Apple’s first hardware launch of 2026—not counting the second-generation AirTag it debuted at the end of January—is the next iteration of the price-friendly iPhone: the iPhone 17e. The company announced the handset via an online press release, ahead of its “Special Apple Experience” in New York City this Wednesday.
While last year’s iPhone 16e was widely criticized for its questionable value—it replaced the iPhone SE models from yesteryear and jacked the price up from $429 to $599—the newer model in the series has some notable features that were missing in its predecessor, like Apple’s MagSafe technology. The price remains firm at $599, despite the challenging economic environment and the industry’s memory shortage.
The iPhone 17e opens for preorder today and will be widely available on March 11.
E for Effort
Apple has stuck with the same 6.1-inch OLED display as the iPhone 16e, down to the same old-school notch design. That means you won’t get the sleek look of the Dynamic Island, which also doubles as a live notifications display. Thankfully, if you’re worried about durability, this iPhone has the same Ceramic Shield 2 front glass protecting the display as its pricier siblings, giving it a nice strength boost from the previous generation.
Apple did not upgrade the screen with its ProMotion refresh rate tech, as it’s stuck at 60 Hz. This capability is the number of times the screen refreshes with images—the higher the better, as your display will appear smoother, with interactions feeling more fluid. It’s something the company has offered in the iPhone Pro models and finally enabled in 2025 with its entire iPhone 17 range, but you’ll have to upgrade for the luxury. It’s a shame, as most budget Android phones offer 120 Hz as standard, even devices as cheap as $200. That also means the iPhone 17e doesn’t have the option to enable an always-on display.
Arguably, the best upgrade is the addition of MagSafe (and Qi2), the magnetic ring that has been embedded in the back of mainline iPhones since the iPhone 12. Apple confusingly didn’t include it with the iPhone 16e despite a healthy accessory market that would have made the iPhone 16e a little more versatile. While the 16e supported basic wireless charging, the iPhone 17e takes advantage of faster magnetic wireless charging at 15 watts (plus access to MagSafe accessories).
This iPhone is powered by the A19 chipset, which debuted on the iPhone 17, though it has one less graphics core, so graphics performance is a small step below. That’s in line with what Apple did with the iPhone 16e and the iPhone 16 that came before. Apple didn’t share RAM details yet, but it’s likely that the iPhone 17e has 8 GB of RAM like its predecessor, whereas the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup has 12 GB. There is a bump in storage to 256 GB.
Courtesy of Apple
