iPhone 17e: Price, Release Date, Specs and Features

The iPhone “e” model is Apple’s take on a budget smartphone. But it’s budget on Apple’s terms. Even though it’s the most affordable model that Apple sells new, it’s not low-cost compared to Android rivals. You won’t find it in our round-up of the best budget phones, for example.

The iPhone 16e was the replacement for the SE models, the last of which launched in 2022. The iPhone SE (2022) suffered from a dated design and less than stellar LCD display, making it difficult to recommend. So it was no surprise that Apple’s successor, 2025’s iPhone 16e, was given an updated look.

The iPhone 16e has good performance too, thanks to the fact it runs on Apple’s A18 chip (albeit a four-core GPU variant), and solid battery life. But there’s no MagSafe compatibility and, given its £180/$180 price hike from the SE, it didn’t exactly wow in the value-for-money stakes.

So, what will Apple change for the next iteration of its entry-level model, the iPhone 17e? Here’s what we know so far.

Bear in mind that what follows is based on industry leaks and analyst projections. We won’t know anything for sure until Apple confirms it. However, by the time the rest of the iPhone 17 models had launched in September 2025, a huge amount of correct information on specs, features and pricing was already out in the wild – and Tech Advisor had reported on it.

We’ll be updating this article in the days leading up to the launch.

When will the iPhone 17e be launched?

The iPhone 17e was not launched alongside the other iPhone 17 models in September 2025. But we expect to see it soon.

One of the latest rumours, as revealed by our sibling publication Macwelt, based on industry information, suggests that the 17e will be announced on Thursday, 19 February. The publication points out that a Thursday launch would be unusual for Apple, but as this isn’t a flagship product, it’ll likely only be heralded by a press release, not a dedicated launch event.

However, as it’s exactly a year after the announcement of the 16e, some pundits believe that industry sources are merely estimating a date based on last year’s 19 February announcement.

Still, if the announcement does take place on 19 February this year, we would expect that the 17e will be available to buy on Friday 27 February. This would mirror last year’s dates, when the 16e was in store on Friday 28 February.

From the next iteration onwards, Apple is expected to launch a new, entry-level “e” model every year. It’s thought that Apple will begin a new two-tier launch strategy, with high-end models making their debut in September, and more affordable models in the spring.

Under this system, the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and the anticipated iPhone foldable would appear in September 2026 and the base model iPhone 18 and the 18e in spring 2027.

So, the date the iPhone 17e arrives in 2026 could well become as solid a calendar appointment for more affordable model launches as the early September iPhone launch is for high-end phones.

Source: MacRumors | The Apple Den | Macwelt

How much will the iPhone 17e cost?

When the iPhone 16e debuted in February 2025, it had a launch price of £599/$599. And it was previously thought that the iPhone 17e would be more expensive. However, the latest leak from notable Bloomberg tipster Mark Gurman has it that the phone’s price will remain the same for a baseline of 128GB of storage, although some leaks expect it to be bumped to 256GB.

Earlier projections had it that it would launch at £650/$650. A number of factors could influence price, including the cost of OLED panels and other parts.

There’s also the potential influence of US Government tariffs. These factors could see Apple raise the iPhone 17e’s price, although it’s highly unlikely to be more expensive than the iPhone 16, which is now available from the brand at £699.

Source: Phone Arena | GSMArena

What specs and features will the iPhone 17e have?

From what early rumours suggested, the upgrades from iPhone 16e to 17e will be fairly limited. It’s on Apple to make sure that the 17e offers equivalent value for money to the excellent £799/$799 iPhone 17, especially given that the iPhone 16e didn’t offer the most compelling package of features.

However, the newest rumour has it that the 17e will be getting a huge upgrade in the form of MagSafe capabilities. This would bring it in line with not only other new iPhone models, but Pixel 10 phones as well, making it a much more attractive model for the price.

It’s also thought that the 17e will feature Apple’s latest C1X cellular and N1 wireless chips, developed in-house.

To be clear, Apple has not yet announced any iPhone 17e features but supply chain rumours and industry speculation have offered up some likely specs and features.

Display

The iPhone 17e is not expected to match the new 6.3-inch display of the iPhone 17. Instead, it’s likely to have the same 6.1-inch OLED display as its predecessor. It’s also expected to retain its 60Hz refresh rate.

Rumour has it that the bezel around the display will be narrower, in line with more premium models.

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

Some leaks suggested that it’ll feature Dynamic Island, unlike the 16e, which had a notch. Dynamic Island allows users to switch between apps quickly, and keep an eye on timers, calls and music when using the iPhone in other ways.

However, as we’ve gotten closer to the launch, pundits are split. This rumour has far less corroboration than many others, so it’s more than possible that the Dynamic Island upgrade will be saved for the 18e.

Hardware changes are expected to be modest from the 16e.

Camera

The iPhone 17e is expected to retain the same 48Mp single-lens camera as the iPhone 16e. It’s also projected to feature a the 18Mp selfie camera that all other 17 models have.

Some leakers have suggested that the rear camera will have improved low-light performance.

Performance

The iPhone 17e is expected to receive a performance boost thanks to a chip upgrade to the iPhone 17’s A19 chip. However, as was the case with the A18 chip in the 16e, it may be a four-core GPU variant. Once again, this rumour was substantiated in a leak, in which a downclocked A19 chip was mentioned.

Prolific leaker Jon Prosser seemed to confirm this in a recent video, in which he said that Apple will be using a “slightly binned A19 chip”, meaning that the chips have slight defects and therefore fewer cores.

Battery life and charging

A battery boost is rumoured, from the 16e’s 4005mAh to a slightly more substantial 4500mAh. It’s projected to support fast wired and wireless charging.

One of the big criticisms of the 16e was that it lacked MagSafe charging. Pundits expect this omission to be rectified in the new model, which is projected to be MagSafe-compatible, with charging speeds of up to 25W.

Sources: Digital Chat Station | The Mac Observer | MacRumors | GSMArena | GSMArena (2) | The Mac Observer (2) | Jon Prosser on YouTube

That’s all we know about the iPhone 17e now, but to see what we thought of the rest of the iPhone 17 line-up, take a look at our reviews of the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.