We’re just over a week away from Apple’s “Special Experience” on March 4th, and expect the iPhone 17e to be announced during the week of the event. The iPhone 17e will be the first update to the new low-cost iPhone 16e that Apple introduced in February 2025.
Design
The iPhone 17e will look a lot like the iPhone 16e with the same 6.1-inch display size, single-lens rear camera, and black and white color options.
Display
The iPhone 17e is expected to have the same display panel as the iPhone 16e, meaning it will be limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. Apple brought 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate to the standard iPhone 17 in 2025, but the same technology is not expected in the more affordable iPhone 17e.
The iPhone 17th will continue to be the only new version of Apple iPhone without 120Hz support.
The 120Hz refresh rate provides enhanced video and smoother scrolling when browsing the web.
The iPhone 16e does not have always-on display technology, and this is 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 more expensive iPhones. HDR and brightness are also lacking compared to Apple’s flagship.
A dynamic island
The iPhone 16e uses a notch that Apple removed from its newer flagship iPhones, but the iPhone 17e could do away with it. Some rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, giving it an updated look.
The Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped cutout in the iPhone display that houses the TrueDepth camera system and the front-facing camera. It takes up less screen space than the notch and integrates better with the iPhone.
While some rumors suggest that we might get a Dynamic Island, other rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will continue to use the notch, so a Dynamic Island upgrade is not a guarantee.
A19 chip
The iPhone 17e will use the Apple A19 chip, which is the same chip found in the iPhone 17. The A19 chip is built on the improved 3-nanometer N3P process, which offers a 5 to 10 percent performance improvement over the A18 chip.
Apple could be planning to use a downclocked version of the A19 chip in the iPhone 17e, and if that’s the case, its performance won’t quite match that of the iPhone 17.
The A18 chip that Apple used in the iPhone 16e had a 4-core GPU instead of the 5-core GPU like the iPhone 16 version, so the iPhone 17e could get a similar GPU downgrade.
In addition to the improved CPU and GPU, the A19 has an updated display engine, image signal processor and Neural Engine for better AI performance. Each GPU core includes a Neural Accelerator to boost the performance of local AI models.
We expect the iPhone 17e to continue to feature 8GB of RAM like the iPhone 16e. Other Apple models have 12 GB.
MagSafe compatibility
The iPhone 16e does not have a magnetic ring for MagSafe charging, but the iPhone 17e is expected to get the MagSafe upgrade.
Apple iPhone has used MagSafe since iPhone 12, so there is a wide variety of MagSafe cases and accessories. iPhone 16e is not compatible with this accessory, which is the main limitation.
Since it doesn’t have MagSafe, the iPhone 16e is limited to a wireless charging speed of 7.5W. MagSafe would upgrade that to at least 15W. Current iPhone 17 models can be charged at 25W via MagSafe, although the iPhone Air is limited to 20W.
Camera
The iPhone 17e is expected to have a single 48-megapixel wide-angle camera on the back, with no mention of an upgrade. The iPhone 16e does not have a camera button, and there is no indication that Apple plans to include one on the iPhone 17e.
The iPhone 17 models received an improved 18-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera, but rumors suggest that the iPhone 17e will continue to use the same 12-megapixel front-facing camera as the iPhone 16e.
Modem
The iPhone 17th will use the Apple C1X modem, a modem chip that 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 says the C1X modem is up to 2x faster than the C1 and is much more energy efficient than Qualcomm modems.
The N1 chip
Apple could update the iPhone 17 models with the Apple Wi-Fi and Bluetooth “N1” network chip, which would bring speed and efficiency improvements and fiber support. Apple’s leaked code suggests the chip won’t be included in the iPhone 17e to keep costs down, but recent rumors suggest Apple plans to include it.
Prices
The iPhone 16e starts at $599, and no changes are expected for the iPhone 17e.
Launch date
Apple is holding a “Special Experience” event on March 4th, and we expect the iPhone 17th to launch during the same week.