Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld explores the anticipated iPhone 17e, Apple’s budget-friendly smartphone expected to launch in February or Spring 2026 with significant upgrades over the iPhone 16e.
- Key improvements may include a Dynamic Island display, A19 chip, 18MP front camera, MagSafe support, and doubled base storage to 256GB.
- The device is expected to maintain its competitive $599 starting price through supply chain efficiencies and cheaper OLED panel costs.
Apple launched a new series of iPhones at the end of 2025: the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, as well as a brand new iPhone Air, but there was no new iPhone 17e for those hoping for an update to the budget iPhone.
This wasn’t a surprise: Apple released the iPhone 16e in February 2025 to replace the iPhone SE, so an update to the iPhone “e” series phones wasn’t expected to arrive until early 2026.
If you’re considering buying an iPhone 17e, this is the place to keep up to date on its development. We’ll keep track of the latest reports and provide our analysis to help you decide if the iPhone 17e is the right phone for you.
What’s new since the last update: We describe the ways the iPhone 17e could improve on the 16e, and discuss how the iPhone 17e could launch one year after the iPhone 16e, around February 23. We also note that supply chain efficiencies mean that Apple may maintain a low price for the iPhone 17e.
At a glance: What to expect from iPhone 17e
- 6.1-inch OLED display with Dynamic Island
- A19 chip
- Single 48MP back camera; 18MP front camera
- C1 X cellular modem
- MagSafe support
- Black or white color options
Like the iPhone 16e and the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17e will likely have a single back camera.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
iPhone 17e specs – How the iPhone 17e will be better than the iPhone 16e
- A19 with one fewer GPU than iPhone 17 – likely
- MagSafe support – likely
- C1X modem – possible
Apple’s decision to introduce the iPhone 16e in February 2025 represented a significant shift in its product strategy, moving away from the sporadic release cycle of the iPhone SE toward a more predictable, annual “e-series” lineup. This transition was driven by several strategic imperatives, ranging from the necessity of supporting new AI technologies to the desire to test in-house hardware components in a lower-risk environment.
To maintain a starting price of $599 while including the high-end A18 chip, Apple made several calculated omissions that differentiate the 16e from the standard iPhone 16.
The iPhone 17e is expected to address some of the shortcomings of the iPhone 16e with a few key design refinements (a Dynamic Island is rumored) and an updated processor (the A19).
Here are some of the ways the 16e and 17e are expected to be different:
- Processor – iPhone 16e: A18 chip / iPhone 17e: A19 chip
- Display – iPhone 16e: Notch / iPhone 17e: Dynamic Island (Rumored)
- Front Camera – iPhone 16e: Standard selfie camera / iPhone 17e: 18MP square-sensor camera
- Base Storage – iPhone 16e: 128GB / iPhone 17e: 256GB
- Wireless Charging – iPhone 16e: No MagSafe support / iPhone 17e: MagSafe support
- Cellular Modem – iPhone 16e: C1 chip / iPhone 17e: C1X modem
A December 2025 report in The Information claimed that Apple will add MagSafe support to the iPhone 17e, one of the features that is notably missing from the 16e. When we reviewed the 16e, the lack of MagSafe was one of its major shortcomings.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the iPhone 17e will have an A19 chip. If this is the case, it will be the same A19 chip as is used by the iPhone 17. There may still be a difference, though: Apple uses binned chips in the “e” series. The A18 in the iPhone 16e has one fewer GPU core than the A18 in the standard iPhone 16; the A19 in the iPhone 17e will likely have one fewer GPU core than the iPhone 17.
In August 2025, a leaker named Digital Chat Station also reported that the iPhone 17e will have an A19 chip.
Apple’s C1 modem first appeared in the iPhone 16e, and rumors suggest the iPhone 17e will use the same modem. However, it could take the newer C1X modem as found in the iPhone 17 series, which is apparently two times faster than the C1 while using 30% less energy.
iPhone 17e: Display
- Dynamic Island instead of notch – possible
- OLED display – possible
The iPhone 17 has a 6.3-inch screen, which is larger than that of the iPhone 16 (6.1-inch). The iPhone 17e is not expected to get a bigger screen. It will likely sport a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, the same as the iPhone 16e. This was reported by Digital Chat Station in August, who also said that the display will have a Dynamic Island, which would be a change from the notch on the iPhone 16e.
In December 2025, The Elec reported that BOE will provide OLED displays to Apple for the iPhone 17e. BOE also provided OLEDs for the iPhone 16e. Samsung Display and LG Display are expected to also provide 17e displays. The display, according to The Elec, will have thinner bezels than the 16e. The Elec said the 17e will start shipping early next year.
iPhone 17e: Cameras
- 18MP front camera with square sensor – likely
- 48MP single rear camera – likely
The iPhone 17e will likely continue to have a single 48MP camera on the back and a 12MP camera on the front, just like the iPhone 16e. This was reported by Digital Chat Station in August.
However, the front-facing cameras across the iPhone 17 range have all been updated to 18MP, so it is possible that the iPhone 17e will see the same update to the selfie camera. If so, it will also include a square sensor capable of taking photos in any orientation without requiring the user to rotate the phone.
The notch may be replaced by the Dynamic Island in the iPhone 17e.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
iPhone 17e: Design & Colors
- Black and white options only – Likely
- Digital Island to replace notch – Possible
There have been no reports relating to the iPhone 17e’s colors. The iPhone 16e is available in black or white, and we expect the same for the iPhone 17e.
No changes are expected for the design, although, as mentioned above, the new iPhone 17e could have a Digital Island instead of the notch at the top of the screen.
iPhone 17e: Release date
- Spring 2026 launch – Likely
- February launch – Possible
Like the SE, Apple started shipping the iPhone 16e in early 2025, several months after the rest of the iPhone 16 line. According to reports, the iPhone 17e has entered test production runs to prepare it for a spring 2026 release.
A rumor in early January said the iPhone 17e will go into production following CES (which ended January 9). This is unsurprising, as it follows the same pattern as the iPhone 16e.
The iPhone 16e was announced on Wednesday, February 19 and released on Friday, February 28. If the iPhone 17e launches a year later we could see the phone introduced around February 23.
iPhone 17e: Price
A January 2026 report on Wccftech suggests that Apple has been able to reduce costs for the new iPhone 17e, so that the price won’t increase. This is thanks to lower costs for the OLED panels Apple is using.
The iPhone 16e starts at $599/£599, and Apple is expected to price the iPhone 17e at $599 as well, though no reports have been made so far. Tariffs and production cost increases may affect the price, but since the “e” series is considered Apple’s lowest-priced iPhone, the price would not exceed that of the iPhone 17, which starts at $799, and the iPhone 16, whose price has been reduced to start at $699.
