i Phone 17e review: The economical choice

Overview

Apple’s entry-level smartphone checks the boxes for the basics.

A pink i Phone 17e held in mid-air in front of a wooden door. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

Details

By introducing the i Phone 17e just a year after the i Phone 16e, Apple is closing some gaps. Before, the company would only roll out a new entry-level i Phone every few years, with the i Phone 5c (2013), i Phone XR (2018) and i Phone SE (2016, 2020, 2022) all having two to four years between their releases. But Apple is getting into an annual groove now, and having renamed the device to integrate better with the rest of the i Phone lineup, Apple is making a clear statement: It cares about the midrange now.

With the current state of global economics, Apple’s focus on lower cost devices like the i Phone 17e and newly launched Mac Book Neo is timely. Most people probably don’t make full use of the high-powered machines in their pockets and on their laps, and might be reconsidering whether they need to spend as much money on the Pros and the Airs of Apple’s product lineup. At

Since I reviewed the i Phone 16e last year, I’ve been using it as a work phone, mostly for Slack, email and light editing in Docs. The way I see it, most people considering the i Phone 17e are likely in a similar situation — either thinking of getting a supplementary device or looking for a good enough phone for a child or other dependent. For this review, I’ve tried to cover most of those scenarios whether it be a person that would spend most of their phone time on social media and games like a teenager or someone that’s largely using it for administrative work purposes. I mostly want to answer this question: If you’re getting your first i Phone or buying one for someone else, should you get the i Phone 17e or the i Phone 17?

The i Phone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem.

It’s very clear from Apple’s website that it doesn’t want you comparing the i Phone 17e to the i Phone 16e. The company doesn't allow you to do so in the comparison tool on the i Phone 17e product page, limiting you to the i Phone 11, i Phone 12 and the i Phone SE (second and third generations). Sure, I understand that no one is really thinking about getting an i Phone 17e after just buying the 16e last year. But for the purposes of this review, it makes sense for me to shout out what’s new from the previous generation. The most significant additions this year are the A19 chip, double the storage, improved Portrait photography and Mag Safe with faster wireless charging. Oh, and a new pink color option, adding an ever so subtle splash of color to the previously monochromatic lineup.

The A19 chip is supposed to make AI processes faster, thanks to the neural accelerators in its GPU. In my testing so far, the difference has been negligible at best. Initially I was seeing the i Phone 17e perform slower than the 16e, but after a software update, the i Phone 17e caught up. In Apple Intelligence-powered tools like Cleanup, the i Phone 17e was a split second faster at identifying unwanted objects in photos and erasing them than the 16e. If you’ve just received your i Phone 17e and run into issues where image generation or cleanup is slow or stalling, give it a day or so for the software to stabilize.

Oddly, in some side-by-side Image Playground testing, the i Phone 17e and i Phone 16e were neck and neck. Sometimes, the i Phone 16e was faster. Occasionally, the i Phone 17e was ahead. I’ll continue to keep an eye on how both phones do here, as it could still be due to some early software issues, but for now the improvements from the A19’s GPU seem to be hit or miss.

The pink i Phone 17e and the white i Phone 16e held up in one palm in front of a red brick wall. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

Of all the improvements to the i Phone 17e, to me, one of the most important is in portraits. In my review of the i Phone 16e, I said that the majority of my grievances with the single camera setup was the fact that Apple ended up using an older version of Portrait mode.

That version was much more limited and didn’t allow for applying a background blur to pictures of non-human subjects. This time, Apple borrowed the algorithms it developed for the i Phone Air for the i Phone 17e’s rear and front cameras. This not only delivers a general improvement to portraits, with better segmentation and a more natural-looking bokeh effect, but also allows for depth information to be captured when applicable. For instance, when a person, cat or dog is detected, the i Phone 17e will automatically capture depth information so you can apply a blur after the picture is taken, even if you didn’t use Portrait mode initially.

Importantly, these “next-gen portraits” also allow you to edit the level of blur and change up the focal point of the picture after you’ve taken the shot. In some photos of my neighbor’s grumpy shih-poo, I was shocked that my colleagues actually preferred the samples I shared from the i Phone 16e over the ones from the i Phone 17e. But their critique was fair: the newer phone blurred out Oreo’s tail, keeping only his face in focus. I was able to address this by going into the editing tools and dragging the slider for aperture to bring more of the dog into focus. I also played around and tapped on Oreo’s tail to make it clear, and the i Phone 17e blurred up his face instead.

Two photo samples side by side, featuring a dog on a blue leash staring up into the camera. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

When using Portrait mode to photograph people, the i Phone 17e did indeed deliver more pleasant bokeh than its predecessor. In pictures of my friend Brenda Stolyar, with the “depth” or aperture set to f/4.5 across both devices, there was more softness in the brick wall behind her on the new phone. I was slightly confused since it seemed like the older i Phone actually delivered a sharper picture, until I realized it was actually just softer bokeh.

For those coming from older phones like the i Phone 11, 12 or SE, the addition of next-gen portraits should feel like a major step up. Even when compared to the i Phone 16e, the fact that I was now able to apply the effect on photos of food and other inanimate objects with no faces made me happier. It makes the camera more versatile, and feels like a noteworthy update that makes your photos feel more modern.

But that is definitely because I like pictures with the artificial depth of field effect. If you don’t care for bokeh and really only want a phone’s cameras to be good enough to snap pictures of menus or receipts, for instance, the 17e’s improvements here won’t mean much.

The rear of the i Phone 17e catches the light in front of a stone wall. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

What might matter more, then, is this generation’s wireless charging speeds. While the i Phone 16e could only support up to 7.5W, the i Phone 17e goes up to 15W (with adapters of 20W or higher) and also works with Mag Safe accessories. I can’t imagine anyone considering a new i Phone 17e already has magnetic cases or stands, but if you decide to invest in those accessories, you’ll find them convenient and satisfying.

I placed both models on my wireless charging stand — the 17e snapped on and started charging, while the 16e clattered helplessly off the stand. I placed it on the charging pad at the base instead and noted how much power each of them gained in 15 minutes. The improvement is clear: the i Phone 17e went up by 16 percent (30 percent to 46 percent), while the 16e only gained 3 percent (69 percent to just 72 percent).

Beyond the numbers, what this means is that when you’re in a pinch and trying to quickly top up your phone on, say, a wireless charger you found at a cafe, you won’t need to sit around as long with the i Phone 17e. For those of you that simply leave your phone on a stand overnight, this is less likely to meaningfully impact you.

There are a few other updates that I haven’t really tested in this review, like the improved durability with Ceramic Shield 2 on the i Phone 17e’s screen. The new display also has a treatment that is supposed to reduce glare, and considering the week of wonderfully gloomy weather we’ve had here in New York, this isn’t something I’ve truly had a chance to evaluate. Also, while I do appreciate the doubled storage, which is sure to please the media hoarders among us, I will say I’ve already been served warnings about my i Cloud storage running out. It still feels like something else Apple might need to address, but for newcomers to the i OS world, the higher base storage is absolutely a positive.

Elsewhere, there are virtually no differences between the i Phone 17e and i Phone 16e. They have the same size displays with the same resolution, brightness, refresh rate, contrast ratio and color gamuts. Both are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, and have similar battery lives (up to 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple). They also have the exact same dimensions of 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches, although the i Phone 17e does weigh a whole 2 grams (0.8 ounces) more than the 16e, which is almost definitely attributable to the addition of Mag Safe. Unless you have weighing scales for hands, though, this difference is negligible.

An i Phone 17e held up in front of a tree trunk. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

In fact, the camera upgrades alone on the i Phone 17 might be worth the money. On top of getting the additional ultrawide camera, you’ll also gain the dedicated camera control button on the right edge, the latest generation of Photographic Styles, support for macro photography, Cinematic mode and Dual Capture in videos as well as spatial and macro recording capabilities. It also comes with sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which is more advanced than the OIS on the i Phone 17e. Rounding out that long list of differences is higher recharge speeds (with compatible chargers) and Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for more precise Find My support. The i Phone 17 also offers dual-frequency GPS and works with the latest standards in connectivity, like Thread, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 (whereas the i Phone 17e only gets to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3).

Sure, the i Phone 17 is slightly taller and heavier, but considering all the bonuses and the extra camera, that feels like a tradeoff that is more than fair. It’s a lot more advanced for $200, and feels like a better starter phone than the i Phone 17e. But if your budget is tight and camera performance isn’t a priority, you’ll get a great experience from Apple’s latest.

The i Phone 17e held up in mid-air in front of some red foliage. (Cherlynn Low for Engadget)

In 2026, it feels like Apple has done the impossible. It’s managed to serve up multiple i Phones at various price points with enough meaningful differentiations to justify each tier. Meanwhile, each i Phone 17 in the full lineup is a capable and satisfying device for its price. Upgrading to the i Phone 17e from the i Phone 11, 12 or SE will certainly feel significant, although getting almost any current-gen phone will feel modern compared to those.

In fact, if you’re platform agnostic and wouldn’t mind an Android device, there are options out there with significantly superior screens and cameras. The Pixel 10a, for instance, offers a larger display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a dual-camera system all for $100 less. With Apple seeming to be setting its sights on the midrange market, it should seriously consider stepping up in those two areas in the next e-series i Phone.

But of course, the name “i Phone” carries its own premium, and the i Phone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

• Apple’s entry-level smartphone checks the boxes for the basics

• A pink i Phone 17e held in mid-air in front of a wooden door

• By introducing the i Phone 17e just a year after the i Phone 16e, Apple is closing some gaps

• With the current state of global economics, Apple’s focus on lower cost devices like the i Phone 17e and newly launched Mac Book Neo is timely

• Since I reviewed the i Phone 16e last year, I’ve been using it as a work phone, mostly for Slack, email and light editing in Docs