Iphone 17e Review: The Economical Choice

By introducing nan iPhone 17e conscionable a twelvemonth aft the iPhone 16e, Apple is closing immoderate gaps. Before, nan institution would only rotation retired a caller entry-level iPhone each fewer years, pinch nan iPhone 5c (2013), iPhone XR (2018) and iPhone SE (2016, 2020, 2022) each having 2 to 4 years betwixt their releases. But Apple is getting into an yearly groove now, and having renamed nan instrumentality to merge amended pinch nan remainder of nan iPhone lineup, Apple is making a clear statement: It cares astir nan midrange now.

With nan existent authorities of world economics, Apple’s attraction connected little costs devices for illustration nan iPhone 17e and newly launched MacBook Neo is timely. Most group astir apt don’t make afloat usage of nan high-powered machines successful their pockets and connected their laps, and mightiness beryllium reconsidering whether they request to walk arsenic overmuch money connected nan Pros and nan Airs of Apple’s merchandise lineup. At $599, nan iPhone 17e is astir half nan value of an iPhone 17 Pro aliases nan iPhone Air. It’s $200 cheaper than nan guidelines iPhone 17, too.

Since I reviewed nan iPhone 16e past year, I’ve been utilizing it arsenic a activity phone, mostly for Slack, email and ray editing successful Docs. The measurement I spot it, astir group considering nan iPhone 17e are apt successful a akin business — either reasoning of getting a supplementary instrumentality aliases looking for a bully capable telephone for a kid aliases different dependent. For this review, I’ve tried to screen astir of those scenarios whether it beryllium a personification that would walk astir of their telephone clip connected societal media and games for illustration a teen aliases personification that’s mostly utilizing it for administrative activity purposes. I mostly want to reply this question: If you’re getting your first iPhone aliases buying 1 for personification else, should you get nan iPhone 17e aliases nan iPhone 17?

iPhone 17e vs iPhone 16e, for testing’s sake

It’s very clear from Apple’s website that it doesn’t want you comparing nan iPhone 17e to nan iPhone 16e. The institution doesn't let you to do truthful successful nan comparison instrumentality connected the iPhone 17e merchandise page, limiting you to nan iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and nan iPhone SE (second and 3rd generations). Sure, I understand that nary 1 is really reasoning astir getting an iPhone 17e aft conscionable buying nan 16e past year. But for nan purposes of this review, it makes consciousness for maine to outcry retired what’s caller from nan erstwhile generation. The astir important additions this twelvemonth are nan A19 chip, double nan storage, improved Portrait photography and MagSafe pinch faster wireless charging. Oh, and a caller pinkish colour option, adding an ever truthful subtle scatter of colour to nan antecedently monochromatic lineup.

The A19 spot is expected to make AI processes faster, acknowledgment to nan neural accelerators successful its GPU. In my testing truthful far, nan quality has been negligible astatine best. Initially I was seeing nan iPhone 17e execute slower than nan 16e, but aft a package update, nan iPhone 17e caught up. In Apple Intelligence-powered devices for illustration Cleanup, nan iPhone 17e was a divided 2nd faster astatine identifying unwanted objects successful photos and erasing them than nan 16e. If you’ve conscionable received your iPhone 17e and tally into issues wherever image procreation aliases cleanup is slow aliases stalling, springiness it a time aliases truthful for nan package to stabilize.

Oddly, successful immoderate side-by-side Image Playground testing, nan iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e were cervix and neck. Sometimes, nan iPhone 16e was faster. Occasionally, nan iPhone 17e was ahead. I’ll proceed to support an oculus connected really some phones do here, arsenic it could still beryllium owed to immoderate early package issues, but for now nan improvements from nan A19’s GPU look to beryllium deed aliases miss.

Improved portraits connected nan iPhone 17e

Of each nan improvements to nan iPhone 17e, to me, 1 of nan astir important is successful portraits. In my reappraisal of nan iPhone 16e, I said that nan mostly of my grievances pinch nan azygous camera setup was nan truth that Apple ended up utilizing an older type of Portrait mode.

That type was overmuch much constricted and didn’t let for applying a inheritance blur to pictures of non-human subjects. This time, Apple borrowed nan algorithms it developed for nan iPhone Air for nan iPhone 17e’s rear and beforehand cameras. This not only delivers a wide betterment to portraits, pinch amended segmentation and a much natural-looking bokeh effect, but besides allows for extent accusation to beryllium captured erstwhile applicable. For instance, erstwhile a person, feline aliases canine is detected, nan iPhone 17e will automatically seizure extent accusation truthful you tin use a blur aft nan image is taken, moreover if you didn’t usage Portrait mode initially.

Importantly, these “next-gen portraits” besides let you to edit nan level of blur and alteration up nan focal constituent of nan image aft you’ve taken nan shot. In immoderate photos of my neighbor’s grumpy shih-poo, I was shocked that my colleagues really preferred nan samples I shared from nan iPhone 16e complete nan ones from nan iPhone 17e. But their critique was fair: nan newer telephone blurred retired Oreo’s tail, keeping only his look successful focus. I was capable to reside this by going into nan editing devices and dragging nan slider for aperture to bring much of nan canine into focus. I besides played astir and tapped connected Oreo’s tail to make it clear, and nan iPhone 17e blurred up his look instead.

When utilizing Portrait mode to photograph people, nan iPhone 17e did so present much pleasant bokeh than its predecessor. In pictures of my friend Brenda Stolyar, pinch nan “depth” aliases aperture group to f/4.5 crossed some devices, location was much softness successful nan ceramic wall down her connected nan caller phone. I was somewhat confused since it seemed for illustration nan older iPhone really delivered a sharper picture, until I realized it was really conscionable softer bokeh.

For those coming from older phones for illustration nan iPhone 11, 12 aliases SE, nan summation of next-gen portraits should consciousness for illustration a awesome measurement up. Even erstwhile compared to nan iPhone 16e, nan truth that I was now capable to use nan effect connected photos of nutrient and different inanimate objects pinch nary faces made maine happier. It makes nan camera much versatile, and feels for illustration a noteworthy update that makes your photos consciousness much modern.

But that is decidedly because I for illustration pictures pinch nan artificial extent of section effect. If you don’t attraction for bokeh and really only want a phone’s cameras to beryllium bully capable to threat pictures of menus aliases receipts, for instance, nan 17e’s improvements present won’t mean much.

MagSafe and wireless charging

What mightiness matter more, then, is this generation’s wireless charging speeds. While nan iPhone 16e could only support up to 7.5W, nan iPhone 17e goes up to 15W (with adapters of 20W aliases higher) and besides useful pinch MagSafe accessories. I can’t ideate anyone considering a caller iPhone 17e already has magnetic cases aliases stands, but if you determine to put successful those accessories, you’ll find them convenient and satisfying.

I placed some models connected my wireless charging guidelines — nan 17e snapped connected and started charging, while nan 16e clattered helplessly disconnected nan stand. I placed it connected nan charging pad astatine nan guidelines alternatively and noted really overmuch powerfulness each of them gained successful 15 minutes. The betterment is clear: nan iPhone 17e went up by 16 percent (30 percent to 46 percent), while nan 16e only gained 3 percent (69 percent to conscionable 72 percent).

Beyond nan numbers, what this intends is that erstwhile you’re successful a pinch and trying to quickly apical up your telephone on, say, a wireless charger you recovered astatine a cafe, you won’t request to beryllium astir arsenic agelong pinch nan iPhone 17e. For those of you that simply time off your telephone connected a guidelines overnight, this is little apt to meaningfully effect you.

There are a fewer different updates that I haven’t really tested successful this review, for illustration nan improved durability pinch Ceramic Shield 2 connected nan iPhone 17e’s screen. The caller show besides has a curen that is expected to trim glare, and considering nan week of wonderfully gloomy upwind we’ve had present successful New York, this isn’t thing I’ve genuinely had a chance to evaluate. Also, while I do admit nan doubled storage, which is judge to please nan media hoarders among us, I will opportunity I’ve already been served warnings astir my iCloud retention moving out. It still feels for illustration thing other Apple mightiness request to address, but for newcomers to nan iOS world, nan higher guidelines retention is perfectly a positive.

Elsewhere, location are virtually nary differences betwixt nan iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e. They person nan aforesaid size displays pinch nan aforesaid resolution, brightness, refresh rate, opposition ratio and colour gamuts. Both are rated IP68 for particulate and h2o resistance, and person akin artillery lives (up to 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple). They besides person nan nonstop aforesaid dimensions of 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches, though nan iPhone 17e does measurement a full 2 grams (0.8 ounces) much than nan 16e, which is almost decidedly attributable to nan summation of MagSafe. Unless you person weighing scales for hands, though, this quality is negligible.

Should you get nan iPhone 17e aliases nan iPhone 17?

Where you mightiness find much meaningful distinctions is erstwhile comparing nan iPhone 17e to nan iPhone 17. For $200 more, you’ll get longer artillery life and somewhat amended capacity acknowledgment to 1 much GPU core. The iPhone 17 besides has a larger, sharper and brighter show that’s 6.3-inches, pinch higher refresh rates and a full-screen creation incorporating nan Dynamic Island. It besides supports nan Always On Display and has an 18MP beforehand camera pinch nan Center Stage characteristic that allows for easy switching betwixt scenery and vertical orientations successful your selfies without having to rotate your phone.

In fact, nan camera upgrades unsocial connected nan iPhone 17 mightiness beryllium worthy nan money. On apical of getting nan further ultrawide camera, you’ll besides summation nan dedicated camera power fastener connected nan correct edge, nan latest procreation of Photographic Styles, support for macro photography, Cinematic mode and Dual Capture successful videos arsenic good arsenic spatial and macro signaling capabilities. It besides comes pinch sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which is much precocious than nan OIS connected nan iPhone 17e. Rounding retired that agelong database of differences is higher recharge speeds (with compatible chargers) and Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband spot for much precise Find My support. The iPhone 17 besides offers dual-frequency GPS and useful pinch nan latest standards successful connectivity, for illustration Thread, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 (whereas nan iPhone 17e only gets to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3).

Sure, nan iPhone 17 is somewhat taller and heavier, but considering each nan bonuses and nan other camera, that feels for illustration a tradeoff that is much than fair. It’s a batch much precocious for $200, and feels for illustration a amended starter telephone than nan iPhone 17e. But if your fund is tight and camera capacity isn’t a priority, you’ll get a awesome acquisition from Apple’s latest.

Wrap-up

In 2026, it feels for illustration Apple has done nan impossible. It’s managed to service up aggregate iPhones astatine various value points pinch capable meaningful differentiations to warrant each tier. Meanwhile, each iPhone 17 successful nan afloat lineup is simply a tin and satisfying instrumentality for its price. Upgrading to nan iPhone 17e from nan iPhone 11, 12 aliases SE will surely consciousness significant, though getting almost immoderate current-gen telephone will consciousness modern compared to those.

In fact, if you’re level agnostic and wouldn’t mind an Android device, location are options retired location pinch importantly superior screens and cameras. The Pixel 10a, for instance, offers a larger show pinch a 120Hz refresh complaint and a dual-camera strategy each for $100 less. With Apple seeming to beryllium mounting its sights connected nan midrange market, it should earnestly see stepping up successful those 2 areas successful nan adjacent e-series iPhone.

But of course, nan sanction “iPhone” carries its ain premium, and nan iPhone 17e is simply a coagulated entry-level handset for those who request a basic, no-frills way into nan Apple ecosystem.