Apple overnight introduced the iPhone 17e, an entry-level addition to the iPhone 17 family. Despite the component crisis spiking fears of increased consumer technology costs, Apple has kept the iPhone 17e's local price tag the same as last year's iPhone 16e: $999.
Despite this, the iPhone 17e now starts with 256GB of storage. A 256GB iPhone 16e sold for $1,199 at launch last year. There is also a 512GB iPhone 17e priced at $1,399.
The iPhone 17e keeps the same core design as the iPhone 16e, featuring a 60Hz 6.1-inch notched display, rather than a screen with a Dynamic Island as rumoured. It does use new Ceramic Shield 2 protection, however, which Apple says offers three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation, and reduced glare.
Other key improvements include a new A19 chipset similar to that found in the iPhone 17 (albeit with one less graphics core), MagSafe support, and a modem that's twice as fast as the previous generation.
Cameras and battery life are unchanged from last year. The iPhone 17e still has just one 48MP camera on the back and a 12MP selfie camera on the front. In terms of battery, Apple says the iPhone 17e offers up to 26 hours of video playback per charge, which is the same figure it gave for last year's model. When we tested the iPhone 16e last year, we were able to get two days of moderate usage per charge, so we'd expect similar here.
iPhone 17e pre-orders open on March 5 ahead of a March 11 release date. Customers can pick between black, white, and a new soft pink colour option.
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Alex Choros
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