The iPhone 17e

Last year I was among the more positive people about the iPhone 16e. I spent a couple weeks using it as my primary device, and honestly, it was a pretty fine experience. No, it wasn't as good as my 16 Pro at the time, but it was also half the cost of that phone. I didn't think it was a cutting-edge device, but again, it was not sold at a cutting-edge price. The single camera was kind of annoying, although it must be said that people love the iPhone Air, which has a single camera setup, so it doesn't seem like that's a deal breaker. The 60Hz display was a bummer as well, although at the time, a $1,000 iPhone 16 Plus didn't have that either, so no one was really expecting it on this model. The one thing that really did bum me out was the lack of MagSafe, which felt like a core iPhone feature that we'd gotten used to on five generations of iPhones.

Just one year later, Apple's back with a new model, the iPhone 17e. It's a very conservative update, but here's what I think is notable.

1. MagSafe has been added, although it does have slower charging speeds than the other iPhones in the lineup (but it does equal the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro lineup, so not too far behind).
2. Base storage is 256GB (from 128GB in the 16e), which is fantastic. 128GB works, but 256GB is a great starting point.
3. The new "Fusion camera system" looks like it adopts the features high end iPhones have gotten recently to adjust focus in portrait photos after the fact, although photographic styles are still baked in. Based on Apple's compare page, it looks like this might be the exact camera that's in the iPhone Air.
4. The A19 is here, and just like last year, this is the same as the chip in the standard iPhone, but with one fewer GPU core.

With the exception of Ceramic Shield 2 on the front glass, everything else is exactly the same. It's the same dimensions, the same wireless modems, the same display tech, and the same advertised battery life.

I have no interest in getting one of these this year, but I do think that the upgrades, particularly to the camera, the base storage, and the addition of MagSafe make this an easier pill to swallow at the $599 price point.

In my Apple Report Card for last year, I made a prediction about the 17e:

And I would expect the iPhone 17e to be the first iPhone we get in the year, coming in the spring and sporting the A19 processor, MagSafe, and the same design as the current model. Criticisms will remain, the base storage will stay at 128GB, the colors will stay the same, and the $599 price point will be a bit too much for people.

Considering a lot of pundits didn't think we were going to get an update every year to this phone, I'll take the point for predicting that we would get this and that it would be the first new iPhone of the year. Everything else was spot on, with the exception of the base storage, which I didn't expect to increase. But hey, if I'm going to get a prediction wrong, I'm happy to have it be in the consumer's favor.

One thing that I think is interesting to do is to compare what I think is notable about the new phone to what Apple thinks is notable about the new device. I wrote the above section after pretty much just browsing the iPhone compare page on Apple's site. But if we look at Apple's marketing, what are they bragging about knowing about this phone? I'm using the "Get the highlights" section, which is something they've added to most of their device pages in recent years.

1. Ceramic Shield 2 (it's more durable)
2. MagSafe (it's more convenient)
3. New Fusion Camera (it's a great camera)
4. A19 (it's faster)
5. Apple Intelligence (it's smart(?))

When I read this, I see Apple stressing the reliability and convenience of this phone. It will stand up to more abuse, MagSafe makes it more convenient to use with mounts and other accessories, and it has more performance in the processor and the camera, so you won't feel the need to update for a long time.