In a development that falls largely in line with earlier rumors and tidbits, Apple has just announced its latest budget iPhone, the iPhone 17e, replete with the now-ancient notch, an upgraded processor, modem, and display, all for the same $599 price point.
Behold Apple's iPhone 17e
Physical features
In what constitutes a disappointing departure from earlier rumors and tidbits, Apple's iPhone 17e does not, in fact, sport the Dynamic Island. Instead, the Cupertino giant's latest budget iPhone adheres to the same archaic notch-based display form factor that was first introduced with the iPhone X all the way back in 2017.
The device sports a Super Retina XDR OLED screen that is capable of delivering up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness. The notch houses the Face ID module as well as the selfie camera. The Action button provides convenient access to features like the flashlight, visual intelligence, and more.
The iPhone 17e features an aluminum frame with a Ceramic Shield 2 front cover that offers up to 3x better scratch resistance and improved anti-glare capabilities. The new budget iPhone comes in three color options: white, black, and soft pink.
Internals
Apple's iPhone 17e is powered by the A19 chip that sports a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU with neural accelerators. Do note that the base iPhone 17 features an A19 chip variant with a 5-core GPU. The chip also sports an "upgraded 16-core Neural Engine is optimized for large generative models and, combined with Neural Accelerators built into each GPU, enables Apple Intelligence and other AI models to run faster than on the previous generation."
Also, the iPhone 17e features the C1X modem that is up to 2x faster than the C1 found in iPhone 16e, and uses 30 percent less energy than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro. The new modem also brings Apple’s satellite features, including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite.
The budget iPhone features a single 48MP fusion camera at the back, enabling an optical-quality 2x Telephoto experience. Users can shoot sharp photos at up to 48MP resolution, or capture in the 24MP default resolution mode. Apple goes on to note:
"[The] iPhone 17e recognizes people, dogs, and cats, and automatically saves depth information, allowing users to turn photos into beautiful portraits with background blur after capture and to adjust the focus point in the Photos app. The latest generation of HDR captures subjects with true-to-life renderings of skin tones and ensures bright highlights, rich midtones, and deep shadows across the image — all while preserving fine details."
Apple's latest budget iPhone is able to record videos in 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps, replete with Spatial Audio for immersive listening with AirPods or Apple Vision Pro.
Finally, the iPhone 17e sports an all-day battery life, with the ability to charge to 50 percent in around 30 minutes. It also supports MagSafe and Qi2 for fast wireless charging at up to 15W compared to 7.5W Qi wireless charging on iPhone 16e.
Software features and AI
The iPhone 17e comes with iOS 26 and its Liquid Glass UI. It also supports Apple intelligence features, such as:
- Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and with AirPods.
- Visual intelligence now allows users to search, ask questions, and take action on the content they’re viewing on their screen.
- Call Screening adds an additional layer of protection against calls from unknown numbers and automatically asks the reason for calling, while Hold Assist can hold on the line until a live agent is available.
- In Messages, users can now choose to screen messages from unknown senders by filtering them to a dedicated folder so they don’t clutter up the conversation list.
Price
The 256GB variant of the iPhone 17e is priced at $599 or 24-month installments of $24.95 in the US. With Apple Trade In, customers can get up to $100 in credit upon trading in the iPhone 11, or up to $195 in credit when they trade in the iPhone 13. Pre-orders begin on March 04, with in-store availability scheduled for March 11.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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