iPhone 17e review: Apple core

Price When Reviewed

$599

Best Prices Today: Apple iPhone 17e

You’d be forgiven for looking at the current iPhone range and feeling a little confused. Even if you only consider the models sold by Apple itself, you’re looking at six options now, with the iPhone 17e positioned as the entry point and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at the top of the range. In the middle, there’s the iPhone Air, with the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 below, and the iPhone 17 Pro above.

It’s not an easy decision, especially if budget isn’t the only consideration. As you’d expect, the entry-level iPhone 17e makes some compromises compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17, but it offers a lot of phone for its sub-£600 price point.

Yes, there are Android phones available for similar prices with features such as 120Hz screens, dedicated telephoto cameras, and always-on displays. But if you’re looking for an iPhone and you don’t want to spend more than £600, the iPhone 17e has the majority of what most people need in a smartphone.

Design & Build

• Three colours
• Inbuilt MagSafe
• IP68 water- and dust-resistance

There’s a lot to love about the iPhone 17e’s design. In a world where smartphones are getting bigger and heavier by the second, the iPhone 17e keeps things lightweight and compact, making it refreshing to use. That includes one-handed, too, which I absolutely can’t say for my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

It weighs only 170g and measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm, making it smaller and lighter than the iPhone 17. 

The flat edges of the aluminium frame ensure it matches the rest of the iPhone 17 models, too, while the soft, matt finish of the glass rear feels great and now includes MagSafe underneath too, so you can attach accessories or chargers to the inbuilt magnets without a separate case.

Like the iPhone 16e, the left edge of the iPhone 17e features volume buttons, a SIM tray and the customisable Action Button – something I’d struggle to be without now. I’ve programmed the Action Button to open WhatsApp and I’d hazard a guess that I press it over 100 times a day, but you can use it as a shortcut for anything from the torch to the camera. 

The right edge of the iPhone 17e has the power button, but unlike the iPhone 17, this is all you’ll find on this side. There’s no Camera Control button for quick access to camera and video controls and, while you won’t miss this if you’re upgrading from an older iPhone or coming to iPhone for the first time, it’s a feature I do miss from the more expensive options in Apple’s smartphone lineup.

As for colours, the iPhone 17e comes in Black, White and Soft Pink, which is a couple fewer options than the iPhone 17 but one more than the iPhone 16e and I’m all in favour of the pink. It’s considerably more subtle than both the Nothing Phone (4a) and the Berry colour of the Google Pixel 10a, and it’s much more interesting than the Black and White options, even if pink isn’t your thing.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.1-inch, 60Hz, 2532 x 1170, OLED
• 1200 nits peak brightness
• Stereo speakers

On the front of the iPhone 17e, you’ll find a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina OLED display, as on the iPhone 16e. A notch sits at the top of this display, housing the front camera, which I will get onto later, as well as the Face ID sensors for facial recognition when it comes to unlocking and authenticating payments and access to passwords.

If you’re familiar with Apple’s other iPhones, you’ll likely know that the notch means the iPhone 17e doesn’t have the clever Dynamic Island feature that launched a few years ago on the iPhone 14 Pro and has been present on the regular models since the iPhone 15.

Dynamic Island replaces the notch with a pill-shaped cut out that transforms into a screen within a screen, allowing you quick access to things like timers and music controls without leaving the main screen. It’s brilliant and something that would have moved the iPhone 17e on a little further. 

The 60Hz refresh rate… is probably where the iPhone 17e falls down the most

Still, the display is great nevertheless, with punchy and vibrant colours, good viewing angles and enough brightness to see what’s on it when the sun is shining. It’s not as bright as the iPhone 17, so whites can be a little yellower in their tone, but you’d only notice this if comparing side by side. 

What may be more obvious, depending on the phone you’re coming from, is the 60Hz refresh rate. This is probably where the iPhone 17e falls down the most because there are a number of Android phones at a similar price point, and cheaper, with 120Hz refresh rate displays and always-on functionality as standard. With the 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 17e, scrolling isn’t as smooth as it would be on a 120Hz screen, and the lack of an always-on display means you always have to turn on the screen to see the time.

Someone coming from an older iPhone, an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 for example, wouldn’t have had these. Still, a 60Hz display is mean when the competition is so fierce. Some sacrifices need to be made somewhere, though, and I’d rather it was here than the design and build quality.

In terms of speakers, the iPhone 17e has dual speakers and, while I recommend using headphones for the best experience and to ensure you don’t annoy fellow passengers when commuting, the audio quality is good enough to watch a YouTube video, play your favourite tune or listen to a voice note.

Specs & Performance

• Apple A19
• 8GB RAM
• Up to 512GB storage

Running on Apple’s A19 processor, the iPhone 17e offers the same performance as the iPhone 17. Well, almost. The same 6-core CPU power is here, though this model only has a 4-core GPU compared to the 5-core GPU in the iPhone 17. 

In theory, that means the iPhone 17e won’t be as good for gaming as the iPhone 17, but I faced no issues when playing Mini Motorways during my review period. I’d say that if you’re planning on doing a lot of gaming on your iPhone, you should consider the iPhone 17 Pro models with a vapour chamber to help with heat dissipation. While the iPhone 17e didn’t get very hot when playing, it did warm up at times.

There’s good news on the storage front too, with the base storage jumping from 128GB to 256GB

Performance was otherwise excellent, however, with apps loading quickly and efficiently and switching between tasks with no problem. I didn’t experience any noticeable lag and I came to the iPhone 17e from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which runs the faster A19 Pro chip.

Elsewhere, the iPhone 17e has the C1X modem, like the iPhone Air, but a slightly different chip than in the iPhone 16e. Last year’s iPhone 16e was the first to include Apple’s own 5G modem instead of using a Qualcomm options, and the C1X is designed to improve on that offering. In all honesty, though, as long as a phone makes calls and accesses the internet without an issue, I don’t care who makes the chip and the iPhone 17e does both without problems. 

There’s good news on the storage front too, with the base storage jumping from 128GB to 256GB on the iPhone 17e. There is also a 512GB option if you feel like you might need more. As with all iPhones, however, neither have microSD support for any storage expansion beyond that.

iPhone 17e benchmarks

Cameras

• 48Mp, f/1.6 sensor
• 12Mp, f/1.9 front sensor
• 2x optical zoom

The iPhone 17e has a single rear camera sensor, which Apple calls a 48-megapixel Fusion camera. It’s the same sensor as on the iPhone 16e and, for a single sensor system, it offers excellent results. Like most iPhones, it offers a simple point-and-shoot approach, so even if you know nothing about photography, you should still get some decent shots.

Image results were good in all lighting conditions and nearly on par with the Google Pixel 10a. In low light, the Pixel 10a was marginally better, with a little more detail, but the iPhone 17e still performed well. Processing could take a couple of seconds, but if you hold steady, you’ll be rewarded. In good lighting conditions, there was good consistency, natural colour accuracy and plenty of detail.  

You don’t get the ultrawide sensor you’ll find on the iPhone 17, nor the telephoto lens you’ll get on the iPhone 17 Pro models, but there’s a 2x optical zoom from the single main sensor and for some, this will be plenty when it comes to grabbing a snap of their kids or pets.

Even if you know nothing about photography, you should still get some decent shots

Speaking of pets and kids, you also get what Apple calls ‘next generation portraits’ with Focus and Depth Control on the iPhone 17e, which not only let you add a bokeh effect to images after they have been taken, but also control the depth of the blur.

The biggest complaint I have with the camera on the iPhone 17e isn’t to do with the rear camera, but the front. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, the iPhone 17e misses out on the new 18-megapixel square sensor that launched on the iPhone 17 models.

That sensor allows you to do things like take a portrait or landscape selfie by just flicking a toggle on the screen rather than rotating the phone and it will automatically zoom in and out depending on who’s in the shot. 

Instead, the iPhone 17e has a 12-megapixel front camera, which is more than adequate and will take a good selfie, but it’s definitely not as accomplished as the new front camera on this year’s more expensive iPhone models.

Battery Life & Charging

• Up to 26 hours
• 20W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging support

When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 17e is excellent. On paper, it shouldn’t last as long as the iPhone 17, with up to 26 hours of video playback compared to 30 hours, but I didn’t experience any battery anxiety when using this phone during the review period. 

I’ll continue to use the iPhone 17e for the next couple of weeks to see how the battery stands up after all the background downloads have happened, but typically, you’d expect to see it perform worse in the first couple of days – and it still delivered excellent performance. 

On a usual day, I’d take the iPhone 17e off charge around 7am and put it back on charge around 11pm and I finished every day during my review period with over 40 per cent left. It charges slower than the iPhone 17, however, with the iPhone 17e only supporting 20W wired charging, while the iPhone 17 supports 40W wired. 

I didn’t experience any battery anxiety when using this phone

It’s not horrendous in that you still get 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes which, based on my experience, will see you through the day no problem, but it’s not as quick as the 20 minutes it takes the iPhone 17 to get to 50 per cent. What should be praised, though, is that the iPhone 17e now offers MagSafe as I mentioned above, with 15W wireless charging supported, compared to the 7.5W wireless support on the iPhone 16e.

Software & Apps

• iOS 26
• Usually 7 years of software updates

The iPhone 17e runs iOS 26 straight out of the box. It’s the same software available on all the latest iPhone 17 models, as well as models from the iPhone 11 onwards. So, you don’t need to splash out on the newest hardware to access the refreshed interface and new features, but the newer devices do tend to handle everything with a bit more polish. Keep in mind that to access Apple Intelligence features, you’ll need at least an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or any iPhone 17 model.

The software itself brings a bold new look and, arguably, the most dramatic redesign since iOS 7. The so-called ‘Liquid Glass’ design features new translucent elements, with menus and panels that layer over on-screen content rather than hiding it. Scrolling or tapping produces a magnifying-glass-like effect, too, which is both fluid and satisfying to use.

On the AI front, the iPhone 17e… still trails what Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy offer

Beyond the new design, iOS 26 adds several features. The Phone app has been reworked, the Camera app is simpler, and there’s a dedicated Games app. Messages now supports custom backgrounds, which add a nice personal touch, and you can now set your alarm snooze anywhere between 1 and 15 minutes, finally ditching the arbitrary 9-minute default.

On the AI front, the iPhone 17e (and other Apple Intelligence models) still trails what Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy offer, though iOS 26 nudges things forward a little.

Shortcuts now supports intelligent actions for more capable automation, and taking a screenshot activates Visual Intelligence, which is a smarter, context-aware feature that can do things like spot a date on your screen and drop it straight into your calendar.

A more capable, personalised Siri able to go toe-to-toe with Gemini Live remains a work in progress, but the daily software experience on the iPhone 17e is solid and dependable. Apple doesn’t publicly commit to a support timeline the way that some Android phone manufacturers do, but iPhones typically receive around 7 years of updates, meaning the 17e should be well supported well into 2032.

Price & Availability

The Apple iPhone 17e went on sale on 11 March 2026 after being announced on 4 March 2026. It comes in colour options of Black, White and Soft Pink and two storage options of 256GB and 512GB, with pricing starting at £599 in the UK. 

The 512GB model costs £699 in the UK. Both storage options are available at all major retailers, including Apple itself, Amazon, Very, and networks such as EE and Vodafone.

In the US, prices start from $599 for 256GB of storage and you can buy from a number of retailers, including Apple and Best Buy.

Should you buy the Apple iPhone 17e?

Whether you should buy the iPhone 17e depends on what you’re upgrading from. If you’re coming from an older iPhone, such as the iPhone 11, or making the jump from Android to iPhone for the first time, the iPhone 17e is an easy recommendation and a great phone to consider. 

The iPhone 17e has a harder task on its hands than the iPhone 16e did, given how excellent the iPhone 17 is this year, but for anyone upgrading from an older iPhone or switching from Android, the 17e offers pretty much everything that matters most, without breaking the bank.

It has excellent performance and a compact and well-built design, a capable single rear camera and impressive battery, all for under £600/$600. It delivers a lot of phone for the money, and it’ll feel like a decent step forward in many areas from older devices.

I would still recommend the iPhone 17 as the best model to buy from the current line-up, but if your budget doesn’t stretch that extra £200, the iPhone 17e doesn’t ask you to compromise on too much. You’ll have to accept the 60Hz display, the missing Camera Control button, the slower charging, the older front camera and the lack of ultrawide sensor, but it still delivers in the areas that matter – design, software, and day-to-day reliability.

At £599, the iPhone 17e makes a compelling case for itself. It’s not the iPhone to get if you want every feature Apple offers this year, but it is the iPhone to get if you want the core experience without paying over the odds.

Specs

• iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence
• 6.1-inch, 2532 x 1170, 60Hz OLED display
• Apple A19
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• 48Mp, f/1.6, OIS main camera
• 12Mp, f/1.9, selfie camera
• Up to 26 hours battery
• 20W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Stereo speakers
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Glass back
• Ceramic Shield 2 front
• 5G
• 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm
• 170g
• Black, White, Soft Pink