Apple launched the iPhone 17e on Monday, offering a new option for those who want a premium smartphone that won’t empty their bank account. The base version offers twice as much storage capacity as its predecessor, makes the jump to the latest Apple A19 processor and adds full support for MagSafe accessories.
“iPhone 17e combines powerful performance and features our users love at an exceptional value, making it a compelling option for customers looking to upgrade to the iPhone 17 family,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing, in a press release. “We know our customers want a product that will last, and iPhone 17e delivers just that. With A19 for incredible performance, double the entry storage, a smarter camera system, and enhanced durability, iPhone 17e is designed to stay fast, secure, and valuable for years to come.”
Apple makes premium features affordable
Apple has a problem every other smartphone maker can only dream of: Very few of its customers seem to want a cheap iPhone. It made the iPhone SE series, but it was a dud.
The answer was the iPhone 16e, which borrows heavily from Apple’s latest flagship devices. It cost more than the SE did — $599 versus $429 — but found more customers, even outselling all Android models.
The secret of the appeal is premium features, including a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a 48 MP camera and more. These all carry forward to the just-announced iPhone 17e.
iPhone 17e: More storage, faster but not more expensive
Photo: Apple
In recent months, a huge surge in AI-focused data centers caused a memory shortage, pushing up prices. Nevertheless, the base model iPhone 17e includes 256GB of RAM, double the amount in the base 16e, and yet Apple did not increase the sticker price. That’s loads of room for more images, apps, games, etc. There’s also a 512GB variant for those who need even greater storage capacity.
Plus, the handset runs the Apple A19 processor, the same chip in the pricier iPhone 17 launched last fall.
“The faster, more efficient 6-core CPU — up to 2x faster than iPhone 11 — handles everything from simple tasks like scrolling through photos to advanced Apple Intelligence capabilities like Clean Up,” Apple said.
MagSafe and a new color, but no Dynamic Island
In addition, the iPhone 17e supports full MagSafe and Qi2 at 15W, while the 16e included only 7.5W wireless charging. Wireless chargers now automatically align themselves thanks to built-in magnets. And the handset can use MagSafe chargers, stands, cases, wallets and camera accessories.
Apple also produced the iPhone 17e in a new soft pink color, along with the black and white options introduced with iPhone 16e.
While the new model includes these improvements over its predecessor, it sticks with the same design. And that includes a screen notch, not the Dynamic Island that was the subject of rumor.
The 48MP Fusion camera enables an optical-quality 2x Telephoto option. Users can shoot photos at up to 48MP resolution, or capture in 24MP to save storage. Plus, the camera can record video in 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps.
Photo: Apple
iPhone 17e: No price increase
Despite doubling the storage capacity, the iPhone 17e costs the same as last year’s model. That means it starts at $599.
It will be available for preorder beginning this Wednesday on the Apple Store, and will hit stores starting Wednesday, March 11.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
