- RATING
Apple has packed more value and storage in the iPhone 17e while maintaining the same more affordable price. Even at the entry level, the iPhone 17e offers a premium experience when it comes to design, performance and features.
A few days before Apple released its most affordable laptop – the $899 MacBook Neo – the company unveiled its most affordable smartphone – the $999 iPhone 17e.
The MacBook Neo showed Apple could sharpen the pencil on the price for its entry-level laptop.
And this is as far as Apple will sharpen the pencil on an iPhone.
The iPhone 17e, at $999, is the same price as last year’s iPhone 16e but it comes with more base memory at 256GB. Last year’s iPhone 16e started at $999 with 128GB storage.
iPhone 17e is available in three colours – black, white and soft pink.
Tech Guide received the soft pink version for our review – and it’s actually our favourite colour of the trio.
It really is quite soft and almost like Apple’s beigy starlight colour in certain light. Bottom line – it’s not so pink that would make it look right at home in the Barbie movie.
The iPhone 17e has a stunning 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display which is super sharp and bright. It has 1,200 peak brightness.
It has the same design as the iPhone 16e but it still looks premium with an excellent build quality. It also has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
Under the hood is the A19 chip which includes advanced 3-nanometer technology with a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators to give the iPhone 17e flagship performance.
We switched to the iPhone 17e from the iPhone 17 Pro Max and didn’t once feel any difference in the speed to open apps and switch between apps or navigate the menu.
And having this sort of performance also makes it possible to have Apple Intelligence at your fingertips.
But what you don’t get are the thinner bezels around the screen or a larger display.
The iPhone 17e display also has a 60Hz refresh rate not 120Hz – that’s what the more expensive iPhone 17s offers.
And you also have the old notch instead of the Dynamic Island.
But for the customer who just wants a decent smartphone – who only wants an iPhone – this isn’t going to matter.
There is only one camera – the 48MP Fusion camera – which can capture impressive 24MP and 48MP images and shoot 4K video at up to 60fps with Dolby Vision.
It also has a 12MP selfie camera.
The images we shot in Sydney and New York speak for themselves and no one who you show the images to or the people you share them with and anyone who sees them on social media will question their quality.
One new feature for the iPhone 17e is MagSafe which means it’s compatible with Qi2 charging at up to 15W which is less than the maximum 25W of this standard but it’s still twice what the iPhone 16e could offer.
On the battery side, the iPhone 17e gave us a day and a half of power. The combination of iOS 26 and the A19 chip created real efficiency which was plain to see with our day to day use.
Apple’s entry level iPhone 17e is a clear improvement over the iPhone 16e and is perfect for those customers who can’t afford the more expensive iPhones but still wants an iPhone.
It is also ideal for those parents who are being pestered by their teenage children who only have eyes for an iPhone.
iPhone 17e is available now and is priced at $999 (256GB) and $1,399 (512GB).
VERDICT
Apple has packed more value and storage in the iPhone 17e while maintaining the same more affordable price. Even at the entry level, the iPhone 17e offers a premium experience when it comes to design, performance and features.
