Key Takeaways:
- Options: Apple would possibly embrace MagSafe on the iPhone 17E.
- Launch date: Probably as quickly as February.
- Worth: There have been no leaks about value will increase, which is sweet information at this level.
- Design: May get the Dynamic Island and look extra like an iPhone 15.
Apple is likely to be persevering with its lower-cost iPhone line, with an iPhone 17E reportedly releasing early this yr. If that is true, the sequel to final yr’s iPhone 16E has a number of room to step up.
Some rumors level to enhancements borrowed from Apple’s iPhone 15, resembling Dynamic Island and MagSafe. If these are true, it might make the lower-cost iPhone 17E a compelling worth choice with fewer trade-offs wanted to hit a lower cost.
Apple’s $599 iPhone 16E was a little bit of an oddity when it was launched final yr. It changed Apple’s $429 iPhone SE, successfully retiring the older iPhone SE design that included a home button with Touch ID. Apple’s new “finances” machine was a pricier amalgamation, that includes the physique of an iPhone 14 with a show notch. It additionally had the USB-C port from the iPhone 15 and the A18 processor from the iPhone 16 to assist Apple Intelligence features.
To save cash, Apple scaled again on options by together with solely a single 48-megapixel fundamental digital camera and omitting Apple’s MagSafe clip-on functionality (although it stored normal wi-fi charging). Whereas the iPhone 16E is a strong starter iPhone, I discovered these omissions to be confusing, particularly provided that Apple elevated the worth of this entry-level iPhone from $429 to $599.
The iPhone 16E incorporates a single rear digital camera.
An iPhone 17E might observe a playbook nearer to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE. It might have lots of the similar options because the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17, just like the smaller display screen notch and an A19 processor, together with smaller stepbacks to the {hardware} that is likely to be much less noticeable.
Apple hasn’t confirmed whether or not an iPhone 17E exists but, however we’re preserving an eye fixed out. Listed here are the rumors we have heard to this point, with options that might assist or hinder the extra budget-friendly iPhone 17E.
Watch this: iPhone 16E Evaluation
iPhone 17E launch date: February 2026
The iPhone 17E may very well be introduced as early as February, in line with a Mashable report citing the Digital Chat Station Weibo account. The cellphone is claimed to be launching within the first half of the yr. This is able to align with the iPhone 16E’s February 2025 announcement, establishing winter as Apple’s most popular launch window for cheaper iPhone fashions.
There are even rumors suggesting the base iPhone 18 will launch within the first half of 2027, however let’s not get too forward of ourselves.
The rumored iPhone 17E is tipped to incorporate the Dynamic Island display screen cutout seen on the iPhone 15 (pictured right here).
iPhone 17E design: Will get a Dynamic Island
One facet that made the iPhone 16E stand out was Apple’s new design, which featured the iPhone 14’s physique, a USB-C port and a single digital camera.
The iPhone 17E, nonetheless, will allegedly look extra like 2023’s iPhone 15, with a smaller Dynamic Island cutout, in line with the identical Digital Chat Station Weibo publish. The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a 6.1-inch show with a cutout, together with dynamically sized notifications for timers and app alerts, resembling Uber pickups.
This design is corroborated by the Smart Pikachu Weibo account, which additionally notes that the iPhone 17E could have a 60Hz refresh charge display screen quite than the 120Hz one seen throughout the iPhone 17 line and the iPhone Air. It might be good to see a 17E with a 120Hz show, dubbed ProMotion by Apple. However that is one space that may very well be much less noticeable to individuals coming from a former iPhone SE or an older base mannequin just like the iPhone 14.
Whereas Apple’s ProMotion shows have been out there on Professional fashions for years — in addition to on virtually each Android cellphone that prices $300 and extra — the smoother animations and always-on shows it gives will not be as noticeable when switching from a cellphone that by no means had them.
MagSafe has been included with most iPhone fashions since 2020, and it is rumored to return to the iPhone 17E as effectively.
iPhone 17E options: MagSafe wi-fi charging
It baffled me that Apple did not embrace MagSafe with final yr’s iPhone 16E. The characteristic, which permits for sticking magnetic equipment like chargers and wallets with no case, has been on most iPhone fashions since 2020. It felt like an odd omission, since Apple contributed MagSafe’s charging and magnetic profiles to the Qi2 standard, each of that are on Google’s Pixel 10 phones, HMD’s Skyline, and the upcoming Clicks Communicator.
The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a glass again that helps magnetic wi-fi charging — doubtless that means the cellphone would achieve the flexibility to magnetically connect to MagSafe and Qi2 equipment, in line with a report in The Information noticed by 9to5Mac. This is able to be a significant enchancment for somebody coming to this cellphone from an iPhone SE or the iPhone 11, each of which do assist Qi wi-fi charging however don’t embrace magnets for attaching equipment and instances.
Whereas we would want extra particulars, hopefully the inclusion of MagSafe additionally means the iPhone 17E’s wi-fi charging velocity would enhance to at the very least 15 watts, matching the iPhone 15.
The iPhone 16E consists of an A18 processor, permitting it to play video games like Resident Evil 4 Remake.
iPhone 17E pricing
We’ll preserve updating this story as extra iPhone 17E rumors arrive. Whereas there is not a lot concerning the pricing of the rumored cellphone, final yr’s iPhone 16E starts at $599 for a 128GB model. I am hoping the iPhone 17E begins at 256GB of storage, like the bottom iPhone 17. Apple nonetheless sells each the 16E and the iPhone 16 at 128GB, with the latter starting at $699.
