If last year's model were a car, it would be a family sedan without a steering wheel. But this time, Apple has corrected all its sins and created a smartphone - the iPhone 17e - for $ 599 with a flagship engine and a rich set of standard equipment. Is this the only device that the average user really needs?
If you rolled your eyes when the 16e was released last year, I totally understand. It was like that entry-level German sedan where you had to pay extra for the floor mats and the gear lever. It was simply too expensive for the compromises it required. But apparently, in Cupertino this year, drank some real coffee, read our complaints, and went back to the drawing board. We have a Apple iPhone 17e, a device that hits the market on March 11, 2026, and is finally exactly what an entry-level model should have been from the very beginning: pragmatic, fast, and above all, sensible.
Under the hood: Powertrain labeled A19
Let's start where it matters most - with raw power. Under the hood of this seemingly innocent phone, which you can also choose from in a beautiful soft pink color, beats the A19 processor. Yes, you read that right. It's the same generation of chip found in the standard 17 model. In terms of raw processing power (CPU), the two devices are practically identical.
There is just one small, barely noticeable “but”. The graphics processing unit (GPU) in the 17e has four cores, while its more expensive sibling has five. This means a roughly 20% drop in graphics performance. But let’s be brutally honest: if you’re buying a phone for around €600 (US$599) to play Resident Evil on it at maximum settings, then you’re missing the point. For 99 percent of people, this “missing cylinder in the engine” is completely invisible. The phone runs flawlessly, supports Apple Intelligence, and offers acceleration that will keep you glued to your seat for everyday tasks.
A luggage compartment that you won't fill up quickly
One of the biggest gripes of the past has been the base storage. Offering 128GB last year was like putting a scooter gas tank in a large SUV. You ran out of it by the first intersection. With the 17e, Apple has doubled the base storage to a whopping 256GB, while keeping the price completely unchanged. If you want more, the 512GB version will set you back $799/€799, which is even cheaper than last year. Finally, a move that doesn't treat the customer like a cash cow.
Bodywork and attachments: Return of written-off
Last year, Apple committed the unthinkable sin of removing MagSafe with the 16e. It was as absurd as buying a new car and finding out that the seatbelts weren't included. This year, MagSafe is back in all its magnetic glory. Now you can once again securely and strongly attach your phone to chargers, stands, and mounts, and it can speed up wireless charging to 15W.
In addition, the device, which weighs a feather-light 169 grams (5.96 oz), is protected by Ceramic Shield 2 glass. This provides three times better scratch resistance and a 7-layer coating that reduces glare by 33 percent. This will keep your windshield clean and undamaged even after months of use in rough urban environments. Connectivity and power efficiency are taken care of by the new C1X wireless modem. This provides twice the final data transfer speed and uses 30 percent less power than the modem in last year's 16 Pro model. In other words: fuel consumption is extremely economical here, the battery will easily get you through the day.
Dashboard: Where did they save money?
Of course, you can't get leather seats with a massage function for this price. The biggest compromise is the screen. While it's a beautiful OLED panel with excellent colors, its image refreshes only at 60 Hz. In a world where even the cheapest competitors have 120 Hz screens, this is a bit cynical. Navigating through menus will be a little less fluid, like driving on slightly cracked asphalt. There's also no Always-On display function and the advanced "Dynamic Island" interface.
There's only one "eye" on the back. It's a single 48-megapixel Fusion camera with an f/1.6 aperture. You don't have an ultra-wide lens and you don't shoot in ProRes. Still, the software works wonders. The next-gen portraits feature lets you adjust depth of field after you've taken the photo, and video is recorded in top-notch 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps) with Dolby Vision and an exceptional Audio Mix feature that brilliantly isolates your voice from street noise in post-production.
Conclusion: An honest machine for reasonable money
When we draw the line under the rug and examine the opinions of various tech critics, as well as my own feelings, we come to a very simple conclusion. Should you buy Apple? iPhone 17e? The answer depends on the depth of your pockets. If you can easily afford to spend an extra $200 (or euros) on the standard iPhone 17, then by all means do so. For that money, you get that silky-smooth 120Hz ProMotion display, an additional camera, and the Camera Control button that the 17e is, for some reason, missing.
But if you're a pragmatic buyer who sees a smartphone as a reliable means of transportation from point A to point B, it's iPhone 17e currently the absolute value king in Apple's offering. For 599 dollars / comparable euros you get a device that is no longer crippled by the corporation's senseless austerity measures. It has a powerful processor that will be relevant for years to come, plenty of space for your digital life, and a camera that shamelessly takes stunning shots. This is not a supercar that will turn heads; it is a superbly crafted people's car that will never let you down. And let's face it, that is exactly what most people really need.
What about you? Are you willing to pay extra for the prestige, or do you think a 60Hz display is still an acceptable compromise in 2026? Tell me in the comments!
