According to recently leaked renders, Apple is expected to launch its next-generation affordable smartphone in the first half of 2026.iPhone 17eIt is expected that there will be significant changes in its appearance design. Apart from maintaining the single-lens configuration of the rear camera, its overall shape will be closer to that of the iPhone 17, and the most obvious change will be the abandonment of the long-standing "notch" design, and a complete shift to the "Dynamic Island" interface design.
This also means that after Apple fully transitioned to Face ID facial recognition unlocking with the iPhone 16e and stopped using Touch ID fingerprint recognition, starting with the iPhone 17e, all iPhone models will adopt a dynamic island interface and no longer use the previous notch screen design.
Powered by an A19 processor, the screen refresh rate remains at 60Hz.
In terms of specifications, the iPhone 17e is expected to use the same 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 16, but the refresh rate will remain at 60Hz. The ProMotion high refresh rate technology will not be included, thus differentiating the price point.
The core processor is expected to be upgraded to the latest generation A19 Bionic processor, but in order to further differentiate it from the standard iPhone 17, the number of GPU cores in the A19 chip in the iPhone 17e may be reduced.
Upgrades to older devices are being targeted, and the price is expected to remain the same as the iPhone 16e.
Market analysts believe that the iPhone 17e's primary target audience is users still using older models like the iPhone 11 who don't have high performance requirements. Leveraging the smoothness of the iOS system, this new phone is expected to meet user needs for the next 2-3 years.
As for the price, current rumors suggest it may remain the same as the previous generation iPhone 16e, with a starting price of US$599 or NT$21900.
