The successor to the iPhone 16e was announced yesterday, with Apple introducing several changes to the iPhone 17e compared to last year’s model while retaining the same design. For $599, there are plenty of things to like about the Cupertino giant’s newest release, but does it offer more value compared to the base iPhone 17, which retails for $799? We have discussed some key differences below, allowing you to make a better decision on whether you should save $200 or spend it.
Display and other features
The iPhone 17e sticks with the same 6.1-inch notched display as the iPhone 16e, with Apple being kind enough to make it more durable than its predecessor by adding Ceramic Shield 2, giving it the same protection as the iPhone 17 with three times better scratch resistance. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end, because the iPhone 17 also ships with an LTPO OLED panel that supports ProMotion technology.
This upgrade means the refresh rate dynamically switches between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on what’s being displayed on the screen. Not only can the iPhone 17 deliver smoother scrolling and animation, but it will also deliver better battery life than the iPhone 17e since the latter’s LTPS OLED screen retains a static 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 17 also boasts a higher brightness of 1,000 nits, compared to the iPhone 17e’s 800 nits.
Peak brightness for the $799 device can reach 1,600 nits compared to the 1,200 nits on the iPhone 17e, with minimum brightness dropping to 1 nit to save on battery. As for the Action button, it is consistent across both devices, but the iPhone 17 sports a Camera Control slider for seamless access to photo and video capturing.
| Display, design and other features | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size and technology | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR | 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR |
| Resolution | 2,532 x 1,170 | 2,622 x 1,206 |
| Pixel Density | 460 | 460 |
| Always-On display | No | Yes |
| Dynamic Island | No | Yes |
| ProMotion support | No | Yes |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz static | Dynamic 10Hz - 120Hz |
| True Tone | Yes | Yes |
| P3 color gamut | Yes | Yes |
| Brightness | 800 nits typical maximum brightness 1,200 nits typical maximum brightness for HDR content | 1,000 nits typical maximum brightness 1,600 nits typical maximum brightness for HDR content 3,000 nits peak brightness outdoors 1 nit minimum brightness |
| Face ID | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 5.78 inches (146.7mm) | 5.89 inches (149.6mm) |
| Width | 2.82 inches (71.5mm) | 2.81 inches (71.5mm) |
| Thickness | 0.31 inches (7.80mm) | 0.31 inches (7.95mm) |
| Weight | 169 grams | 177 grams |
| Protections | ||
| Ceramic Shield | Front side features second-generation glass | Front side features second-generation glass |
| IP rating | IP68 (water-resistant up to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 meters) | IP68 (water-resistant up to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 meters) |
| Other features | ||
| Action button | Yes | Yes |
| Camera Control | No | No |
Chipset and other specifications
Both the iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 feature 8GB of RAM, with their base models shipping with 256GB of NVMe storage. If you go over the specifications sheet of these handsets, you’ll also notice that they ship with Apple’s A19, which is fabricated on TSMC’s 3nm ‘N3P’ process. However, they are quite different because the less expensive model features a binned SoC with a 4-core GPU, while the iPhone 17 sports a 5-core GPU.
Thankfully, these cores have Neural Accelerators, and Apple didn’t change the CPU core count between the two smartphones, keeping the two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Also, the iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 share the same 16-core Neural Engine. Now, the question is whether one fewer GPU core will make a difference.
While the initial benchmarks aren’t here, the iPhone 16e with a binned A18 (4-core GPU) is 15 percent slower in Geekbench 6 Metal compared to the non-binned A18 powering the base iPhone 16. The same performance penalty could be witnessed when the iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 are compared, but the improved architecture and Neural Accelerators could provide some cushioning.
| Chipset, memory and storage configurations | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | A19 | A19 |
| Lithography | TSMC 3nm N3P | TSMC 3nm N3P |
| Cores | 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU | 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
| Neural Accelerators | Yes | Yes |
| Unified memory bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Unified memory | 8GB | 8GB |
| Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Yes | Yes |
| Storage configurations | 256GB and 512GB | 256GB and 512GB |
Wireless connectivity
The iPhone 17e once again misses out on mmWave 5G and is an entire generation behind the iPhone 17 with its Wi-Fi 6 adapter and Bluetooth 5.3 support. The pricier handset supports the latest and greatest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and it can connect to both sub-6GHz and mmWave networks.
| Wireless connectivity | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 7 using Apple's N1 wireless networking chip |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Ultrawide-band chip (UWB) | No | Yes (2nd generation) |
| 5G modem | Apple's in-house C1X | Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 |
| mmWave support | No | Yes |
| Sub-6GHz support | Yes | Yes |
| Gigabit LTE support | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency features | ||
| Emergency SOS via satellite | Yes | Yes |
| Crash Detection | Yes | Yes |
| Roadside Assistance via satellite | Yes | Yes |
| Messages via satellite | Yes | Yes |
| Find My via satellite | Yes | Yes |
| SIM type | ||
| eSIM or physical SIM | Dual eSIM (two active, with the option to store eight) | Dual eSIM (two active, with the option to store eight) |
Camera
The optics hardware on the iPhone 17 shines bright in comparison to the iPhone 17e, with its Dual Fusion camera system including a primary wide-angle 48MP unit paired with another 48MP ultrawide-angle camera. Apple has also incorporated its superior Sensor-shift optical image stabilization technology in the iPhone 17’s primary camera, while the iPhone 17e only features regular Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a single 48MP sensor at the back.
There are more zoom options with the iPhone 17, including a Cinematic mode that’s lacking on the iPhone 17e. Coming to the front, Apple has added an 18MP Center Stage front camera to its $799 offering that comes with a truckload of features such as ultra-stabilized video, Center Stage for video calls, and more. Sadly, the iPhone 17e gets left out, sporting a single 12MP selfie shooter with none of the aforementioned additions.
| Camera and speakers | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera and resolution | 48MP Fusion camera | 48MP Dual Fusion camera |
| Aperture | F/1.6 for primary camera | F/1.6 for primary camera F/2.2 for ultrawide-angle camera with 120-degree FOV |
| Stabilization | Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) | Sensor-shift Optical Image Stabilization |
| Physical zoom | None | 2x optical zoom in 2x optical zoom out 4x optical zoom range |
| Digital zoom | Up to 10x | Up to 10x |
| Video recording | ||
| 4K Dolby Vision support | Yes, at 24FPS, 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS | Yes, at 24FPS, 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS |
| 1080p Dolby Vision support | Yes, at 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS | Yes, at 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS |
| 720p Dolby Vision support | Yes, at 30FPS | Yes, at 30FPS |
| Cinematic mode | No | Yes, up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30FPS |
| Action mode | No | Yes, up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60FPS |
| Macro video recording | No | Yes |
| Slow-motion video recording | Yes, at 1080p at 120FPS or 240FPS | Yes, at 1080p at 120FPS or 240FPS |
| Spatial video recording | No | Yes, 1080p at 30FPS |
| Digital zoom | Yes, up to 6x | Yes, up to 6x |
| Still image capturing while video recording | No | Yes, 8MP capture while recording 4K footage |
| Front-facing camera | ||
| Resolution | 12MP TrueDepth camera | 18MP Center Stage camera (allows for Center Stage photos and videos) |
| Aperture | F/1.9 | F/1.9 |
| 4K Dolby Vision support | Yes, at 24FPS, 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS | Yes, at 24FPS, 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS |
| 1080p Dolby Vision support | Yes, at 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS | Yes, at 25FPS, 30FPS or 60FPS |
| Cinematic mode | No | Yes, up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30FPS |
| Slow-motion video recording | Yes, at 1080p at 120FPS | Yes, at 1080p at 120FPS |
Charging and data transfer
Apple added MagSafe charging to the iPhone 17e, which was a feature sorely missing from the iPhone 16e. With this addition, Apple’s latest member of its smartphone family matches the iPhone 17 in this area, with MagSafe wireless charging support up to 15W or higher with a 20W adapter. You also won’t run into compatibility issues with the iPhone 17e when strapping on MagSafe cases and other accessories, bringing a great deal of convenience for buyers. As for the USB-C port, it is limited to USB 2.0 speeds.
Battery
The exact capacity details weren’t divulged by Apple, but the company says the iPhone 17e has worse endurance than the iPhone 17 in both video playback and streamed video playback. You can see the differences below, with the difference in the runtimes primarily caused by the display. As mentioned above, the iPhone 17 features an LTPO OLED screen with ProMotion support, helping conserve battery life when it matters most.
Video playback
- iPhone 17e - Up to 26 hours
- iPhone 16e - Up to 26 hours
- iPhone 17 - Up to 30 hours
Video playback (streamed)
- iPhone 17e - Up to 21 hours
- iPhone 16e - Up to 21 hours
- iPhone 17 - Up to 27 hours
What’s interesting about the aforementioned runtimes is that the iPhone 17e’s battery life is unchanged compared to the iPhone 16e, hinting that Apple might not have changed the battery specifications at all. We’ll have to wait for a teardown to confirm our speculation, but it is clear that if you want longer endurance, you’ll have to get the more expensive iPhone. Fortunately, you can compensate for the iPhone 17e’s ‘less than stellar’ runtimes by purchasing a MagSafe battery pack, like the Baseus Picogo.
| Battery life, capacity and charging | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Unknown | 3,692mAh |
| Battery time in video playback | Up to 26 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| Battery time in video streaming | Up to 22 hours | Up to 27 hours |
| Fast-charging | Yes (up to 50 percent in 30 minutes using a 20W adapter or higher) | Yes (up to 50 percent in 30 minutes using a 30W adapter or higher using a MagSafe charger) Yes (up to 50 percent in 20 minutes using a 40W adapter or higher) |
| MagSafe charging support | Yes (up to 15W) | Yes (up to 25W) |
| Qi2 wireless charging support | Yes (up to 15W) | Yes (up to 25W) |
Is the iPhone 17e or the iPhone 17 the better purchase?
If you can somehow squeeze an additional $200 for your purchase, the iPhone 17 is a ‘no brainer’ because there is a bevy of upgrades that you’ll greatly appreciate. With the iPhone 17e, Apple managed to maintain that $599 figure while adding MagSafe wireless charging, a chipset upgrade, better scratch-resistance protection from the back, and double the base storage.
However, if you enjoy longer battery runtimes, versatile image and video capture, better AAA gaming performance, buttery-smooth scrolling that can improve your productivity, and faster wireless speeds, that $200 extra will just look like chump change.
The iPhone 17e is an excellent choice for those just getting into Apple’s hardware and software ecosystem, but if you plan on keeping the device for several years, those specifications will look dated in just 12 months.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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