Apple 2025: iPhone Air, smart home hub and more

In 2024, Apple launched four iPhone models, iPad Air 2, and Pro models along with new Mac devices. Also, the all-new Mixed Reality (MR) device category Vision Pro hit stores in select markets worldwide.

This year, the Cupertino-based company is reportedly planning to enter another new device segment and may bring five iPhone models, which will also have an all-new iPhone Air variant.

Here is the list of Apple products, which are expected to make their debut in 2025:

. Apple's first hardware of the year 2025 is said to be the iPhone SE 4. It is also rumoured to be called as iPhone 16E understood to be an affordable variant of the iPhone 16 series.

It is expected to launch during the spring event, which is expected to be hosted in April.

It is said to feature iPhone 14-like design language with a big notch at the top. The latter will house a FaceTime HD camera along with biometric security sensors to power the FaceID feature. This means, there won't be a TouchID fingerprint sensor.

. It is said to sport a bigger 6.06-inch (diagonal) OLED-based Super Retina XDR display much bigger and better than the predecessor, which had a regular 4.7-inch LCD-based retina display.

It is likely to sport a single 48MP main sensor with an LED flash on the back. And, to support the generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)-based Apple Intelligence features such as Visual Intelligence, Image Playground, Genmoji, Clean Up tool, audio transcriptor, language translator and more, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to come with 8GB RAM and Apple A18 silicon.

Also, the iPhone SE 4th gen is rumoured to be Apple's first device to boast a propreitary 5G cellular modem. The Cupertino is expected to be used in select devices slated for release later this year.

.Apple iPhone SE (3rd Gen) review: Powerful phone with retro compact design. In the same spring event, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is likely to launch the iPad Air M3 series and a regular iPad, which will replace the iPad Air M2 and iPad 10th gen, respectively.

.Apple iPad Air M2 review: Solid all-rounder tablet. They will come with incremental upgrades in terms of new M3 silicon (for iPad Air) and A17 Pro (for iPad), better display panels, and longer battery life. Both devices will support a full suite of Apple Intelligence features.

.Apple iPad (10th Gen) gets price cut in India. The Cupertino-based technology major is working on a product code-named J490. It is said to be a hybrid device, which will have HomePod-like speakers, an iPad-like touch display with a 6-inch screen size and a camera.

It will also come with a mountable accessory to dock the device on the walls of a kitchen, a living room or in the bedroom.

It will act as a central hub and users will be able to control Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets at home such as smart ACs, refrigerators, door security cameras and more.

In a related development, Apple in November 2024, secured a new patent for a home security camera at the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO).

As per Apple's sketch in the patent application, the new smart home camera is capable of scanning not just the face, but also the upper body to correctly identify the person.

Apple is reportedly building more such IoT gadgets and add them to its product portfolio in the coming years.

It should be noted that Apple, Amazon, Google, iRobot, Signify, Connectivity Standards Alliance (previously known as Zigbee Alliance), standards-- 'Matter'. This allows all smart home devices with different operating systems to work seamlessly with digital assistants such as Siri (with Apple Intelligence), Alexa, and Google Assistant.

The specification for Matter v1.0 standard was released in 2022 and since then, several certified products have made their way to store shelves.

So devices other than Apple's will be able to work smoothly with the upcoming smart home hub.

. Like the previous years, Apple will be launching the iPhone 17 series in four variants. However, this time, it will bring a special iPhone 17 model, which is expected to be called either iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Air.

The iPhone 17 Air, which replaces the iPhone 16 Plus model, is touted to feature a super slim structure with just 5.5mm thickness. Due to the design limitation, Apple may remove the physical SIM slot.

It is said to sport a 6.55-inch display and Apple may use a new type of high energy-density battery cell, which can store more power and occupy less space than compared to conventional phone batteries used in the current crop of premium phones.

.Apple iPhone 16 review: Pretty amazing mobile with meaningful upgrades. Apple will use an OLED display with Pro Motion technology on all four iPhone 17 variants. They will also support a 120Hz refresh rate. And, they will come with A19 series silicon.

.Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review: Powerful mobile with meaningful upgrades. The new Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 are expected to come with an incremental upgrade. The most important feature is said to be the Blood Pressure reading. Like the state-of-the-art heart health trackers, the new Apple Watches will be able to help users monitor their BP and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Apple also plans to bring a new affordable Watch SE (3rd gen) series with some newer chipset, a bigger display with slimmer bezels and heart health tracking capabilities, and more colour variants.

. The company is expected to launch the new MacBook Air PC with the new M4 chipset later this year. It is expected to offer the base model with 16GB and offer an improved camera.