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The iPhone 17 lineup now has a “budget” option. Announced this week, the iPhone 17E will hit stores on Wednesday, March 11th, starting at $599, with preorders opening on March 4th. The 6.1-inch phone joins the rest of Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup, which includes the iPhone 17 ($799), the more powerful iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099), and the iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199), as well as the ultra-thin iPhone Air ($999).
Unlike last year’s iPhone 16E, the 17E features MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, along with the faster A19 chip found in the iPhone 17 and twice as much base storage (256GB vs. 128GB). It also features a sharper, more durable display, retains support for Apple Intelligence, and includes a 48-megapixel “fusion” camera that enables 2x telephoto shots, all of which bring it closer to Apple’s more premium phones.
But at $599, the 17E doesn’t include all of the bells and whistles found in the rest of Apple’s current iPhone lineup. For example, it only has a 6.1-inch 60Hz display — the smallest display of any iPhone 17 series phone — and lacks features like an always-on display and Dynamic Island, a pill-shaped cutout that shows info, like ride-share updates, at a glance. It’s also noticeably dimmer, with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits.
The iPhone 17E comes in only three colors. Image: Apple
Camera hardware is another differentiator. While the 17E, Air, and standard iPhone 17 all share a 48-megapixel main sensor, the iPhone 17 has a dedicated ultra-wide camera, which also enables macro photography for close-up shots. The 17 and Air also offer an 18-megapixel front-facing camera — the 17E only has a 12-megapixel shooter — which could translate to sharper selfies and clearer video calls. The Pro and Pro Max models expand further with more advanced camera arrays, including the addition of dedicated telephoto cameras. Plus, all except the 17E include the Camera Control button, which is designed to help people quickly launch the camera and adjust various settings.
Unsurprisingly, charging speeds and battery life also differ. The 17E supports MagSafe charging with Qi2 support, allowing for wireless charging at up to 15W, while the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and both Pro models support faster 25W wireless charging. Apple says the 17E can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes, compared to about 20 minutes for the higher-end models. Battery life increases as you move up the lineup, with the 17E rated for up to 26 hours of video playback, while the iPhone Air and the larger Pro Max models last longer (up to 39 hours, in some instances).
Those are just some of the main highlights, though. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, we’ve compiled all the specs together below, letting you see how each phone stacks up to the others.
Apple iPhone 17E vs. iPhone 17 Category iPhone 17E iPhone Air iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max Operating system iOS 26 iOS 26 iOS 26 iOS 26 iOS 26 Apple Intelligence support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Display 6.1-inch (2532 x 1170-pixel) OLED 6.5-inch (2736 x 1260) OLED 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED 6.9-inch (2868 x 1320) OLED Display refresh rate 60Hz 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz Peak brightness 1,200 nits 3,000 nits 3,000 nits 3,000 nits 3,000 nits Minimum brightness N/A 1 nit 1 nit 1 nit 1 nit Always-On display No Yes Yes Yes Yes Glass display Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Build Aluminum frame Ceramic Shield back, titanium frame Aluminum frame Ceramic Shield back, aluminum unibody Ceramic Shield back, aluminum unibody Dimensions 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.8mm 156.2mm x 74.7mm x 5.64mm 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 7.95mm 150.0mm x 71.9mm x 8.75mm 163.4mm x 78.0mm x 8.75mm Weight 5.96 ounces (169 grams) 5.82 ounces (165 grams) 6.24 ounces (177 grams) 7.27 ounces (206 grams) 8.22 ounces (233 grams) Battery capacity Up to 26 hours video playback Up to 27 hours of video playback Up to 30 hours of video playback Up to 33 hours of video playback Up to 39 hours of video playback Wireless charging Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 15W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 20W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Fast charge-capable Yes; up to 50 percent in 30 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 30 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 20 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 20 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 20 minutes Processor A19 A19 Pro A19 A19 Pro A19 Pro Processor cores 6-core CPU / 4-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 5-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 5-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 6-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 6-core GPU / 16-core neural engine RAM Not shared Not shared Not shared Not shared Not shared Storage 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB Ports USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB speeds USB 2 USB 2 USB 2 USB 3 USB 3 Rear cameras 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main 48-megapixel (f/1.6) main, 48-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide 48-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto 48-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto Highest optical magnification 2x 2x 2x 8x 8x Macro mode No No Yes Yes Yes Front camera 12MP 18MP 18MP 18MP 18MP Video recording Up to 4K at 60fps Up to 4K at 60fps Up to 4K at 60fps Up to 4K at 120fps (ProRes with external recording) Up to 4K at 120fps (ProRes with external recording) Biometrics Face ID Face ID Face ID Face ID Face ID SIM support Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Action Button Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Camera Control button No Yes Yes Yes Yes Dynamic Island No Yes Yes Yes Yes Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth version 5.3 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 Satellite SOS feature Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Messages via satellite Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Crash Detection Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Apple Pay Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes IP rating IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 Starting price $599 $999 $799 $1,099 $1,199 Availability March 11th Already available Already available Already available Already available Colors Black, pink, white Sky blue, light gold, cloud white, space black Lavender, sage, mist blue, white, black Cosmic orange, deep blue, silver Cosmic orange, deep blue, silver