Apple Upgrades Its Cheapest New Smartphone

iPhone 17e Review: The cheapest new iPhone has been upgraded for this year with a faster chip, double the storage, automatic portraits and MagSafe, providing even more of the core Apple smartphone experience for less.

The iPhone 17e is an upgraded version of the mid-range “e” line launched last year with the first iPhone 16e and is the latest member of the iPhone 17 family. It starts at £599 (€699/$599/A$999), undercutting the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 by £200 and £100 respectively to be the cheapest new iPhone sold by Apple.

The new 17e is the spitting image of the model it replaces, giving it the older iPhone 14-like design with a large notch at the top of the screen and a slower 6.1in OLED screen. The aluminium sides feel great and the screen glass has been upgraded to the latest Ceramic Shield 2, which is tougher and includes an extremely effective anti-glare treatment that makes it a lot easier to see outdoors.

Specifications

Screen: 6.1in Super Retina XDR (OLED) (460ppi)

Processor: Apple A19 (4-core GPU)

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 256 or 512GB

Operating system: iOS 26

Camera: 48MP rear; 12MP front-facing

Connectivity: 5G, wifi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Satellite and GNSS

Water resistance: IP68 (6 metres for 30 mins)

Dimensions: 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm

Weight: 170g

- Author: Samuel Gibbs, The Guardian

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