Why you can trust CNET
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. How we test phones
Apple is reportedly launching a cheaper iPhone 17, and it could offer notable improvements over last year’s iPhone 16E.
Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor
Mike Sorrentino is a senior editor for Mobile, specializing in phones, texting apps, and smartwatches, obsessed with how we can get the most out of them. Mike also keeps an eye on the film and toy industry, and outside of work he enjoys cycling and making pizza.
Skill Phones | Texting Apps | iOS | Android | Smart Watches | Fitness Trackers | Mobile accessories | Gaming Phones | Budget Phones | Toys | Star Wars | Wonder | Power Rangers | CC | Mobile Accessibility | iMessage | WhatsApp | Signage | RCS
Key points to remember:
- Features: Apple could include MagSafe on the iPhone 17E.
- Release date: Maybe as early as February.
- Price: There have been no leaks regarding the price increases, which is good news at this point.
- Design: Could get the Dynamic Island and look more like an iPhone 15.
The cheapest from Apple iPhone line should continue with an iPhone 17E which would have been released at the beginning of this year. If this is true, the sequel to last year’s iPhone 16E still has plenty of room to improve.
There are rumors of improvements borrowed from Apple’s iPhone 15, such as Dynamic Island and MagSafe. If true, that could make the lower-cost iPhone 17E an attractive option with fewer compromises needed to achieve a lower price.
Apple’s $599 iPhone 16E was a bit weird when it was released last year. He replaced Apple’s $429 iPhone SEeffectively removing the old iPhone SE design which included a home button with Touch ID. Apple’s new “budget” device was a more expensive fusion, featuring the body of a iPhone14 with a display notch. It also had the USB-C port of the iPhone 15 and the A18 processor of the iPhone16 sustain Apple Intelligence features.
To save money, Apple cut back on features by only including a single 48-megapixel main camera and omitting Apple’s MagSafe clip capability (although it retained standard wireless charging). Although the iPhone 16E is a solid starter iPhone, I found these omissions must be confusing, especially since Apple increased the price of this entry-level iPhone from $429 to $599.
The iPhone 16E has a single rear camera.
James Martin/CNETAn iPhone 17E could follow a playbook closer to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE. It would have many of the same features as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17, like a smaller screen notch and an A19 processor, as well as smaller setbacks to the hardware that might be less noticeable.
Apple has yet to confirm whether an iPhone 17E exists, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled. Here are the rumors we’ve heard so far, with features that could help or hinder the more budget-friendly iPhone 17E.
Watch this: iPhone 16E review
iPhone 17E release date: February 2026
The iPhone 17E could be announced as early as February, according to a report from Mashable citing Digital Chat Station’s Weibo account. The phone would be launched in the first half of the year. This would align with the iPhone 16E announced in February 2025making winter Apple’s preferred launch window for cheaper iPhone models.
There are even rumors suggesting that basic iPhone 18 will be launched in the first half of 2027, but let’s not go too far.
The iPhone 17E is rumored to include the Dynamic Island screen cutout seen on the iPhone 15 (pictured here).
Lisa Eadicicco/CNETiPhone 17E design: Gets a dynamic island
One of the aspects that made the iPhone 16E stand out was Apple’s new design, which included the iPhone 14 body, a USB-C port, and a single camera.
The iPhone 17E, however, will look more like 2023’s iPhone 15, with a smaller Dynamic Island cutout, according to the same Weibo post from Digital Chat Station. The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a 6.1-inch display with a cutout, including dynamically sized notifications for timers and app alerts, such as Uber mics. This screen could be surrounded by thinner bezels compared to the iPhone 16E, explains The Elec.
This design is supported by the Smart Pikachu Weibo account, which also notes that the iPhone 17E will have a 60Hz refresh rate screen instead of the 120Hz one seen on the iPhone 17 line and the iPhone Air. It would be nice to see a 17E with a 120Hz screen, dubbed ProMotion by Apple. But this is an area that might be less noticeable for people coming from an older iPhone SE or an older base model like the iPhone 14.
Although Apple’s ProMotion displays have been available on Pro models for years – as well as almost every Android phone costing $300 and up – the smoother animations and always-on displays they provide won’t be as noticeable when switching from a phone that never had them.
MagSafe has been included with most iPhone models since 2020, and is also rumored to be coming to the iPhone 17E.
Patrick Holland/CNETiPhone 17E Features: MagSafe Wireless Charging
It confused me that Apple didn’t include MagSafe with last year’s iPhone 16E. The feature, which allows magnetic accessories such as chargers and wallets to be stuck without a case, has been present on most iPhone models since 2020. This seemed like a strange omission, since Apple contributed MagSafe’s charging and magnetic profiles to the Qi2 standard, both of which are present on Google’s Pixel 10 phones, HMD’s Skyline and the next one. Click Communicator.
The iPhone 17E is rumored to have a glass back that supports magnetic wireless charging, which likely means the phone would have the ability to magnetically attach to MagSafe and Qi2 accessories, according to a report in The Information spotted by 9to5Mac. This would be a major improvement for someone accessing this phone from an iPhone SE or the iPhone11both of which support Qi wireless charging but don’t include magnets for attaching accessories and cases.
Although we would hopefully need more details, the inclusion of MagSafe also means that the iPhone 17E’s wireless charging speed would increase to at least 15 watts, matching that of the iPhone 15.
The iPhone 16E includes an A18 processor, allowing it to play games like Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Celso Bulgatti/CNETiPhone 17E prices
We’ll continue to update this story as more iPhone 17E rumors arrive. While there isn’t much regarding the price of the rumored phone, last year’s iPhone 16E starts at $599 for 128GB model. I hope the iPhone 17E starts with 256GB of storage, like the base iPhone 17. Apple still sells both the 16E and the iPhone 16 at 128 GB, the latter starting at $699.
