Earlier this year, Apple put its iPhone SE lineup out to pasture after almost a decade and commenced a new era of budget-friendly iPhones, starting with the iPhone 16e. While the iPhone 16e is now selling like hotcakes and helped Apple claim the top spot in global smartphone market share in Q1 2025, the company apparently hasn’t yet determined whether it should launch a successor.
Mark Gurman writes in his weekly Power On newsletter that “Apple hasn’t yet made a final decision” about launching iPhone 17e, and the decision will be made in the coming months.
Given that competitors like Samsung and Google release new phones multiple times a year, Gurman says it “makes a lot of sense” for Apple to consider an annual “e” cycle for its budget-friendly iPhones.
With the former SE lineup, Apple released a new iPhone SE model every 2-3 years. This strategy hindered Apple from becoming a contender in the affordable smartphone market. It also made iPhone SE phones appear to lag behind competitors in terms of technology and features. It remains to be seen if Apple wants to take the same approach with e-branded iPhones.
While Western sources claim Apple is hesitant about launching the iPhone 17e, Chinese tipsters who are closer to the Apple supply chain believe the opposite. Last week, Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo reported that Apple will launch an iPhone 17e next year, and the phone is “almost in the trial production stage.”
The leaker also added that the iPhone 17e will arrive in May 2026 after the release of the iPhone 17 series this fall. This is basically the same schedule for the iPhone 16 series and iPhone 16e.
As for the potential features, we don’t expect Apple to drastically change the iPhone 17e. A faster processor, a brighter screen, and maybe the Camera Control is all you can expect.
_small.jpg)
2 Comments - Add comment