Apple iPhone 17e review: there’s plenty to love about budget fruit

Introduction

Let’s not beat around the bush – this iPhone is a meagre update over the outgoing iPhone 16e. But that’s not to say it’s a bad phone. Far from it, as I was a big fan of what the 16e had on offer. And the genial sprinkling of updates make the 17e even better value.

After all, nobody who bought an iPhone 16e should upgrade to this. Instead, it’s what it represents in terms of an upgrade for those using older iPhones from a few years back. Indeed, for anything before – say – iPhone 11, it represents a chunky step forward and it’s great value at that $599/£599 starting price.

Design & display: fewer scratches, new color

It’s a bit crude to say the outside of the device is exactly the same as it was last year because it isn’t quite.  What has changed is that the display is more scratch resistant thanks to the same Ceramic Shield 2 coating also used in other iPhone 17 series phones. The design is also surprisingly more angular than the iPhone 17 series, which is rounded off. The 16e and 17e are much more like the iPhone 13 and 14 in that regard.

You still get the 6.1in Super Retina XDR OLED display with 60Hz  and there’s still a notch at the top of the display rather than the Dynamic Island cut-out that has become a standard feature of the more expensive models. I’m slightly surprised this hasn’t changed, but it does mean there is a clear visual distinction between the 16/17e and more expensive iPhones.

The bezels around the display are thicker on 17e than on the standard iPhone 17, but it’s a small distinction between the models as well as the notched display.

Apple says that the Ceramic Shield 2 coating over the display is 3x as scratch resistant as on 16e, so it should withstand shunts from your keys just that bit better.

There’s also a new pink colour which Apple refers to as ‘soft pink’. It definitely adds to the appeal of the 17e rather than just having the other black and white finishes, but I find it surprising that there’s no other alternative colour such as blue. Apple probably sees the colours of the standard iPhone 17 as a benefit of spending more.

Cameras: great, if you’re happy with a single lens

The camera is physically unchanged and retains the software-enabled 2x telephoto effect achieved by sensor cropping. Instead of switching to a separate, dedicated zoom like on the more premium iPhones, the camera crops into the centre 12 megapixels of the 48 megapixel main sensor.

The portrait mode and processing has been improved, again this is through software. As with all modern iPhones, the general image quality is excellent providing you aren’t expecting too much in the way of a zoom. It takes are the kind of photos that would have been unthinkable from even high-end phone cameras at the turn of the decade.  You can also capture some pretty acceptable low light images provided you keep the camera still for the prescribed three seconds.

The 12MP front camera is of very good quality for selfie shots and video calls. One interesting aspect of the 17e versus the 17 and 17 Pro is that there is no Camera Control button which I did miss during my review period with the 17e. I actually didn’t realise how reliant I have become on it from my use of it over the last 18 months or so.

Performance & battery life: modern power

As you’d expect from a device running the current generation of hardware, performance of the 17e is great. There are certainly no performance indications that you have a mid-range iPhone as opposed to a flagship.

The key upgrades are inside – MagSafe charging is now present. For many this will be the key practical advantage over its predecessor and means that the 17e can be used with plenty of accessories. The MagSafe wireless charging also includes Qi2 support and you can now juice the phone at up to 15W instead of the 7.5W previously possible.

The storage is also doubled by default to 256GB while it uses the newer A19 chip (versus A18) and a newer version of Apple’s modem, the C1X. The storage bump is very welcome indeed.

Software experience: a new design

The iPhone 17e runs iOS 26 out of the box, with Apple’s ‘Liquid Glass’ design language. It’s a fresh look and isn’t the absolute nightmare some have billed it as. But it’s fair to say it hasn’t met with universal acclaim.

Apple has now resolved a lot of the early issues – such as hard-to-read elements. Transparency has been toned down in particular and a toggle in settings means you can . But I still don’t like Safari and it made me move over to using Chrome instead.

Setup of iPhone 17e remains pretty seamless, although it’s now a longer process thanks to more customisation. Apple clearly thinks this is better done during startup (particularly for things like Apple Pay).

Performance is excellent while Apple’s ecosystem remains unparalleled. Premium apps and top games are standard for the iPhone and App Store.

Despite Apple talking about it in depth in 2024, Apple Intelligence has been minimised in 2026, largely because some of the key features never shipped. Chief among these are the revamped Siri, which will make much more use of Generative AI and just be generally a better assistant, infused with Google’s Gemini tech. We will see what it’s like later in 2026, possibl;y at Apple’s developer conference in June.

Apple iPhone 17e verdict

The 17e isn’t a great leap forward compared to the 16e, but there are some nice to haves, notably MagSafe. If you were considering a 16e before, then the 17e just makes it an even sweeter deal.

In terms of other devices to upgrade from, you would notice a difference if coming from an older iPhone from last decade such as iPhone 11, but not necessarily from the last five years or so.

Of course there are some changes versus phones of that era – say, an iPhone 12 – but they are minor and so this phone is more likely a first-timer iPhone rather than a replacement for a recent device. With today’s iOS 26 supporting phones back to iPhone 11, it’s likely this phone will be supported well into the 2030s.

Apple iPhone 17e technical specifications

Screen	6.1in, 2532 x 1170 OLED w/ 60Hz
CPU	Apple A19
Memory	8GB
Cameras	48MP rear / 12MP front
Storage	256/512GB
Operating system	Apple iOS 26
Battery	4005mAh, 15W wireless MagSafe/Qi2
Dimensions	147x72x7.8mm (5.78×2.82×0.31in), 169g (5.96ounces)