Apple launched the iPhone 16e to bring back an affordable iPhone option with a familiar design and good hardware. The 2025 budget iPhone didn’t gain the same popularity as other models, but the iPhone 17e could reverse that trend.
Rumors about the iPhone 17e have circulated for over six months. The device ranks among the most anticipated Apple launches in the first half of the year. The leaks suggest positive changes. Here’s what we know about the iPhone 17e so far.
iPhone 17e Release Date and Price Rumors
Some rumors pointed to a February 19 launch for the iPhone 17e, but that didn’t happen. The phone should appear at Apple’s “special Apple experience” media briefing on March 4, 2026.
Apple is holding press briefings in three cities, which are New York, London, and Shanghai. This looks like the right time to introduce the new, improved, and cheaper iPhone to the world.
Pre-orders could start when the event ends or the next day. General availability should begin around the second week of March.
How cheap will the iPhone 17e be? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the iPhone 17e (128GB) could keep the same $599 launch price as the iPhone 16e. Apple might hold the price steady for another year despite hardware upgrades.
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As the reports about the memory crisis continue, Apple’s long-term supplier partnerships and large-scale operations give it an edge over competitors. Other smartphone makers, including Samsung, struggle to control prices due to the memory crisis. Apple’s position in the supply chain helps it avoid those same pressures.
iPhone 17e Design and Display
The iPhone 16e gets criticized for its outdated design. The large notch at the top of the screen bothers buyers a lot. The iPhone 17e could fix this by replacing the notch with the Dynamic Island found on recent iPhones.
The iPhone 17e will likely use the screen from the baseline iPhone 15. This brings the Dynamic Island and thinner bezels to the 17e. The materials should stay the same: an aluminum frame between two layers of glass.
Beyond the standard black and white colors, the iPhone 17e should come in a new purple or lavender finish. This appeals to younger buyers and helps the phone compete with the color variation offered by the Google Pixel 10a.
The iPhone 17e should come with a 6.1-inch OLED screen. This is smaller than the 6.3-inch display on the regular iPhone 17. The screen supports a 60Hz refresh rate and 2,000 nits of peak brightness, which makes it suitable for most lighting conditions.
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You won’t get a ProMotion display or major brightness improvements, because Apple is sticking with standard refinements instead of dramatic upgrades. The design will likely look like the iPhone 15 from the front and the iPhone 16e from the back.
iPhone 17e Performance and Software
The iPhone 17e should use Apple’s A19 (3nm) chip, possibly a version with one fewer GPU core (five instead of six). I’ve been using the iPhone 17 with the A19 chip as my daily phone. The chip offers more processing power than I need on most days.
The chipset could pair with Apple’s in-house C1X modem, similar to the iPhone Air. This should deliver faster 5G speeds and up to 30% better energy efficiency compared to the C1 modem. If Apple includes the C1X modem, the phone might also get the N1 wireless chip.
The iPhone 17e will likely include 8GB of RAM, matching the iPhone 16e. This is the minimum amount needed to run Apple Intelligence features, both current and upcoming ones.
The base model might get a storage upgrade to 256GB, but Apple could stick with 128GB base storage to keep the $599 price. The top variant should offer 512GB of storage, matching last year’s model.
The iPhone 17e should come with iOS 26 out of the box, likely iOS 26.3 or iOS 26.4. All Apple Intelligence features will be included, such as Writing Tools, Gemoji, and Clean Up.
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The revamped Siri won’t be available on the iPhone 17e at launch. Apple is probably delaying it to iOS 26.5 or iOS 27. Like other iPhones, the budget model should receive new iOS versions for around five to six years before Apple stops supporting it.
iPhone 17e Cameras and Battery
The iPhone 17e should have a single 48MP Fusion camera on the back. This sensor captures images at 24MP or 48MP resolution. It includes optical-quality 2x in-sensor zoom and Dolby Vision HDR video recording up to 4K at 60 fps.
The question is whether Apple uses the same 1/2.55-inch sensor from the iPhone 16e or upgrades to the 1/1.56-inch sensor found in the iPhone 16 or iPhone 17. The larger sensor would improve image quality, especially in low light.
The iPhone 17e could include the Center Stage camera from the iPhone 17. Rumors suggest the phone will come with the 18MP square-sensor front camera used in the iPhone 17 series. This would bring better selfie quality and video calling features to the budget iPhone.
The iPhone 17e could include a 4,005 mAh battery. This is larger than the battery in the regular iPhone 17. Video playback time should reach around 30 hours, up from 26 hours on the previous model.
If the rumors about the specs are true, battery life becomes a strong reason to choose the iPhone 17e. Buyers looking for a phone that lasts longer between charges will find this upgrade meaningful.
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Apple is also considering MagSafe charging for the iPhone 17e, and the faster version at that (up to 25W). MagSafe brings convenient wireless charging and opens up access to a wide range of accessories.
The iPhone 17e should get improvements across design, display, performance, cameras, and battery life. This makes it one of the easier recommendations for budget iPhone buyers.
The compromises are clear, though: a single camera setup and no ProMotion (120Hz) display. If you can accept those limitations, the upgrades elsewhere make the phone worth considering.
