Apple iPhone 17e rumored to launch this month with five upgrades

According to Macworld, the successor to the Apple iPhone 16e will be officially unveiled on Thursday, February 19. As is typical for Apple, the smartphone would likely start shipping a few days after the announcement. With an MSRP of $599 for the 128GB version, the current iPhone 16e is marketed as an entry-level model.

The iPhone 17e is expected to follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 16e and will sport a display that is essentially identical to the screen in the iPhone 14. Therefore, the 6.1-inch OLED panel should have a 2532 x 1170 resolution, up to 1,200 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. That being said, rumors suggest the iPhone 17e could receive five major upgrades. Most notably, the entry-level iPhone is expected to support MagSafe, so magnetic accessories can be used without a compatible case. This standard would also allow for wireless charging at up to 25 watts instead of just 7.5 watts on the iPhone 16e.

Second, the iPhone 17e will likely be upgraded to the current Apple A19 chipset, which can already be found in the iPhone 17. Third, Apple is expected to modernize the design by giving the phone thinner bezels and a Dynamic Island instead of the large notch, although rumors regarding these design changes have been inconsistent thus far. Fourth, upgrades to Apple’s in-house C1X 5G modem and the N1 chip with WiFi 7 support are expected. Last but not least, Apple could treat the iPhone 17e to a UWB chip, which allows Apple AirTags to be located more precisely.