How to preorder the iPhone 17e, Apples new budget phone
Apple kicked off its "big week" by announcing the latest budget iPhone, its first with MagSafe, alongside an updated iPad Air. The new iPhone 17e is set for release on Wednesday, March 11, and preorders opened March 4. Shoppers can reserve it through the Apple Store, Best Buy, and major phone carriers.
The iPhone 17e is priced at $599 with 256GB of storage to start. That's double the base storage of last year's iPhone 16e, which cost the same. It's $200 cheaper than the regular iPhone 17.
Trading in an older phone will earn you $35 to $685 in credit at the Apple Store and up to $600 in credit at Best Buy, covering the cost of your new iPhone 17e. If you go through T-Mobile or Verizon instead, you can get the iPhone 17e for free (via monthly bill credits) by signing up for a new line and paying on an installment plan. T-Mobile's offer also requires a trade-in, but Verizon's does not.
AT&T customers can get the iPhone 17e for $5.99/month for 36 months with any unlimited data plan and no trade-in.
iPhone 17e specs
Apple says the iPhone 17e runs on its A19 chip, the same processor as the iPhone 17. It packs its new C1X cellular modem, which is supposedly up to twice as fast as the iPhone 16e's C1 modem. It also features support for MagSafe wireless charging — a first for Apple's budget smartphone line.
The iPhone 17e sports the same 6.1-inch OLED display as its predecessor, but an improved Ceramic Shield 2 front cover like its iPhone 17 series siblings. Additionally, it has a new 48MP Fusion rear camera system and a new soft pink finish. It's slightly heavier than the iPhone 16e to accommodate these upgrades (5.96 ounces versus 5.88 ounces).
Here's a quick overview of its full spec sheet:
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display
Ceramic Shield 2 front cover
A19 chip
Up to 26 hours of video playback
12MP TrueDepth front camera
48MP Fusion rear camera system (48MP Fusion Main camera)
Emergency SOS and Crash Detection
MagSafe wireless charging
256GB or 512GB of storage
Rated IP68
Apple Intelligence
Mashable's Stan Schroeder thought the iPhone 16e was "pretty great when compared to other members of the iPhone 16 family," but dinged it for lacking MagSafe and being pricier than the old iPhone SE. (That was Apple's prior budget iPhone offering.) In the iPhone 17e, Apple has made several upgrades that bump its value on top of resolving the MagSafe issue. Stand by for our full review, but on paper, it looks incredibly promising.
