How the new iPhone 17E stacks up against Apple’s pricier phones

The iPhone 17 lineup now has a “budget” option. Announced this week, the iPhone 17E will hit stores on Wednesday, March 11, with prices starting at $599, and pre-orders begin March 4. 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 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, plus a faster A19 chip and twice the base storage (256GB vs. 128GB) as the iPhone 17. It has 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 brings it closer to Apple’s more premium phones.

But at $599, the 17e doesn’t include all the features found on 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 it lacks features like Always-On Display and Dynamic Island, a pill-shaped cutout that shows information like ride-share updates at a glance. With a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, it’s quite dim.

Camera hardware is another differentiator. While the 17E, Air and standard iPhone 17 all have a 48-megapixel main sensor, the iPhone 17 has a dedicated ultrawide camera, which also enables macro photography for close-up shots. The 17 and Air also have an 18-megapixel front-facing camera — the 17E only has a 12-megapixel shooter — which should translate to sharp selfies and clear video calls. The Pro and Pro Max models expand further with more advanced camera arrays, including dedicated telephoto cameras. Also, all except the 17E include a camera control button, designed to help people quickly launch the camera and adjust various settings.

Not surprisingly, charging speeds and battery life also vary. The 17E supports MagSafe charging with Qi2 support, allowing up to 15W wireless charging, while the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and both Pro models support a faster 25W wireless charging. Apple says the 17E can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes, compared to about 20 minutes for 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 larger Pro Max models last longer (up to 39 hours in some cases).

However, these are only some of the highlights. If you want to know the details, we’ve compiled all the specifications together below, so you can see how each phone stacks up against the other.

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