Apple's $599 iPhone 17E is the latest addition to the company's iPhone 17 lineup. Just like last year's iPhone 16E, the iPhone 17E is meant to be Apple's entry-level offering for the year. But the 17E has a number of upgrades over its predecessor, such as double the starting storage space at 256GB, MagSafe compatibility and a faster A19 chip.
It's still fairly basic compared with 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, even though it has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, the 17E lacks the Center Stage feature -- which automatically switches between portrait and landscape -- that's on the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series.
Here's how the iPhone 17E compares with the Air and the iPhone 17 lineup.
Watch this: iPhone 17E Packs More Features for the Same $599 Price
Design and display
With a 6.1-inch OLED display, the iPhone 17E has the smallest display compared with the rest of its siblings. Both the iPhone 17 and the 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 biggest screen of them all with a 6.9-inch OLED display.
While the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 models have a 120Hz variable refresh rate, the iPhone 17E is the only one with just a 60Hz refresh rate. That means the animations won't be quite as smooth, and you won't get an always-on display. However, if you're upgrading from an older iPhone like the iPhone 16, you might not notice as big a difference.
Design-wise, the iPhone 17E lacks the Dynamic Island that's on the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series. It doesn't have a physical Camera Control button either.
It does, however, come in an aluminum frame and is protected by the Ceramic Shield 2, which is on par with the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. The exception is the iPhone Air, which has a titanium frame. At 0.31-inch thick, the iPhone 17E is just as slender as the iPhone 17 -- definitely not as skinny as the 0.22-inch thick iPhone Air. It is quite light, though, at 169 grams (5.96 ounces), which is just a bit heavier than the Air's weight of 165 grams.
The iPhone 17E has a single rear camera.
Abrar Al-Heeti/CNETCameras
Like the 16E, the iPhone 17E only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. It does have sensor cropping, which offers 2x magnification. The iPhone Air also has only a single 48-megapixel rear camera. The iPhone 17 has two: a 48-megapixel wide and a 48-megapixel ultrawide. Both the 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max have three: a 48-megapixel wide, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto that has 4x optical zoom but can double up to 8x at 12 megapixels.
The 17E has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, while the Air, the 17, the 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max all have an 18-megapixel selfie shooter. Additionally, the 17E lacks the Center Stage feature that automatically switches between portrait and landscape orientations.
The iPhone 17E starts with a base storage of 256GB.
Abrar Al-Heeti/CNETStorage, processors and battery
The iPhone 17E starts with a base storage of 256GB, which is double that of the 16E and brings it up to par with the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series. All the phones are also available with 512GB, while the Pro and Pro Max are the only ones available in a 1TB configuration.
The 17E is powered by Apple's latest A19 chip, which is the same as on the iPhone 17, except 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 battery, the 17E has the same battery as the 16E, with a 4,005-mAh battery and roughly 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple. That's actually slightly larger 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 out the battery charts with a 4,252- and 5,088-mAh battery, respectively. Still, the iPhone 17E's battery should hold up well thanks to the A19 processor, C1X cellular modem and the power management of iOS 26.
The 17E gets MagSafe, which was sorely missing in the 16E. This lets the iPhone 17E work with magnetic chargers and accessories. It also has up to 15 watts of Qi2 wireless charging. The iPhone Air and the rest of the 17 lineup offer fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30-watt adapter or higher with MagSafe charging.
Check out the chart below to see all the ways these phones match up.
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, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532x1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622x1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736x1,260 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,622x1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78x2.82x0.31 | 5.89x2.81x0.31 | 6.15x2.94x0.22 | 5.91x2.83x0.34 |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 146.7x71.5x7.8 | 149.6x71.5x7.95 | 156.2x74.7x5.64 | 150.0x71.9x8.75 |
| 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 (wide) | 48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) | 48-megapixel (wide) | 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 |
| 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 | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | 4,005 mAh | 3,692 mAh | 3,149 mAh | 4,252 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | None, Face ID | None, Face ID | None, Face ID | None, Face ID |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Special features | MagSafe, Qi2 charging (up to 15W), Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance | Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender; fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger | Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, thread, Action button, Apple C1X cellular modem, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, Dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger | Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 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 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue; fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger |
| US price starts at | $599 (256GB) | $829 (256GB) | $999 (256GB) | $1,099 (256GB) |
