The budget iPhone 16e was received so well that Apple is now permanently adopting it into a series, with a yearly launch cycle. There’s a new leak roaming the web that says an iPhone 17e is already in the pre-production phase and could debut in the spring of 2026. This is everything we know about this phone so far.
The Elec publication in Korea has claimed Apple may be making a move with the iPhone 17e between March and May 2025. This Korean source usually brings reliable and concrete information when it comes to the Apple supply chain, which is why this new report is garnering so much attention over the internet.
Apple had the budget SE line going for a long time, but it finally sunset the series this year with the launch of the iPhone 16e. If you know Google’s Pixel “a” family, Apple is going for something similar here with the “e” series. The report also gave away some internal details about the new iPhone.
Looking at the numbers, we don’t see many improvements here. Then again, the “e” lineup isn’t meant to represent the latest and greatest tech from Apple, as a means to save costs. The Apple's latest iPhone model next year will retain the same notched display as last time, with XDR OLED, 60Hz refresh rate, and 1200 nits brightness.
This 6.1” retina panel will have a familiar resolution of 1170×2532 pixels. The bezels will be just as thick as the iPhone 14 since they both use the same screen. Apple plans to shake hands with Samsung Display and LG Display again, but a major contributor to iPhone 17e’s display production is BOE.
The display isn’t changing for the foreseeable future. We suspect there may be some upgrades elsewhere, either in the camera or in the performance categories. Hopefully, the new iPhone 17e won’t succumb to the industry trend of price hikes each year with the same old $599 retail cost.
This new iPhone is supposed to rival the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, which we believe could launch in October. But if the company launches the device in the Spring of next year, it might be too late to join the race. Nevertheless, we are keeping track of its progress now and will get back to you as soon as something new comes up. So stay tuned for updates.
