Apple iPhone 17e review: the affordable iPhone grows up

Apple has announced the iPhone 17e, a more affordable addition to its iPhone 17 lineup, starting at $599 for 256 GB of storage — double the entry storage of the previous generation at the same price.

The new iPhone 17e has been long-rumored, but now it's here the spec on paper is an impressive one for the money.

It's built around Apple's A19 chip, fabricated on 3 nm technology, with a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine. This makes it twice as fast as an iPhone 11, and promises what Apple says is "console-level gaming." Apple Intelligence is enabled on the off-chance that it gets interesting soon.

Also new is the C1X cellular modem, which Apple says is up to 2x faster than the C1 in iPhone 16e, while using 30% less energy than the modem in iPhone 16 Pro.

An upgraded camera

The 48 MP Fusion camera is the main imaging improvement over Apple's previous entry-level models. This adds an optical-quality 2x Telephoto, provides 4K Dolby Vision video up to 60 fps, Spatial Audio recording, and an improved Portrait mode that automatically saves depth data at capture for post-processing in the Photos app. Night mode, HDR, Audio Mix, and wind noise reduction are also on board.

The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display uses Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims delivers 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation along with improved anti-reflection. Peak HDR brightness is an impressive 1200 nits.

MagSafe wireless charging tops out at 15 W — up from 7.5 W Qi on iPhone 16e — and USB-C fast charging can hit 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter. The phone carries an IP68 rating (6 metres / 20 feet for 30 minutes), aerospace-grade aluminum construction, Face ID, and an Action button.

The worldwide average smartphone price is going to hit $523 by the end of the year. The 17e is not far above that and seems to provide a lot of phone for the money, certainly for those that are not too fussed with the highest end abilities.

Pricing and availability 

The iPhone 17e is available in black, white, and soft pink, with pre-orders opening March 4 and availability beginning March 11. Storage options are 256 GB and 512 GB, with prices starting at $599 or $24.95 per month over 24 months.