Apple's biggest iPhone announcements usually happen in September, but for the second year in a row, the company is also introducing a new iPhone in March. The iPhone 17e is a new, feature-free version of Apple's basic iPhone, replacing last year's iPhone 16e. The smartphone will be available for pre-order on March 4 and will go on sale on March 11, starting at $599.
Apple's biggest iPhone announcements usually happen in September, but for the second year in a row, the company is also introducing a new iPhone in March. The iPhone 17e is a new, feature-free version of Apple's basic iPhone, replacing last year's iPhone 16e. The smartphone will be available for pre-order on March 4 and will go on sale on March 11, starting at $599.
The new iPhone is equipped with the Apple A19 chip, similar to the one used in the more expensive iPhone 17 - both smartphones have six processor cores (CPU), but the 17e model received only four graphics cores (GPU) instead of five. The cellular modem has also been updated: instead of the original Apple C1, the Apple C1X is now installed, capable of providing higher connection speeds.
Like the A18 in the iPhone 16e, the new iPhone 17e supports Apple Intelligence, which indicates the presence of 8GB of RAM (as in the iPhone 17). Apple notes that the new Ceramic Shield 2 front glass (also used in the iPhone 17) will be stronger, and the company-developed display coating is three times more scratch-resistant than the 16e model, and better copes with glare and excessive light.
However, there are two other notable updates that help bridge the gap between the iPhone 17e and the regular iPhone 17. The first is support for MagSafe charging, which was a major omission on the iPhone 16e. The second is an increase in storage in the base model from 128GB to 256GB, making the $599 version a much more attractive proposition. A 512GB version is also available for $799.
The 17e model is presented in three color options: classic black and white, as well as a delicate pastel pink. The smartphone, as before, has a USB-C connector, a display with a "fringe" (instead of Dynamic Island) and an Action Button. The device is equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 60 Hz without support for ProMotion or Always-On technologies. The main camera is single, 48 megapixels (it still allows you to take 2x telephoto shots by cropping a 24-megapixel fragment from the center of the matrix).
The biggest problem with the iPhone 17e is that it's only $200 cheaper than the iPhone 17, which is a hugely successful version of Apple's entry-level smartphone. For that extra $200, you get a better main camera, a wide-angle lens, a slightly larger 6.3-inch display with ProMotion and Dynamic Island support, and slightly faster graphics performance.
However, the increase in storage to 256 GB and the new chip make the 17e model more attractive than the iPhone 16 (which costs $699), as the latter also does not have a ProMotion display and only offers 128 GB of storage.
