A19 Pro chip and a vapor chamber to cool it off for maximum performance.
- Base model jumps to 256GB of storage.
- 48MP rear cameras, with 8x optical zoom.
- 18MP Center Stage front camera for better selfies.
- Supports ProRes RAW for studio-quality video.
- Only three colors: silver, deep blue and cosmic orange.
The latest version of Apple's rugged smartwatch adds faster 5G cellular connectivity as well as Emergency SOS via satellite.
- Longest battery life of any Apple Watch (up to 42 hours, up to 72 hours in Low Power mode).
- Slightly bigger screen than Apple Watch Ultra 2.
- Same (admittedly rugged) design as previous models.
Lewis Wallace contributed to this report.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
