Apple’s 2026 product offensive is kicking off with the iPhone 17e, an eagerly awaited refresh to its entry-level smartphone lineup that promises meaningful upgrades without a price hike. According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, the device — succeeding last year’s iPhone 16e — is slated to arrive imminently, potentially within days or weeks, positioning it as one of the earliest major hardware releases of the year.
The iPhone 17e retains its predecessor’s $599 starting price, allowing Apple to market it with a straightforward pitch: “more features for the same cost.” Key enhancements include the powerful A19 chip, borrowed directly from the standard iPhone 17 released last year. This upgrade delivers faster performance, improved efficiency, and better support for demanding tasks compared to the A18 in the iPhone 16e.
Additionally, the iPhone 17e finally introduces MagSafe support for magnetic wireless charging and accessories — a feature long absent from Apple’s budget models but standard on higher-end iPhones. It also transitions to Apple’s latest in-house wireless silicon, including the advanced C1X cellular modem (offering significantly faster 5G and LTE speeds) and the N1 chip for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Thread connectivity. These changes modernize the device’s connectivity stack and bring it closer in line with flagship capabilities.
As Apple’s current entry-level offering (having effectively replaced the discontinued iPhone SE series), the iPhone 17e targets price-conscious consumers, students, and first-time buyers while serving as a strong gateway into the Apple ecosystem. Apple plans to push it aggressively in emerging economies and enterprise markets, where it can capitalize on softer competition from rivals like Google’s Pixel 10a (expected to see minimal upgrades) and Samsung’s premium-focused strategy.
While details on design, display, camera, or other external changes remain sparse—suggesting an incremental rather than revolutionary update—the internal boosts make the iPhone 17e a compelling value proposition. It arrives amid a broader early-2026 refresh wave, including updated entry-level iPads with Apple Intelligence support, refreshed iPad Air models, and new M5-powered Macs. This positions the iPhone 17e as a foundational piece in Apple’s push to expand accessibility and adoption worldwide before bigger reveals like a potential foldable iPhone later in the year.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The new iPhone 17e, which replaces the 16e from a year ago, is due imminently. The big changes include the device getting the A19 chip from the iPhone 17 and MagSafe charging. And it’s shifting to Apple’s newest in-house cellular and wireless chips, I can confirm. I’ve also been told that the company is planning to keep pricing the same, at $599, setting up a simple advertising pitch: You’ll get more features for the same cost.
Apple will market the 17e heavily to users in emerging economies and enterprises — two areas the company plans to target aggressively this year with both devices and software.
MacDailyNews Take: Given its target buyer, keeping the price at $599 will be this new iPhone’s most compelling feature.
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