After months of rumours and speculation, Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 17e, its all-new entry-level budget handset, and it finally gets MagSafe for the first time.
While Apple’s cheapest iPhone still rocks the dated notch found on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 16e, instead of the more-modern Dynamic Island, Apple has upgraded most of the internals to make it faster and more capable.
As well as MagSafe for 15W wireless charging, the iPhone 17e gets Apple’s latest A19 chip found on the regular iPhone 17, plus the C1X cellular modem first introduced on the iPhone Air, making it twice as fast as the previous modem and much more efficient.
It still features a 48MP rear camera, but Apple says portrait processing has been improved, with automatic depth capture for people and pets, plus you can adjust focus after the shot. The display is also now protected by Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 technology, which the tech giant claims is three times more scratch-resistant than before.
The best part? The iPhone 17e now comes with 256GB of storage as standard (double the base capacity of its predecessor), while keeping the same starting price. Available to pre-order soon, here’s everything you need to know.
When can you pre-order the iPhone 17e in the UK?
The iPhone 17e will be available to pre-order on Wednesday 4 March at 2.15pm GMT. It will then go on general sale on Wednesday 11 March.
The handset comes in two storage configurations. The 256GB model starts at £599, while the 512GB model starts at £799. It comes in white, black and soft pink.
iPhone 17e: From £599, Apple.com
The all-new iPhone 17e features a 6.1in Super Retina XDR OLED display. That’s the same size as the iPhone 16e, but it now gets Apple’s tougher Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and an aluminium frame, which should make it a little more durable.
Inside, it’s powered by the A19 chip and Apple’s new C1X modem, meaning it’s just as powerful as the regular iPhone 17 and, thanks to the more efficient silicon, should last longer on a charge.
On the rear, there’s still a single 48MP fusion camera with an optical 2x zoom. It’s not pro-level but the improved image processing and should do most of the heavy lifting. On the front, there’s still the same 12MP camera for selfies and Face ID.
The biggest hardware change is that it now supports MagSafe. Annoyingly, it’s only Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W, rather than 25W, so won’t charge as fast as the regular iPhone 17, but it’s still nice to have for accessories and the convenience.
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