The Lowdown On Apple’s Newest Budget iPhone: The Apple iPhone 17e
We all love great quality at a low price, and that’s exactly what the Apple iPhone 17e is about. The budget version of the recently released 17 series, it packs many of Apple’s industry-leading features, at a cost that makes it Apple’s cheapest iPhone, and a worthy rival to other budget phones the Google Pixel 10a and Samsung A56.
While the keen price and latest tech is attractive, it does mean some key features are omitted or downgraded – so it’s important to make sure those compromises don’t hit you where you’ll feel it most. To help you decide whether the iPhone 17e is right for your needs, here’s the lowdown.
Design and display
Like the iPhone 16e, the action takes place on a 6.1” Super Retina XDR display, with an aluminium frame. But unlike the 16e, the Ceramic Shield 2 protection makes it more durable and scratch-resistant – which is great seeing as we all keep phones next to keys or drop them on occasion. The brightness hasn’t changed from the 16e, with peak brightness at 1,200 nits. That’s less than the iPhone 17 at 3000 nits at its peak – and more notably, less than Google’s rival budget phone, the Pixel 10a, which also reaches 3,000 nits.
You’ll also notice three more compromises. Firstly, the colours available are limited to black, white and a new soft pink. Secondly, the refresh rate is 60Hz, as opposed to the iPhone 17 that offers an adaptable 120Hz refresh rate to make moving images appear smoother. Thirdly, with a traditional notch design rather than the Dynamic Island you’ll find on the standard 16 and 17 series, you’ll be able to visually identify this budget version. But a few of these really impact the phone’s operation, which is why they are the areas of compromise.
Camera
Those familiar with standard or Pro iPhone models might notice differences in the 17e that allows for its lower price. Its main 48MP Fusion camera takes the excellent quality that iPhones are known for, and features like Portrait Mode and optical image stabilisation, to take smoother videos. But instead of a telephoto lens, it uses camera intelligence to zoom in 1x and 2x on the same main lens, with no loss in image quality.
Unfortunately, there’s not much tinkering Apple can do to make up for the lack of Ultra Wide lens, that’s found on the other iPhone 17s. So if you like taking pictures of landscapes, panoramas or architecture, you might prefer another phone in the series.
The selfie camera is 12MP, which is the standard selfie quality, though it doesn’t reach the spec of the other iPhone 17s, which have 18MP and a Centre Stage camera. It also lacks features on the other phones in the series, like Dolby Vision video recording, Cinematic mode, Action Mode, and Camera Control: the physical button that gives quick access to camera functions.
Battery performance
We love Apple’s consistently long battery life – well, long when you first buy the phone at least. Apple have stopped publishing the battery size as phone efficiency plays such a big part in its performance too. Instead, it says that the iPhone 17e lasts for 26 hours of video playback. That’s super impressive, and means that most of us will only need to charge the phone every day or two.
Happily, the phone has MagSafe compatibility, which not only makes wireless charging easier, but also opens up the door to Apple’s magnetic accessories to keep your phone in place, like car mounts. For wired charging, it purports 50% charge in around 30 minutes, which is mostly all that’s needed, though it’s still a tad slower than the other models in the series.
Tech and features
When it comes to the under-the-hood stuff, the most foundational upgrade in the iPhone 17e is the A19 chip – the newest and snazziest chip available on an iPhone. It leads to quicker and smoother processing, and more efficient running. Well able to cope with demanding tasks, it’s also Apple Intelligence compatible.
The second most foundational upgrade is that storage for the entry level iPhone 17e starts at 256GB: double that of the iPhone 16e, yet the same starting price.
Together, these improvements show that while Apple is still a premium product, it’s making strides forward when it comes to value for money.
The iPhone 17e also has much of the hallmark iPhone features, like a customisable Action button, Face ID, Apple Pay and Crash Detection. But this phone does compromise on the latest connectivity options: it doesn’t have Ultra Wideband for precision location, mmWave 5G connectivity, or Wi-Fi 7 (it has Wi-Fi 6 instead). Most likely, the only time this would be a problem is if you need precision AirTag tracking, or spatial awareness features.
When it comes to software support, you’ll get a minimum of five years of major iOS updates, ensuring it’s a solid investment for the future.
Price and availability
The iPhone 17e is available now, at £599 for 256GB of storage, and £799 for 512GB – £200 less than the standard iPhone 17. For heavy phone users, omitted features like the Ultra Wide lens, Dynamic Island design and precision tracking could be worth the extra spend. But as an entry level iPhone, it packs more quality features than it ever has before, for its lowest price – and that’s deal worth considering.
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