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With the eyes of the mobile phone world, including those of three of my esteemed colleagues, on MWC, Apple has announced the latest addition to its iPhone 17 range.
The Apple iPhone 17e had been heavily rumoured ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and has now been confirmed by the tech giant. Like last year’s iPhone 16e, which we described as the best-value iPhone, the iPhone 17e is a more affordable alternative to the brand’s flagship releases, but still packs in some of the technology found elsewhere in Apple’s current iPhone lineup.
Apple iPhone 17e: Promising performance enhancements
It uses the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, which has a 6-core CPU that’s twice as fast as that found in the iPhone 11, and a 4-core GPU, complete with “neural accelerators” to boost gaming performance. AI processes should also be much swifter, too, thanks to a 16-core neural engine optimised for large generative models.
The iPhone 17e also houses the C1X modem, first introduced on the iPhone Air. This is said to be up to twice as fast as the C1 modem found on the iPhone 16e, and use 30% less energy than the iPhone 16 Pro, which absolutely crushed our battery life tests last year. Apple is promising “exceptional all-day battery life” and fast charging that can top up the device to 50% in just 30 minutes.
One of the biggest new additions is that of MagSafe charging. This was conspicuous by its absence on the iPhone 16e, so it’s great to see you’ll be able to attach accessories, including Qi2 wireless chargers, to this model magnetically.
Apple iPhone 17e: More storage, improved durability, and a better main camera
There are a few other notable upgrades, too. The most significant is that the base iPhone 17e comes with 256GB of storage, twice that of the iPhone 16e. However, those who’ve damaged their iPhone screen over the years will be equally pleased to hear that the 6.1in Super Retina XDR OLED display is three times as scratch-resistant thanks to the inclusion of a Ceramic Shield 2 front cover.
Ceramic Shield 2 is found on more expensive iPhones, such as the iPhone 17 Pro, and is also said to reduce glare. As with the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating, certifying it as both dust and water-resistant.
On the camera front, the iPhone 17e houses a 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera, plus a 48MP “Fusion” shooter. It supports Night mode, Portrait mode, HDR photography, and 4K Dolby Vision videos at up to 60 frames per second. Apple’s Spatial Audio is also supported.
The iPhone 17e runs iOS 26 and supports Apple Intelligence, providing access to a suite of AI-powered features, such as live translation across messages and call screening from unknown numbers, and Visual Intelligence, which lets you search and ask questions about the content you’re viewing – essentially Apple’s answer to Google’s Circle to Search.
It also has safety and communication functionality we’ve become familiar with on Apple devices. Find My is present and correct, while you can send messages and contact emergency services in cellular and Wi-Fi dead zones via satellite.
Apple iPhone 17e: Price and availability
Preorders for the new iPhone 17e go live on Wednesday, 4 March, and it’s available in three finishes: White, Black and Soft Pink. The base model with 256GB storage is priced at £599, while the 512GB version will cost £799.
