The affordable iPhone 17e is rumored to have a major improvement compared to the previous model. But much remains the same.
iPhone 17e gets this striking improvement (and more)
The user ‘Digital Chat Station‘ often shares rumors on the Chinese website Weibo that later turned out to be (partially) true. He recently released more information about the iPhone 17e. Apple is going to give the next affordable iPhone a major adjustment. According to rumors, the entry-level model will be equipped with the Dynamic Island.
Until now, the Dynamic Island was only found on the more expensive iPhones. Apple introduced the pill-shaped screen part in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro, and a year later the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus also received the new design.
However, the cheaper models had to make do with the familiar notch. That seems to be changing with the iPhone 17e. This would mean that Apple would finally say goodbye to the notch in its entry-level models.
Although the iPhone 17e gets a significant improvement with the new Dynamic Island, Apple seems to be sticking with the older screen. The device will probably again have a 60Hz OLED screen. This screen is also in the iPhone 15 and 16. This also means that ProMotion and the always-on screen are not coming to the iPhone 17e. The iPhone 17 did get that function this year.
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The new design seems to follow the iPhone 15, which introduced the Dynamic Island in 2023 and had a slightly rounder frame. The appearance of the current iPhone 16e is largely based on the iPhone 14.
This is when the iPhone 17e will appear
According to several reliable sources, the iPhone 17e will be released in the first half of 2026. Both analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman say that Apple wants to renew the cheaper model every year from now on. The launch would follow about a year after the iPhone 16e, which was released in February 2025. The iPhone 17e will therefore be announced sometime in February 2026.
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