The iPhone 17e is Apple's upcoming mid-range phone, the successor of the iPhone 16e. The phone may come as early as this February or March, and rumors about it have been surfacing online in the past couple of months.
Apple is not expected to reinvent the wheel with the iPhone 17e; however, there are still some exciting upgrades that the Cupertino giant may have planned for the device.
Dynamic Island instead of a notch
The iPhone 17e is rumored to get a big visual overhaul. The iPhone 16e came with the old notch, which looks pretty dated nowadays, but rumor has it that the iPhone 17e may fix this problem. Reportedly, the phone is going to sport a Dynamic Island design for its Face ID sensors and selfie camera.
The iPhone 17e may get a Dynamic Island like the iPhone 15, shown here. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
Keep in mind that some rumors suggest the opposite (no Dynamic Island); however, the majority of the sources seem to believe the revamp is happening.
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Meanwhile, the display is said to remain a 6.1-inch OLED panel (its design based on the iPhone 15) and may still come with a 60Hz display refresh rate, but the Dynamic Island would at least help it look more modern.
A19 chipset
According to rumors, the iPhone 17e may sport an 'upgraded A19 chipset'. The rumor comes from reputable leaker Digital Chat Station. It's not known exactly how the chipset will be upgraded. The A19 chip is found in the iPhone 17. The iPhone 16e used iPhone 16's chip with one GPU core less, but if this rumor is to be believed, Apple may actually give the iPhone 17e a stronger chip.
MagSafe support
The iPhone 17e is rumored to address the biggest issue users had with the iPhone 16e: the lack of MagSafe support. The phone is reportedly going to come with magnets in its back and magnetic wireless charging support. The charging speeds would also be increased with this upgrade to 20 or 25W. That's a huge upgrade in comparison to the iPhone 16e's 7.5W wireless charging capabilities.
MagSafe support would open up the world of MagSafe accessories (cases, power banks, car mounts) to Apple's mid-range phone buyers as well, which is excellent.
18MP Center Stage camera
Some analysts claim that the iPhone 17e is going to come with an upgraded selfie camera, similar to the iPhone 17. Rumor has it that Center Stage will also be supported on that camera. This is the feature that allows you to hold your iPhone in portrait orientation while taking selfies in landscape mode for group images. Also, it keeps you or multiple people centered during video calls.
The iPhone 16e sports a 12MP selfie camera, while the iPhone 17e could come with an 18MP one, which is an upgrade people will notice in everyday life with providing an improved quality of photos.
C1, or more likely, C1X modem
The iPhone 17e might come with either the C1 modem (seen in its predecessor) or the C1X modem that Apple introduced with the iPhone Air for cellular connectivity. Both modems are designed by Apple and offer excellent efficiency, together with the rest of Apple's hardware.
Most rumors indicate the iPhone 17e is going to come with the C1X, though. The modem is twice as fast as the C1, with faster upload speeds, and uses up to 30% less power than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro. Unfortunately, it still lacks 5G mmWave support, though, which could be a trade-off for some buyers.
Same price as iPhone 16e
The iPhone 17e is expected to remain a mid-range phone and is said to start at $599, just like its predecessor. Apple will likely not introduce a price increase for this model, so it would be the cheapest iPhone that you can buy (unless you go for older or refurbished models). The storage configurations are expected to remain the same as the 16e as well, so we're looking at options from 128, 256, or 512GB of storage.
Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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