By Nicole Nguyen

Apple just announced the budget-focused iPhone 17e.

Similar to last year's 16e, it's a scaled-back edition of the current flagship, aimed at people who don't care as much about cameras and battery life. At $599 and up, it's a decent utilitarian option, though this year, it's getting some new frills: MagSafe for magnetic snap-on accessories, stronger display glass and double the storage capacity, starting at 256 GB.

There's also one that's "soft pink," if you care about that kind of thing, in addition to basic white and black options. It's available on March 11, with preorders starting Wednesday.

Looking at the specs, the iPhone 17e is a slightly better deal than last year's iPhone 16e. Both phones have the same 6.1-inch screen, but no MagSafe on the 16e was a deal breaker for me. They both have the single, rear 48-megapixel camera, enough for basic shooting, though I miss the wider-angle shots found on more expensive models. And they have the emergency features that make sense for all iPhones, including satellite messaging and crash detection.

Here's what you would get if you chose to pay $200 more for the full-fledged iPhone 17:

   -- A second rear-facing camera with an Ultra Wide lens 
 
   -- A better selfie camera 
 
   -- A more responsive, always-on display with the Dynamic Island 
 
   -- Longer battery life (30 hours of video playback vs. the 17e's 26 hours) 
 
   -- Faster MagSafe charging 
 
   -- A programmable Action button 

There are reasons to choose a new "e" iPhone over a similarly priced secondhand device. Because the iPhone 17e has the fresh A19 chip, Apple will support it for longer. You can expect to get software updates for about seven years.

Speaking of future-proofing, this model is the cheapest device compatible with Apple Intelligence. Apple's AI features may not be essential now, but that could change if and when the long-promised Siri overhaul comes.

That said, a fair comparison would be a secondhand iPhone 16, which Verizon is selling for about the same price. Also compatible with Apple Intelligence, it would get you that second camera, the Dynamic Island and programmable Action button and some additional perks. But it's also worse in some ways: At that price, you only get half the storage -- 128GB.

On Monday, Apple also introduced an upgraded iPad Air. The company teased additional product news later in the week, so we'll be keeping you updated.

Write to Nicole Nguyen at nicole.nguyen@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2026 10:02 ET (15:02 GMT)

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