We're likely just a few weeks away from Apple's next iPhone release, with the company set to unveil the iPhone 17e. The iPhone 17e is the successor to the iPhone 16e that was released in February 2025, and rumors suggest it could feature some welcome improvements.
See also: iPhone 17e with 60Hz display will get Dynamic Island
Design
The iPhone 17e is expected to look very similar to the iPhone 16e, featuring the same 6.1-inch display, single rear camera lens, and black and white color options.
Screen
The iPhone 17e is expected to feature the same display panel as the iPhone 16e, meaning it will be limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. Apple brought 120Hz ProMotion to the regular iPhone 17 in 2025, but the same technology is not expected for the more affordable iPhone 17e. 120Hz refresh rates provide video enhancements and smoother scrolling when viewing web pages.
The iPhone 16e doesn’t have an always-on display, and that’s unlikely to change with the iPhone 17e. To support always-on, the iPhone 17e would need an OLED display with a minimum brightness of 1-nit, which is limited to Apple’s most expensive iPhones. HDR and brightness also lag behind Apple’s flagship. However, rumors suggest that Apple could reduce the size of the bezel, allowing for more viewable screen area.
Dynamic Island
The iPhone 16e continues to feature the notch that Apple eliminated from its latest flagship iPhones, but the iPhone 17e may ditch it. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will feature a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, giving it a more modern look.
Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone screen that houses the TrueDepth camera system and front-facing camera. It takes up less screen space than the notch and is better integrated into the iPhone.
Apple uses software to change the size and shape of the Dynamic Island to accommodate notifications and Live Activities. The Dynamic Island can show everything from turn-by-turn directions from Apple Maps to active timers, incoming phone calls, and Face ID activations. It also displays privacy indicators for the microphone or camera, notifications when accessories are connected, and indicators for the flashlight, screen recording, incoming AirDrop files, and more.
A19 processor
The iPhone 17e is expected to use Apple's A19 processor , which was first introduced in the iPhone 17. The A19 processor is built using Apple's improved 3-nanometer N3P process , offering a 5 to 10 percent performance improvement over the A18 processor.
Apple could be planning to use a lower-speed version of the A19 processor in the iPhone 17e, and if that happens, its performance won't exactly match that of the iPhone 17. The A18 processor that Apple used in the iPhone 16e had a 4-core GPU instead of a 5-core GPU like the version from the iPhone 16, so the iPhone 17e could receive a similar GPU downgrade.
In addition to the improved CPU and GPU, the A19 features an updated display engine, image signal processor, and Neural Engine for improved AI performance. Each GPU core features a Neural Accelerator to boost the performance of local AI models. We expect the iPhone 17e to continue to include 8GB of RAM like the iPhone 16e. Apple’s other models have 12GB.
See also: iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max users report static noise while charging
MagSafe compatibility
The iPhone 16e doesn't have a magnetic ring for MagSafe, but the iPhone 17e could feature MagSafe compatibility. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will support magnetic wireless charging, which would be a significant upgrade over the iPhone 16e.
Apple iPhones have used MagSafe since the iPhone 12, so there's a wide variety of MagSafe cases and accessories available. The iPhone 16e isn't compatible with these accessories, which is a major limitation.
Camera
The iPhone 17e is expected to feature a single 48-megapixel wide-angle camera on the back, with no rumored upgrade. The iPhone 16e lacks a camera control button, and there's no word on whether Apple will bring it to the iPhone 17e.
The iPhone 17 models received an upgraded 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera, but rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will continue to use the same 12-megapixel front camera as the iPhone 16e.
Modem
The iPhone 17e will adopt Apple's C1X modem, which Apple first introduced in the iPhone Air. The C1X modem is faster and more efficient than the C1 modem that Apple used in the iPhone 16e.
Apple states that the C1X modem is up to 2x faster than the C1 and is much more energy efficient than Qualcomm modems.
Without the N1 Chip
While the iPhone 17 models received Apple's new "N1" Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking chip, leaked Apple code suggests the chip will not be included in the iPhone 17e to keep costs down.
Pricing
The iPhone 16e starts at $599 and no price changes are expected for the iPhone 17e.
Release Date
Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will be released in the first half of 2026, and Apple could stick to its February release schedule. The iPhone 16e was unveiled via press release on February 19, 2025, so we probably don't expect an event for the 17e.
See also: iPhone 17 Pro: Apple removed popular Night mode photo feature
For that reason, it could come any time in February, although there's also a chance Apple could hold it off until March or April. In late March or early April, Apple plans to release iOS 26.4 with a new version of Siri, along with several updated home products.
