iPhone 17e

All about iPhone 17e

The iPhone 17e was introduced on March 2, 2026, as part of Apple's week of several new product reveals. It is a good upgrade from the iPhone 16e it replaces, thanks to the addition of MagSafe and better chipsets.

It seems Apple will continue offering a new budget-friendly model each spring. It is a different approach to the iPhone SE, which released updates every few years.

The price point is higher than the iPhone SE at $599, but monthly payments and trade-ins make it highly affordable. It is Apple's only attempt at a budget iPhone beyond the used and refurbished markets offer.

Starting in 2027, it is expected that Apple will announce the entry-level and budget iPhone at the same time. That means the iPhone 18e and iPhone 18 will launch months after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max do in the fall of 2026.

There's still a chance of an iPhone Fold throwing a wrench into the mix, but it would launch in the fall as well.

Apple's iPhone 17 lineup has been selling very well, but it isn't clear if analysts are including the iPhone 17e in those numbers. The entry model might be just compromised enough to push users up to the more capable base iPhone 17 model.

iPhone 17e design and features

There's nothing new to speak of when it comes to the iPhone 17e design. It is externally identical to the iPhone 16e, which borrowed most of its design from the iPhone 14.

iPhone 17e is a step up from the previous model

The display has a notch instead of the Dynamic Island cutouts, but still offers Face ID. There's an Action button and no Camera Control.

The display glass is upgraded to Ceramic Shield 2, which has 3x better scratch resistance. The Super Retina XDR OLED display offers Dolby Vision and 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness.

On the back, there's a single camera with a 48MP sensor. It's classified as one of Apple's Fusion Cameras, which means Apple considers the 2x crop an optical-like 12MP shooter.

Apple doesn't hold back on decent camera tech for its budget model

It charges over USB-C and Qi2 MagSafe. That means Qi2 chargers and certified MagSafe chargers can provide 15W.

It is available in black, white, and pink. The base storage is 256GB, and customers can upgrade to 512GB if desired.

iPhone 17e chipsets

Apple has upgraded the iPhone 17e with the A19 processor, up from the A18. It has a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU, and each GPU core has Neural Accelerators that ensure faster on-device AI model operation.

iPhone 17e gets the latest base chipset from Apple

Apple also included the C1X modem, which is an upgrade from the C1 used in iPhone 16e. It's twice as fast and is identical to the modem used in iPhone Air.

Another benefit of the C1X is its energy efficiency. It uses 30% less power than the Qualcomm modem offered in iPhone 16 Pro.

Efficiencies added by the new chipsets result in improved battery life, like gaining 9 hours of video playback versus iPhone 12. Fast charging can get the battery to 50% in 30 minutes.

iPhone 17e review

Apple needs a good budget model at the bottom of its lineup. The iPhone SE was sometimes a good choice, but only at the moment it was announced.

iPhone 17e is a competitive budget-friendly model

The time it took for Apple to update the iPhone SE made it more of a placeholder than an actual option. With the new "e" series, that changes, especially with iPhone 17e.

The device has its compromises to reach the $599 price point, but the average iPhone user likely won't notice. Thanks to the inclusion of MagSafe this time around, it is an easy-to-recommend base model that will fit many user's needs.

The older design with the notch might be a step too far, especially for those already using an iPhone featuring the Dynamic Island. The dominating feature here is the chipset, as it makes the iPhone 17e the most performant smartphone at this price point. 

iPhone 17e price and release date

The iPhone 17e went up for pre-order on March 4, 2026, and shipped to customers on March 11. It starts at $599 with 256GB of storage.

The iPhone 16e was a value-add to Apple's lineup, though it cut some odd corners in terms of features — especially in subtracting MagSafe compatibility. It is set to return in 2026 with the iPhone 17e.

The iPhone SE line represented the budget iPhone model that targeted affordability above all else. It was replaced by Apple's new "e" line in February 2024, which is expected to be continued on an annual upgrade cycle.

There are additional rumors suggesting that Apple will shift the iPhone to a twice-annual release, with the iPhone "e" and the base model releasing in the spring, then the "pro" models releasing in the fall. The new strategy is meant to elongate the buying cycles throughout the year, which would help flatten the curve on earnings reports and help keep the big bump in the fall and large dip in the spring from being so apparent.

If the iPhone 17e launches in early 2026, then expect an iPhone 18e in early 2027.

6.1-inch display

There's a good chance the display will be 6.1-inches, which is smaller than the standard iPhone's 6.3 inches. It could shift to the Dynamic Island, but rumors about that change are inconclusive.

The iPhone 17e could resemble an iPhone 17 with the Dynamic Island

A move to the Dynamic Island would make the iPhone 17e the last iPhone to be rid of the notch cutout. It is unlikely that it would get the always-on display or ProMotion refresh rate.

The budget-friendly device won't pull out all the stops on features, but it'll be a modern iPhone experience nearly indistinguishable from the standard model for most users. Apple doesn't hold back much on display specs as it requires Retina resolution and uses OLED panels.

Processing hardware

The iPhone 17e is expected to have the A19 processor, which means it'll have the latest chipset available for budget iPhones. It enables Apple Intelligence features and the expected processing and battery efficiency found in the iPhone 17.

If the iPhone 17 is any indication, the A19 chip GPU in the iPhone 17e could deliver a noticeable jump in performance, relative to the iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 16e uses the A18 chip, with six CPU cores and four GPU cores. That's one GPU core less than the A18 chip found in the base model iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

Apple will most likely opt for a similar approach with the iPhone 17e, with the A19 system-on-chip. It remains to be seen whether or not the iPhone 17e will feature five or four GPU cores, but Apple's decision will impact performance to an extent.

In Geekbench 6 Metal testing, the iPhone 17 scored 37,014 points. Noticeably higher than the 22,478-point score of the iPhone 16e.

An extra GPU core won't make much of a difference in day-to-day use, but it would provide for a better experience in graphically intense games. Relative to the A18 chip in the iPhone 16, the A19 features Neural accelerators for improved on-device AI processing, along with increased memory bandwidth.

Both the A18 and A19 chips feature 8GB of RAM, though, unlike the 12GB in the A19 Pro system-on-chip.

The A19 chip in the iPhone 17e could deliver CPU performance similar to that of the iPhone 17.

In the iPhone 17, the A19 CPU consists of two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Apple says it's 1.5 times faster than the CPU of the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13.

The A18 chip in the iPhone 16e, meanwhile, consists of six CPU cores and four GPU cores. Apple claims the A18 CPU is 0.5 times faster than the one in the A15 Bionic. With the iPhone 17e, we could see similar CPU performance results as we did with the standard iPhone 17.

For reference, the iPhone 17 received a CPU multi-core performance score of 9,360 points and a single-core performance score of 3680 points in Geekbench 6. The iPhone 16e CPU, meanwhile, scored 7,976 points in multi-core CPU tests and 3,217 points in single-core CPU performance.

The iPhone 17e is expected in early 2026 and will offer a more affordable entry into the iPhone 17 lineup. It may be the last model to launch on its own, as 2027 could introduce a standard model alongside the "e" model.