The next iPhone we expect to see won't be a new premium model, or a foldable. It should instead be the iPhone 17e, the next entry in Apple's budget iPhone line.
When the iPhone 16e arrived last February, we were glad to see Apple offer a new cheaper model for users who find its flagship models a little unaffordable. It's a pity you have to sacrifice quite so many features compared to an iPhone 17, but that's the exchange you kinda have to make for a lower price. Hopefully, this is something the iPhone 17e can go some way towards fixing.
iPhone 17e rumors are limited, but we still have a fairly good idea of what Apple will offer up when it eventually reveals the phone. Here's what we've heard about the iPhone 17e to date, which we will update as we learn more.
iPhone 17e: Rumored price and availability
While the iPhone 16e debuted in February 2025, early rumors suggested that the iPhone 17e could launch in May 2026. More recently we've heard that the phone might launch on February 19, exactly one year after the iPhone 16e first debuted. Which would mean we don't have long to wait and see it.
Although does the iPhone e-series need an annual update? That's the question TG's Phil Michaels has, and it makes sense when you consider that the previous budget iPhone line—the iPhone SE—only received updates at irregular intervals. This is rumored to be the case with the iPhone Air 2 as well, so the fact that Apple has decided that the iPhone e-series still gets annual releases is interesting.
Hopefully, the iPhone 17e will keep the same $600 basic price as the iPhone 16e. Although given the iPhone SE used to sell for around $400, a price drop for the 17e wouldn't go amiss.
iPhone 17e: Design and display
We're not expecting much to change on the screen front for the iPhone 17e - it's tipped to be using the same 6.1inch display with a 60Hz refresh rate as the iPhone 16e. It's disappointing that Apple apparently won't offer its smoother 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate on the 17e, now that it's been introduced to all iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air.
One rumor claimed that the 17e would be getting a new look with a Dynamic Island cutout rather than the older style Face ID notch. While this would let the iPhone 17e fit in much better visually with the rest of Apple's iPhones, newer reports have refuted this.
Which makes sense, if you think about it. Apple needs to find was to cut costs on its cheap phones, and sticking with the tried-and-tested notched display is one way to do that.
iPhone 17e: Cameras
The iPhone 16e has the fewest cameras of any iPhone. Just two in total, which is the same as the iPhone Air. And unfortunately the iPhone 17e will apparently lift those cameras wholesale, retaining the 48MP main and 12MP selfie sensors just like its predecessor, as the sources allegedly in the know say.
This is a little unfortunate since Apple just debuted its new 18MP "Center Stage" front camera on the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air, which offers higher resolution and greater framing flexibility. It would be good to see this trickle down to the iPhone 17e, but alas, this seems to be another area where Apple may want to save costs.
iPhone 17e: Specs
Within the iPhone 17e, the rumor mill claims the A19 chipset, as seen in the iPhone 17, will be present to run everything. This tracks, as the iPhone 16e uses the previous equivalent chip, the A18.
It's a lot of power for a phone of its price, and the iPhone 17e should continue to carry that flag by outperforming anything else in its price category.
Reports also suggest that Apple will utilize the upgraded C1X modem, first seen in the iPhone Air and the N1 networking chip. If that's the case, it would mean the 17e supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread — the low-power mesh used to IoT and smart home products
We're hopeful that Apple will offer similar battery and charging upgrades to the iPhone 17e as it added to the iPhone 17 series, including faster wired charging and higher-capacity batteries.
The good news is that a report from The Information claims that the phone will be getting a wireless charging upgrade in the form of MagSafe. Not only will this add a magnetic ring to the back of the phone, word is that Apple will include the newest version of MagSafe, complete with 25W wireless charging speeds.
iPhone 17e: What we'd like to see
You can read about my colleague Phil's thoughts on what Apple needs to give the iPhone 17e, in light of how many updates the base iPhone 17 received. But I'm going to add some thoughts of my own.
Keeping the iPhone 17e on the small side is fine with me, and while a 120Hz refresh rate would be a wonderful bonus, I am not confident in Apple adding this to its cheapest Phone. Same with the cameras — an upgraded selfie camera or even an ultrawide would be wonderful, but seems too much of a reach given Apple's usual slow pace of hardware upgrades for its phones.
There is one change I think Apple could easily make, though: higher default storage. In my experience, users of budget iPhones tend to keep their phones for as long as possible, and giving them 256GB as standard (just like other new iPhones) would give them plenty of room to store their important files and photos.
What would you like to see in the iPhone 17e? Let me know in the comments below.
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