I never thought MagSafe’s haptic feedback could be so satisfying.

I’ve been using Apple’s $599 iPhone 17E, which brings MagSafe’s magnetic technology to its lowest-priced handset. Beyond the added convenience of easily attaching chargers and accessories, this signals Apple’s efforts to expand once-premium features across its full iPhone lineup, no matter how much you’re willing to pay. Plus, the addition of a fresh color warms my pink-loving heart.

The iPhone 17E borrows other features from the $829 baseline iPhone 17. The budget option packs the same A19 chip (albeit with a four-core GPU instead of five), an action button and a 48-megapixel main camera. It starts with 256GB of storage, making that $599 price more enticing — even if it’s arguably pushing the limits of what’s considered a “budget” phone. But the fact that I have to double-check whether I’m reaching for the iPhone 17E or the 17 is surely a good sign that the gap between the two is narrowing — and in the right direction.

Other aspects of the 17E serve as a reminder that you get what you pay for. The bezels are noticeably thicker than on Apple’s more premium options. There’s no Dynamic Island for system notifications and Live Activities, but rather an old-school notch at the top. A fixed 60 Hz display also means there’s no always-on display, so I can’t quickly glance at the time or my notifications — something that’s been hard to get used to.

There’s a lot that makes the iPhone 17E feel like a worthy lower-priced option. And for most people, the compromises shouldn’t feel too glaring, especially when you’re saving a couple hundred dollars.

The iPhone 17E is available to preorder now, and hits store shelves on March 11.

iPhone 17E look, feel and display

One of my favorite things about the iPhone 17E is that it doesn’t sacrifice the premium look and feel of its pricier counterparts. Like the other iPhone 17 models, the iPhone 17E’s back glass has a satisfying matte finish that’s resistant to fingerprints. An aluminum frame keeps it feeling nice and light at 169 grams, compared to 177 grams on the iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17E’s 6.1-inch display is just slightly smaller than the 6.3-inch display on the iPhone 17, a difference that’s hardly noticeable. The lower-priced option shares the same Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass, which Apple says has three times better scratch resistance than the iPhone 16E’s display, and 33% less reflection. 

The 60Hz refresh rate is a step down from the 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate you’ll get on Apple’s other phones, but it’s a nearly imperceptible difference unless you’re gaming. Personally, the biggest downside to this limitation is not having an always-on display, which I rely on extensively to peek at the time and see all my notifications at a glance. Going without that feature has taken some getting used to.  

While the iPhone 17 supports 1,600 nits HDR peak brightness, the iPhone 17E tops out at 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness. Holding the phones side by side, I can see the difference, but the 17E looks just fine, even in the California sunshine.  

The iPhone 17E’s smaller size can either be a benefit or a drawback, depending on your preferences. I tend to gravitate toward larger phones, so typing and scrolling on a smaller frame was a bit of an adjustment. But if you want a more compact device that’ll fit in practically any pocket, you’ll dig the 17E’s dimensions. 

This year, Apple decided to branch out and add a soft pink color option to its budget line, along with the standard black and white. Luckily, I got paired with a pink model that takes on a pastel-like, blush hue that’s certainly more subdued than the bold orange of the iPhone 17 Pro. The subtle shade is nice if you want some color without making too much of a statement. I’m always happy when fun colors aren’t limited to the pricier models. 

iPhone 17E camera gets some minor upgrades

Similar to last year’s budget iPhone, the iPhone 17E has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. With sensor cropping, it can also snap 2x telephoto images, which look as good as 1x photos to my eyes. A bonus perk of having just one rear camera is that it’s significantly less obtrusive than the camera bumps on other iPhone 17 models, particularly the Pros. It’s refreshing to go back to a phone I can hold without my fingers brushing against an ever-expanding camera platform.

Like my experience with the iPhone Air, the lack of an ultrawide camera feels limiting. It’s harder to take landscape photos or capture a wider scene — though if I had to choose between an ultrawide and a telephoto camera, I’d always pick the latter. I’m much more likely to punch into something to show more detail than take a dramatically wider shot.

The iPhone 17E has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, drawing another parallel to the iPhone 16E. The 17E doesn’t get the Center Stage camera feature that debuted on the iPhone Air and 17, which can automatically switch between portrait and landscape orientation as more people come into the frame without you rotating your phone. I don’t see this as much of a loss; in fact, I keep Center Stage disabled on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, largely because old habits die hard and I just end up rotating my phone manually anyway. 

Not having Cinematic mode for video on the budget line is still a bummer, since I rely on it for more professional-looking clips with blurred backgrounds. But if trade-offs have to be made, that’s a manageable one.

The hardware feature I’ve struggled without is the Camera Control button — not because I ever use it as a shortcut to Apple’s Visual Intelligence, but because that’s how I almost exclusively launch the iPhone’s camera now. I like having a physical button that’s easy to trigger (perhaps too easy for some) when I want to quickly snap a photo. Without Camera Control on the iPhone 17E, you’ll have to open the camera the old-fashioned way by tapping on your screen, swiping the lock screen to the left or using the action button as a camera shortcut. Though I don’t think most people will mind that, especially if you’re coming from a phone that never had Camera Control in the first place. And you can access Visual Intelligence from the iPhone 17E’s Control Panel. 

Portraits get a nice boost on the iPhone 17E, compared to last year’s budget phone. Apple says the advanced image pipeline allows subjects to stand out more naturally against their bokeh-effect backgrounds. For example, a person will appear in sharper focus, including fringe details like their hair or the corner of their glasses, and the transition to the image’s blurred background looks a bit more gradual and realistic.   

When you’re snapping pictures in the camera’s standard Photo mode, it’ll now automatically detect cats and dogs, in addition to people, and enable portrait shots without you having to switch to that setting.

And now, you can also adjust the focus point of a photo after you’ve snapped it by going to Edit in the Photos app and tapping where you want to focus. You can modify the amount of background blur, too. It’s great to see that flexibility and customization on Apple’s lower-tier phone.

Here are a few of my favorite photos I’ve taken on the iPhone 17E:

iPhone 17E battery and MagSafe compatibility

The iPhone 17E touts the same 26 hours of video playback as the iPhone 16E. On Apple’s product pages in the European Union, where it’s required to disclose battery capacity, that’s listed as 4,005 mAh, (the same as the 16E). Apple says the battery is aided by the power-efficient A19 chip, the new C1X cellular modem and the “advanced power management of iOS 26.”

In my first few days with the phone, the battery has held up impressively well. I started with a full battery at 10:12 a.m. on Saturday, and still had a healthy 48% by 8 p.m. When I woke up the next morning at 5:15 a.m. (yes, my sleep schedule has been completely thrown off by Mobile World Congress and jet lag), the phone was at 38%. I feel confident I can go about my day without worrying about the phone dying prematurely.

The iPhone 17E supports 20-watt wired charging. And with MagSafe and Qi2 compatibility, it can charge wirelessly up to 15 watts — double the 7.5 watts on the iPhone 16E. That’s still less than the 25-watt wireless charging (Qi2.2) the iPhone 17 supports, but it’s a worthy step up from last year. 

With wired charging, the iPhone 17E went from 8% to 61% in half an hour. I look forward to testing MagSafe charging speeds as well.

I’ve enjoyed snapping MagSafe accessories such as cases and wallets onto the iPhone 17E simply because I can. I’ve also been tapping into Apple’s StandBy feature, which displays widgets while you charge your phone in landscape mode, including a calendar, clock and photos. 

Final thoughts for now: Should you buy the iPhone 17E?

The iPhone 17E brings subtle yet welcome changes to Apple’s budget line — namely, MagSafe charging, a higher base storage level and a more advanced A19 chip. This year’s phone shares a lot in common with the iPhone 16E, especially when it comes to the cameras and battery capacity, but it still shines in both areas.

More notably, the iPhone 17E borrows a handful of features from the baseline iPhone 17, which costs $200 more. The phones have a similar feel, a 48-megapixel main camera and that A19 chip. You’ll spot some notable design differences, including the iPhone 17E’s prominent notch, wider bezels and the lack of a Camera Control button.

If you’re switching from an older iPhone like the iPhone 11 or 12, these are trade-offs you’ll hardly notice, especially in light of all the relative upgrades. Similarly, if you’re coming from another budget phone that’s a few years old, like the iPhone SE (2020) or an older Android counterpart, the improvements are sure to outweigh any missing premium features. 

If you’re using last year’s iPhone 16E, the incremental changes don’t justify the upgrade, even with the long-awaited addition of MagSafe. Apple doesn’t appear to be targeting this demographic anyway, since its promotional materials largely compare the iPhone 17E to older models like the iPhone 11. That’s where the differences really stand out.