Apple introduced the iPhone 17e, and it finally brought MagSafe to the entry-level iPhone for the first time in response to customers’ request. However, there are still several tidbits that you may have missed as well as several omissions that the iPhone 17e still falls short.
Same display with notch and same design
Unlike the rest of the iPhone lineup that moved to the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 17e continues to feature the same display, including the specs, as its predecessors, the iPhone 16e. This means that we still have the notch. While it may not be a deal breaker for those who want the core iPhone experience, it’s still something worth mentioning.
The iPhone 17e carries the same design as its predecessor whose design was based on that of the iPhone 14 from 2022.
A19 chip
Unlike the A19 chip found in the regular iPhone 17, as expected, this A19 chip on the iPhone 17e is a binned variant with one less GPU core for a total of 4 GPU cores (vs. 5 GPU cores on the standard iPhone 17). This is likely to reduce costs by repurposing binned chips.
Camera systems (front and back)
The iPhone 17e has a single rear 48MP Fusion Main camera, but unlike the one on the standard iPhone 17, which uses 100% Focus Pixels, the iPhone 17e’s camera actually uses Hybrid Focus Pixels, which may see a bit of a downgrade in picture quality.
Additionally, the iPhone 17e uses the same 12MP TrueDepth camera system as its predecessor, meaning it doesn’t get the incredible 18MP Center Stage camera found in the iPhone 17 lineup and the iPhone Air. So selfies may not look as natural or sharp as the ones taken with the flagship iPhone models.
No N1 Networking Chip
The iPhone 17e does not feature Apple’s N1 networking chip that was introduced on the iPhone 17 lineup and the iPhone Air. That N1 chip also made its way to the iPad Pro (M5) last October and the iPad Air (M4) that Apple just introduced. This means the iPhone 17e continues to feature the older Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 standards, and it lacks Thread support as well. The iPhone 17e did get the updated C1X cellular modem though with expanded 5G support with three new bands.
MagSafe charging speeds
Although MagSafe on the iPhone 17e is a first for an “e-series” iPhone, MagSafe will actually be slower compared to those of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. Both MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging for the iPhone 17e will be capped at up to 15W unlike the maximum limits of up to 25W on the iPhone 17 lineup and up to 20W on the iPhone Air.
USB-C port
Unsurprisingly, the USB-C port on the iPhone 17e continues to be capped at up to USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mb/s). Additionally, just like with the iPhone Air, the USB-C port also lacks support for DisplayPort, which means that you couldn’t connect your iPhone 17e to an external display for mirroring.
No Ultra Wideband chip
As with its predecessor, the iPhone 17e continues to lack the Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness features such as Precision Finding. It seems that Apple continues to reserve this kind of technology for the flagship iPhone models (e.g. iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro), higher-end Apple Watch (Series/Ultra) models, and the AirPods Pro.
Storage configurations
One of the important upsides is that the iPhone 17e now starts with double the storage as before at 256GB. The iPhone 17e can be configured with either 256GB or 512GB storage capacities.
Conclusion
So that’s all the tidbits you need to know about the iPhone 17e. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e start on Wednesday, March 4, and it’ll be available to customers starting next Wednesday, March 11.
