iPhone 17e vs 16e: So much better is the latest budget iPhone

The iPhone 17e is the latest cheap iPhone and successor to the iPhone 16e from 2025 – the 17e is so much better compared to its predecessor.

iPhone 17e vs iPhone 16e

Apple presented the new iPhone 17e on Monday, March 2. The starting price of the new iPhone is the same as that of its predecessor at the time, but you now get a lot more for it. We place the devices next to each other!

Housing

Apart from the new Soft Pink color, nothing has actually changed on the outside of the iPhone 17e compared to the iPhone 16e. The devices are the same size and, except for 3 grams, the same weight. They also both have an aluminum frame and a glass front and back. They also both have an action button and a camera controller is missing on both devices.

Screen

Hardly anything has changed on the screen either. Both iPhones have a 6.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels and a maximum brightness of 1200 nits. The only difference is that the iPhone 17e is equipped with a new generation of Ceramic Shield glass and an anti-reflective coating. The new screen is therefore better protected against scratches and also reflects less.

There were rumors in advance that the iPhone 17e would have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. However, this appears not to be the case. Both the iPhone 16e and the iPhone 17e have an ‘old-fashioned’ notch at the top of the screen.

Camera

Apple has not changed anything about the cameras of the budget devices. The devices both have a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera on the front. The only thing that has been improved is the portrait mode. On the iPhone 16e it only had a Depth control, on the iPhone 17e it has been expanded with Focus. This way you can adjust the focus afterwards.

Performance

Here we see the biggest differences between the two iPhones. The iPhone 17e runs on an A19 chip. The iPhone 16e has a chip from the previous generation: the A18. The 17e also has the same C1X modem as the iPhone Air. This modem is up to 2x faster than the C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. The amount of working memory has remained the same. This amounts to 8 GB on both devices.

Furthermore, the option with 128 GB of storage space on the iPhone 17e has been removed. So you only have the choice of 256 GB or 512 GB of storage space. Another difference is that the iPhone 17e is equipped with MagSafe, which is missing on the iPhone 16e. As a result, you can now do all kinds of things accessories that support MagSafe.

Battery

We also hardly see any changes to the battery. Both iPhones have a battery with a capacity of 4005 mAh and the battery life is also identical with 26 hours of video playback. The only difference is due to the addition of MagSafe. This means that wireless charging is at least a bit faster, namely at 15 watts instead of 7.5 watts.

Conclusion: iPhone 17e vs iPhone 16e

Apple has not changed much on the iPhone 17e compared to the iPhone 16e. It has a faster processor, MagSafe has been added, it has a faster modem and you get twice as much storage space for the same price. Furthermore, wireless charging is a bit faster and portrait mode has been improved somewhat. And that’s about it. The iPhone 17e is undoubtedly better than the iPhone 16e, but the price could have been a bit lower.

Buy iPhone 17e?

If you’re planning to purchase an iPhone 17e, you can place a pre-order starting March 4 at 3:15 PM. The new device will be available in stores on March 11. Below we have already provided links to a number of well-known web shops.

iPhone 17e without subscription:

• iPhone 17e at Coolblue.
• iPhone 17e at MediaMarkt.
• iPhone 17e at Belsimpel.
• iPhone 17e at Mobiel.nl.

iPhone 17e with subscription:

• iPhone 17e at KPN.
• iPhone 17e at Belsimpel.
• iPhone 17e at Mobiel.nl.
• iPhone 17e at MediaMarkt.