Apple announces new iPhone 17e, its $599 budget smartphone

On Monday, Apple officially announced that its latest budget smartphone, the iPhone 17e, will be available for preorder on Wednesday, March 4, starting at $599, alongside a new M4 iPad Air.

It's a big week for Apple. On Friday, Tim Cook revealed that the company would be announcing new products starting today, ahead of its latest Apple event on Wednesday. Rumors have been swirling about a budget MacBook, possibly with a touchscreen, as well as a new iPad and iPhone.

So, what's new with the iPhone 17e?

iPhone 17 e: Specs and cameras

According to an Apple press release, the new iPhone 17e is powered by its A19 chipset, which is the same chip found inside the base model iPhone 17. In addition, the iPhone 17e has the C1X, Apple's latest in-house 5G modem. Apple says the C1X is twice as fast as the C1 found inside the iPhone 17e's predecessor, the iPhone 16e.

Speaking of upgrades from the previous model, the iPhone 17e has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display and Ceramic Shield 2, which is three times more scratch-resistant than the iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 17e has a single camera lens, but utilizing Apple's 2-in-1 camera system, the device is actually equipped with both a 48P wide-angle and telephoto Fusion camera.

In addition, the iPhone 17e is receiving a big storage upgrade with the base model starting at 256GB, or double what its predecessor had.

The iPhone 17e adds MagSafe

In a first for Apple's budget smartphone line, the iPhone 17e has MagSafe, making it compatible with Apple's array of MagSafe accessories and wireless charging peripherals.

With many of the same features of the iPhone 17, we're anticipating strong demand for Apple's new budget handset.

How to preorder the iPhone 17e

The iPhone 17e costs $599, or $200 less than the iPhone 17 base model with the same chipset and storage. The device will be available in three different color options: White, Black, or Soft Pink.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e will begin this Wednesday, March 4, likely right at the conclusion of the Apple event. The iPhone 17e will then be available just one week later on Wednesday, March 11.

Mashable will be testing the new budget iPhone as soon as possible, so keep checking back for updates and pre-order details.