An iPhone 17E is the followup to last year's $599 iPhone 16E. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET/Apple
Apple on Monday unveiled its newest budget phone, the iPhone 17E. Like last year, it starts at $599, but it comes with 256GB of base storage -- double the entry level from last year's iPhone 16E. Perhaps the biggest upgrade: the iPhone 17E supports MagSafe, so you can charge faster wirelessly and attach accessories like stands wallets and cases.
Apple's latest-generation A19 chip powers the iPhone 17E, which is the same one found in the baseline iPhone 17. But there's a caveat: the iPhone 17E has 4-core GPU, versus 5 on the regular iPhone 17. Apple's C1X cellular modem is also on board, which the company says is twice as fast as the C1 on the iPhone 16E.
The iPhone 17E has a 48-megapixel rear camera, and with sensor cropping offers 2x magnification. Although the camera hardware may be similar to last year, it's possible the addition of an A19 chip on the 17E could boost image quality. There's also a 12-megapixel selfie camera, but no Center Stage camera -- the feature that debuted on the iPhone Air and 17 lineup that can automatically switch between portrait and landscape orientation without having to rotate the phone.
The 6.1-inch display is protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says has three times better scratch resistance than the iPhone 16E, along with less glare. There's no Dynamic Island or Always-on display, setting it apart from the baseline iPhone 17.
Apple has finally brought MagSafe to its budget iPhone. Apple/Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET
The iPhone 17E is outfitted with an aluminum frame, and it clocks in at 169 grams -- making it just two grams heavier than the iPhone 16E, despite the addition of MagSafe. It has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
There's still no Camera Control button, but you can access Visual Intelligence from the phone's Control Panel. You'll find other Apple Intelligence features on board, including Live Translation, Call Screening and Clean Up. There is an Action button to quickly access your favorite features and apps.
The iPhone 17E's battery can last through 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple. That's helped by the A19 processor, C1X cellular modem and the "advanced power management of iOS 26," Apple notes. Because the new phone has the same battery capacity as last year, the iPhone 17E should perform well despite its budget-friendly price, judging by how the iPhone 16E performed in CNET's battery tests.
With wired charging, the iPhone 17E can reach 50% battery in about half an hour, according to Apple. MagSafe boosts wireless charging from 7.5 watts on the iPhone 16E to 15 watts on the 17E.
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