Apple sort of bludgeoned the base iPhone 16 earlier this year when it launched the iPhone 16e with enough features to overshadow its pricier sibling. The Cupertino giant, however, appears to have learned from its mistakes and is bent upon releasing the iPhone 17e in H1 2026 with enough compromises so as not to overshadow the base iPhone 17, as per an analysis by the Apple guru, Mark Gurman.
The Base iPhone 16 Vs. iPhone 16e
Apple wowed users earlier in 2025 when it launched the iPhone 16e with an iPhone 14-inspired form factor replete with thin bezels, a 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display, and a smaller notch, which housed a front-facing camera and Face ID components, marking a departure from Touch ID that was prevalent in previous versions.
Of course, iPhone 16e had its share of compromises. For instance, its aluminum frame with a glass back was not color-infused. Plus, the A18 chip had a 4-core GPU instead of a 5-core one on the base iPhone 16, and a single-lens camera instead of the dual-camera system on its pricier sibling.
However, the offering was good enough to propel Apple towards the apex of the global smartphone market in Q1 2025, with the Cupertino giant managing to capture a whopping 19 percent of the overall market, according to Counterpoint Intelligence.
Apple Looks Poised To Launch The iPhone 17e With Enough Shortcomings So As Not To Take Away From The Shine Of The Base iPhone 17
A renowned analyst, Mark Gurman, now thinks that Apple will likely handicap the iPhone 17e to prevent the cheaper smartphone from overshadowing the base iPhone 17. As such, Gurman believes this deliberate throttling of the iPhone 17e would introduce greater clarity into Apple's product mix, definitively establishing the variant as a decidedly budget offering.
For instance, iPhone 17e will not come equipped with the ProMotion display tech that supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Instead, the budget offering will retain a 60Hz display refresh rate. It will also likely utilize the same single-lens camera setup as that found on the iPhone 16e.
Of course, the budget offering will have its plus points, including the look of the base iPhone 16, replete with the Dynamic Island instead of the now-ancient notch. Apple will also likely power the iPhone 17e with its latest A19 chip, albeit with a lower core count.
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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