iPhone 17e release date, specs, and price announced – everything you need to know
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Apple first launched its iPhone 17 series in September last year – the same time of year it always releases new smartphones. But now there’s even more, with a new budget-oriented phone called the iPhone 17e entering the fray. Ahead of a few in-person events around the world on March 4, Apple has announced the iPhone 17e release date and pre-order details, along with the specs and price.
The new 17e is notably $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 17, and some $400 cheaper than the iPhone Air that Apple launched alongside the 2025 series. Apple advertises it as a smartphone that offers “the same great features as iPhone 17 at a wallet-friendly price”. As such, many of the specs are familiar to those already up to speed with the latest tech.
iPhone 17e release date
The iPhone 17e will be available on March 11, one week after the “special Apple Experience” takes place in New York, London, and Shanghai. Unlike a traditional keynote, these in-person events are likely to feature everything Apple has been announcing during the week, starting with the iPhone 17e on March 2.
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Well-known Apple reporter Mark Gurman is an example of one of the recipients of this invitation. While some people may have expected Apple to wait for March 4 to actually reveal anything, a post on X from CEO Tim Cook noting that “it all starts Monday morning!” was a giveaway that tech would start being unveiled just ahead of the experience. Along with the iPhone 17e, Apple is expected to announce several new MacBooks, a new iPad Air, and a new Apple TV or smart home display.
iPhone 17e specs
Along with its introduction, Apple has detailed a full list of specifications for the iPhone 17e. As you’d expect from the more budget-friendly price, there are some compromises if you opt for the 17e model. However, it still offers the same A19 chip as the base iPhone 17 model. One notable change is the camera system, switching from a dual rear camera to just a single lens. Regardless of the downgrade, Apple says the iPhone 17e is “like having two cameras in one” thanks to its ‘Fusion’ design.
| Specification | iPhone 17e |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.1″ Super Retina XDR display, Dynamic Island, 60Hz |
| Build & features | Aluminum frame, Ceramic Shield 2, Action button |
| Processor | A19 chip |
| Graphics | 4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| Battery | 4005 mAh, 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2), up to 26 hours video playback |
| Camera | Back-facing camera: 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), optical 2x Telephoto – single ‘Fusion’ camera Front-facing camera: 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide) |
| Communication | 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, LE, NFC, eSIM, C1X cellular modem |
| Memory | 8GB RAM |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
| Colors | Soft Pink, White, Black |
| Operating system | iOS 26.3 |
iPhone 17e price
This brand-new model is “the most affordable member of the iPhone 17 family,” says Apple, and there’s quite a sizeable gap between the rest of the series so far. For example, the base iPhone 17 with 256GB (the previous cheapest in the series) will cost you from $799, while the iPhone 17e cuts that down to just $599.
- iPhone 17e 512GB: from $799 / £799
- iPhone 17e 256GB: from $599 / £599
The 256GB storage available in the 17e is double what you’ll find in the last-gen iPhone 16e for the same price, so this is a solid upgrade in terms of value compared to its predecessor.
What’s the difference between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e?
Since the iPhone 17e belongs to the 17 series, there are many things it has in common with the base iPhone 17 model. However, given its status as the most budget-friendly of the lot, there are some compromises. Starting with the similarities, both offer Apple’s latest-generation A19 chip, as well as Ceramic Shield 2 for Apple’s best scratch resistance to date. Storage is also set to a baseline of 256GB for both models, and MagSafe is available for both the 17 and 17e.
While it has the same A19 chip, the iPhone 17e loses one GPU core (dropping from 5 to 4), so there should be minimal performance loss there. One of the biggest differences is the camera layout; the iPhone 17 has a dual camera setup, including an 18MP Center Stage camera and an Ultra Wide lens. The iPhone 17e instead uses a single lens with a ’48MP Fusion Main’ camera.
As far as the display goes, the iPhone 17e lacks 120Hz ProMotion support with Always-on display, dropping to just 60Hz, and the screen itself is just 6.1″ compared to the iPhone 17’s 6.3″. Brightness is also reduced from 3,000 nits to just 1,200. If you want a more comprehensive comparison, we recommend using Apple’s comparison tools on its official store here.
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