At a time when tech is getting more expensive and budgets are only getting tighter, the iPhone 17e seems like a lifeline for somebody who simply desires a superb telephone at an inexpensive value. This $599 handset is strikingly just like the usual iPhone 17 that prices $200 extra, providing extremely quick efficiency, lengthy battery life and almost all the key options that somebody would purchase an iPhone for. It additionally addresses a few of our greatest criticisms of final yr’s iPhone 16e by including a few of our favourite perks from the high-end fashions and a recent new colour possibility.
That mentioned, this engaging entry level does include some concessions, together with some that could be deal breakers should you’re a digital camera or display snob. So, is that this reasonably priced telephone a real worth? And what sort of iPhone shopper ought to improve to 1? I’ve been working, taking part in and taking a ton of photographs on the iPhone 17e over the previous week or so, and I’ve obtained some solutions for you.
The iPhone 17e improves on Apple’s most reasonably priced telephone with quicker efficiency, twice the beginning storage at 256GB and the comfort of MagSafe charging.
The iPhone 17e gives the identical minimalist aesthetic as final yr’s iPhone 16e, and I’m not complaining. Apple’s $599 telephone has the design of one thing that prices far more, with a clean aluminum physique that feels each sturdy and light-weight. and a matte rear panel that’s straightforward to grip. The programmable Action button is again and stays dependable for every thing from silencing your telephone to figuring out a tune and opening your digital camera with a single click on. I dig the brand new Soft Pink mannequin I’ve been testing out, and whereas I want the colour have been a bit extra pronounced, I’m glad that Apple’s most cost-effective telephone lastly provides you an possibility that isn’t simply black or white.
While the iPhone 17e appears and feels similar to final yr’s mannequin, there’s one enormous change underneath the hood: MagSafe help. Apple’s newest entry stage telephone works with the broad ecosystem of magnetic equipment on the market, together with MagSafe wallets, MagSafe battery packs and MagSafe charging stands. It’s been so good with the ability to plop my iPhone 17e on my Belkin Boost Charge stand whereas I’m at my desk and snap on my Baseus PicoGo battery pack after I’m on the go, two main conveniences I usually have to surrender when testing a less expensive telephone. MagSafe permits for twice the wi-fi charging pace at 15W versus 7.5W, and whereas Google simply joined the celebration with its related PixelSnap tech, you received’t discover that function on the brand new $500 Google Pixel 10a.
In phrases of display high quality, the iPhone 17e’s 6.1-inch OLED show is sort of each bit as sharp and colourful as that of the usual iPhone 17. The telephone’s satisfying brightness and distinction made textual content look good and legible on the NCS Underscored homepage, and app icons had a pleasant colourful pop to them. When I watched the “Mortal Kombat II” trailer, I noticed tons of element in Karl Urban’s grizzled face whereas having fun with the massive brilliant blasts of pink, blue and inexperienced that fighters hurled at one another. I nonetheless want this telephone had the smoother ProMovement tech of the pricier iPhones (extra on that later), however you’ll be able to depend on this display for bingeing your favourite films, exhibits and YouTube rabbit holes on the go.
Incredible efficiency and sturdy battery life
The iPhone 17e packs the identical blazing A19 processor as the usual iPhone 17, so that you’re not giving up a factor in terms of on a regular basis efficiency. I used to be in a position to load up and hop between apps instantly, generate fundamental renders within the Image Playground app inside seconds and export a 620MB video file in CapCut in lower than a minute. The immersive horror motion of the Resident Evil 2 remake regarded appropriately terrifying and ran easily even with the graphics cranked up, making it straightforward to overlook I used to be taking part in this masterpiece on a tiny $599 telephone. In phrases of my typical work and play habits, there was by no means actually a second after I missed my extra highly effective iPhone 16 Pro.
If you want additional proof of simply how briskly this entry-level telephone is, simply take a look at the way it crushed our benchmark exams. On the Geekbench 6 multi-core take a look at, which is an effective indicator of multitasking chops, the iPhone 17e confirmed a 9% enchancment over final yr’s iPhone 16e, virtually tied with the usual iPhone 17 and solely trailed the a lot pricier iPhone 17 Pro by 12%. Apple’s latest telephone additionally runs circles across the whole Google Pixel 10 household, together with the brand new finances Pixel 10a, and edged out the marginally dearer Galaxy S25 FE. The iPhone 17e is definitely the quickest mainstream telephone you may get for lower than $600, and handily outpaces some rivals that value a whole lot of {dollars} extra.
Speaking of the iPhone 17e punching above its value vary, you’ll be able to nonetheless count on all-day battery life even should you go for Apple’s most cost-effective telephone. The iPhone 17e lasted by means of 16 hours and 18 minutes of nonstop 4K video playback on our battery take a look at, coming in only a few hours wanting the usual iPhone 17 (19 hours and 10 minutes) and eclipsing the dearer iPhone Air (13 hours and 29 minutes). It additionally carried out roughly on par with its foremost finances rival within the Google Pixel 10a (16 hours and 34 minutes) and, extra impressively, beat out the 13-hour occasions of the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL by a superb margin. Once it got here time to recharge, I used to be in a position to juice the iPhone 17e up from zero to 55% in simply half-hour by way of a speedy 30W USB-C charger.
Apple iPhone 17e portraits
I’ve lengthy beloved the iPhone’s capacity to take headshot-worthy portrait pictures, and the iPhone 17e will get even higher at them by borrowing the identical glorious Focus and Depth Control instruments which have been on the full-priced iPhones for years. This lets you alter the extent of focus each throughout and after you’ve photographed a topic with enough background depth, primarily that means you’ll be able to flip common ol’ photographs in your digital camera roll into slick portraits.
When I pointed each my iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e at my pal Henry T. Casey, solely the latter telephone gave me the little f-stop icon on the backside that I might faucet for immediate portrait mode. To get the identical impact on my iPhone 16e, I needed to faucet by means of the digital camera menu and activate portrait mode manually. And whereas Apple’s Focus and Depth Control tech was as soon as restricted to individuals and pets, it’s advanced to the purpose the place I used to be ready to make use of it so as to add some dramatic background blur to the bushes and streetlights I got here throughout on a stroll. The enchancment to precise portrait high quality was slight; Casey regarded equally sharp on each telephones, with simply barely higher element and colour on the 17e. But the added flexibility and management that the brand new telephone provides you here’s a large win for people who prefer to mess with background blur and make their pictures look just a bit extra professional.
The iPhone 17e’s 48-megapixel digital camera is able to taking some nice pictures, notably once you’ve obtained good daytime lighting in your facet, and has some small enhancements over final yr’s mannequin for even higher portrait and low-light imagery. That mentioned, there are some noteworthy concessions you’ll make at this lower cost.
When a late-night craving hit, the iPhone 17e made an enormous piece of cheesecake look appropriately appetizing underneath less-than-ideal lighting, and appeared to seize only a bit extra brightness and element than final yr’s mannequin. That mentioned, the slice regarded overly yellow in comparison with the shot I obtained from the Pixel 10a, which regarded extra impartial and true to life. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE was additionally detailed and color-accurate right here, however the desk surrounding the cake was too darkish for my liking.
The iPhone 17e’s 12-megapixel entrance digital camera takes loads of post-worthy selfies in good lighting, because it captured each little stubble on my scruffy face whereas making my pores and skin tone look heat and comparatively pure. The Galaxy S25 FE took the higher general shot right here with much more element and colour accuracy, whereas the Pixel 10a’s shot was too smoothed-out and blurry for my liking.
Apple’s $599 telephone had a tougher time with low-light selfies, because the picture I snapped of me and a pal inside a dim live performance corridor regarded noticeably blurry. The competitors didn’t fare a lot better right here, although the Galaxy S25 FE and Pixel 10a not less than did a greater job illuminating the background and retaining little particulars. It’s nonetheless positive for a enjoyable and fast Instagram story however in all probability not the form of picture you’d submit professionally.
Low-light picture comparability
When I flipped the digital camera round to seize the band Equipment ripping it up onstage, the iPhone 17e’s lone 48-megapixel lens carried out serviceably. The group regarded comparatively sharp and clear given the darkish room I used to be in, and the pink and inexperienced stage lights contrasted properly with the darkish silhouettes of followers crowding the room. The Pixel and Galaxy obtained brighter pictures right here but additionally blurrier ones.
As is often the case, the iPhone 17e’s single-camera setup isn’t very best for people who care about zoom pictures. Both the iPhone 17e and Pixel 10a have been in a position to make a small park signal about 20 toes away look legible at 10x zoom, however there was important distortion on each pictures. Samsung predictably reigned supreme right here, capturing the clearest pictures because of its picture processing cleanup tips and zooming in a lot additional at as much as 30x digital zoom. This doubtless received’t be a deal breaker for a lot of, however should you prefer to zoom in whereas having fun with concert events and sporting occasions from a budget seats, you might wish to spring for one thing higher.
Despite how little the iPhone 17e provides up for its lower cost, I nonetheless miss the smoother ProMovement shows discovered on the remainder of the iPhone 17 line. ProMovement shows supply as much as double the refresh fee at 120Hz versus 60Hz, which makes issues like scrolling social media, flipping by means of photographs and bouncing between apps look particularly fluid. It’s the form of factor you in all probability received’t discover should you haven’t used a supersmooth show earlier than, however when you’ve tried ProMovement, the common screens of outdated simply really feel sluggish. And it’s not unreasonable to count on this on a $600 telephone; opponents from Samsung and Google have provided 120Hz screens on their finances handsets for years now.
There are a handful of different premium options I want have been on the iPhone 17e, together with the Dynamic Island that I depend on for checking NBA scores at a look and the Camera Control button that’s turn out to be my go-to methodology for snapping fast photographs. But the previous isn’t a deal breaker, and I can not less than program the Action button for one-button digital camera entry. I can’t completely knock Apple for having to chop prices someplace; the one purpose it’s straightforward to nitpick is as a result of the iPhone 17e comes so near providing you with your complete iPhone 17 expertise.
While it’s good to see Apple add Soft Pink to the combo this time round, the iPhone 17e continues to be probably the most restricted iPhone by way of colour choices. If the brand new $599 MacBook Neo can are available a quartet of cool hues — together with the splendidly fashion-forward Citrus possibility — then why can’t the $599 iPhone? I’m unsure if we’ll ever get again to the boldy colourful days of the iPhone 5c, however I wish to see Apple’s subsequent entry stage telephone embrace the rainbow somewhat extra.
The iPhone 17e is among the finest smartphones you may get for lower than $600, providing you with almost every thing that makes the iPhone 17 nice for a really engaging value. You merely received’t discover a quicker telephone at this value vary, and you’ll be hard-pressed to search out many others that’ll get you thru a full day of labor and then some just like the 17e does. The undeniable fact that it merely does all the important iPhone issues for $599 will doubtless be sufficient for a lot of; perks just like the programmable Action button and MagSafe charging simply make it a good higher worth, one which’s virtually distinguishable from its pricier siblings at occasions.
Still, the important thing phrase is “almost.” Apple simplified a couple of issues for this entry stage value level, notably in terms of the 17e’s modest digital camera setup that falters at issues like zoom pictures and low-light selfies. And should you’re switching from a typical or Pro iPhone in hopes of saving some money, you might miss conveniences just like the Camera Control button and the graceful ProMovement show discovered on earlier iPhones.
You might spend an additional $100 and get the iPhone 16, which will get you a superior digital camera system and the perks of Camera Control and the Dynamic Island. And should you’re not an iOS loyalist, the $500 Google Pixel 10a is much more reasonably priced and equally nice. But should you’re getting your first iPhone, searching for a teenager or upgrading for the primary time shortly — we’re speaking iPhone 11 or earlier — the iPhone 17e packs an amazing quantity of iPhone into a pretty $599 package deal.
The iPhone 17e begins at $599 with 256GB of storage, with an non-obligatory improve to a $799 mannequin with 512GB of free house.
The iPhone 17e ships with iOS 26, Apple’s newest working system and the identical one you’ll discover on the remainder of the iPhone 17 collection. You may count on it to get the most recent iOS updates for not less than the following few years to return.
Unfortunately not. The iPhone 17e nonetheless has the fundamental 60Hz show of older iPhones, and lacks the graceful 120Hz ProMovement tech you’ll discover throughout the remainder of the iPhone 17 line.
NCS Underscored has a staff of expert writers and editors who’ve a few years of expertise testing, researching and recommending merchandise, and we guarantee every article is rigorously edited and merchandise are correctly vetted. We discuss to high specialists when related to make sure our product testing is correct as we converse to the professionals and cons of every merchandise.
NCS Underscored senior tech editor Mike Andronico has written product reviews of tech devices for 13 years, and has been testing iPhones for almost as lengthy. For this evaluation, he used the iPhone 17e as one in all his foremost gadgets for the higher a part of per week, bringing it in all places from concert events to parks to the workplace whereas always evaluating its efficiency to the competitors.