Apple’s latest addition to it iPhone 17 edition it is low cost iPhone 17E. Just like last year iPhone 16EThe iPhone 17E is priced at $599 and is intended to be Apple’s entry-level offering of the year. But the 17E has a number of upgrades over its predecessor, such as doubling the storage space to 256GB, MagSafe compatibility and a faster A19 chip.
It’s still basic compared to the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, though. The 17E has only one camera, no Dynamic Island and no Camera Control button. Also, despite having a 12-megapixel selfie camera, the 17E lacks the Center Stage feature — which automatically switches between portrait and landscape — that’s in the air with the rest of the iPhone 17 series.
Here’s how the iPhone 17E compares to the Air and the iPhone 17 lineup.
Watch this: The iPhone 17E Packs More Features for the Same Price of $599
Design and display
With a 6.1-inch OLED display, the iPhone 17E has a much smaller display compared to its other siblings. Both the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro have a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch screen, and the 17 Pro Max has the largest screen with a 6.9-inch OLED display.
While the Air and other iPhone 17 models have a variable refresh rate of 120Hz, the iPhone 17E is the only one with a 60Hz refresh rate. That means animations won’t be smooth, and you won’t get a constant display. However, if you’re upgrading to an older iPhone like the iPhone 16, you might not notice much of a difference.
In terms of design, the iPhone 17E lacks the Dynamic Island in the air like the rest of the iPhone 17 series. It also lacks a Camera control button.
However, it comes with an aluminum frame and is protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which is compatible with the entire iPhone 17 series. The exception is the iPhone Air, which has a titanium frame. At 0.31-inches thick, the iPhone 17E is as thin as the iPhone 17 — definitely not as thin as the 0.22-inch thick iPhone Air. It’s quite light, however, at 169 grams (5.96 ounces), which is a bit more weight than the Air’s 165 gram weight.
The iPhone 17E has a single rear camera.
Cameras
Like the 16E, the iPhone 17E has only one 48-megapixel rear camera. It has a sensor crop, which provides 2x magnification. The iPhone Air also only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. iPhone 17 has two: 48-megapixel wide and 48-megapixel ultrawide. Both the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max have three: a 48-megapixel wide, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto with 4x optical zoom but can double up to 8x at 12 megapixels.
The 17E has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, while the Air, 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max all have an 18-megapixel selfie shooter. Additionally, the 17E does not have a Center Stage feature that automatically switches between portrait and landscape orientation.
iPhone 17E starts with 256GB storage base.
Storage, processors and battery
The iPhone 17E starts with a base storage of 256GB, which is double that of the 16E and brings it to match the Spirit and the rest of the iPhone 17 series. All phones are also available with 512GB, while the Pro and Pro Max are the only ones available in the 1TB configuration.
The 17E is powered by Apple’s latest A19 chip, which is the same as the iPhone 17, except that the 17E has a quad-core GPU while the 17 has five cores. The iPhone Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are all powered by Apple’s A19 Pro.
As for the battery, the 17E has the same battery as the 16E, with a 4,005-mAh battery and about 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple. That’s actually bigger than the iPhone 17’s 3,692-mAh battery and the Air’s 3,149-mAh battery. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max top the battery charts with a 4,252- and 5,088-mAh battery, respectively. However, the iPhone 17E battery should hold up well thanks to the A19 processor, C1X cellular modem and iOS 26 power management.
The 17E gets MagSafe, which was largely absent from the 16E. This allows the iPhone 17E to work with magnetic chargers and accessories. It also has up to 15 watts of Qi2 wireless charging. iPhone Air and all other 17-inch models offer fast charging of up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30-watt adapter or more with MagSafe charging.
Check out the chart below to see all the ways these calls come together.
Apple iPhone 17E vs. iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max
| Apple iPhone 17E | Apple iPhone 17 | Apple iPhone Air | Apple iPhone 17 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, technology, resolution, refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622×1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736×1,260 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622×1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460 pp | 460 pp | 460 pp | 460 pp |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78×2.82×0.31 | 5.89×2.81×0.31 | 6.15×2.94×0.22 | 5.91×2.83×0.34 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 146.7×71.5×7.8 | 149.6×71.5×7.95 | 156.2×74.7×5.64 | 150.0×71.9×8.75 |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 167g (5.88 oz.) | 177g (6.24 oz.) | 165g (5.82 oz.) | 206g (7.27 oz.) |
| Mobile software | iOS 26 | iOS 26 | iOS 26 | iOS 26 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (width) | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) | 48-megapixel (width) | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto) |
| Front facing camera | 12-megapixel | 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| The processor | Apple A19 | Apple A19 | Apple A19 Pro | Apple A19 Pro |
| RAM + storage | RAM unknown + 256GB, 512GB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Expandable storage | Nothing | Nothing | Nothing | Nothing |
| Battery | 4,005 mAh | 3,692 mAh | 3,149 mAh | 4,252 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Nothing, Face ID | Nothing, Face ID | Nothing, Face ID | Nothing, Face ID |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | Nothing | Nothing | Nothing | Nothing |
| Special features | MagSafe, Qi2 charging (up to 15W), action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connection, IP68 resistance | Apple N1 wireless network chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, cable, action button, camera control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, brightness display range 1 to 3,000 nits, IP68 resistance; colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender; fast charging up to 50% in 20 minutes using a 40W adapter or more with a charging cable; fast charging up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30W adapter or more with MagSafe Charger | Apple N1 wireless network chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, cable, action button, Apple C1X mobile modem, camera control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, Dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits and brightness display range, IP6 colors: black space, white cloud, bright gold, blue sky; fast charging up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 20W adapter or more with a charging cable; fast charging up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30W adapter or more with MagSafe Charger | Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, ProRes Raw video recording, Genlock video support, 1 to 3,000 lightness resistance, IP6 nits; colors: silver, cosmic orange, blue; fast charging up to 50% in 20 minutes using a 40W adapter or more with a charging cable; fast charging up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30W adapter or more with MagSafe Charger |
| US pricing starts at | $599 (256GB) | $829 (256GB) | $999 (256GB) | $1,099 (256GB) |
