Apple iPhone 17e, reviewed by a tech critic
Apple iPhone 17e, reviewed by a tech critic
Publish Date: 2026-03-09 15:05:00
Source Domain: www.independent.co.uk
iPhone 17e design
The external design is almost unchanged from the iPhone 16e, which launched a year ago. True, there’s that new soft pink colourway, but if you choose the black or white option, you won’t be able to tell the difference easily between the two phones.
Compared with the iPhone 16e, the dimensions and weight are the same, as is the frosted glass rear with a single camera in the top left corner. The anodised aluminium antenna band, colour-matched to the back of the phone, is also unchanged.
For those of you hoping the new budget phone will feature Apple’s camera control button, you’ll be disappointed. This useful feature was introduced last autumn on the iPhone 17, but hasn’t made it onto the cheaper 17e model.
There is one other quite big external change, but you won’t be able to see it, at least not at first. That’s because the iPhone 17e display is now covered by something more durable than before. The iPhone 16e had what’s called “ceramic shield”, designed to protect against shattering if you drop the phone. The new phone has been blessed with “ceramic shield 2”, which promises better protection against scratches. What that means is those insidious little marks that used to creep in because you happened to put the phone into a less-than-pristine environment, such as your jam-packed bag, should be less evident.
Inside the phone, the biggest design change is the inclusion of MagSafe – that neat circle of magnets for wireless charging. MagSafe means that you can’t accidentally put the phone on a charging pad in the wrong position, so that it doesn’t charge. Instead, it locks into place easily. There were no MagSafe magnets in the iPhone 16e, and it was a nuisance. It may sound like a small update, but if you enjoy the convenience of wireless charging, it makes a big difference. Apple now has MagSafe on every phone it sells. In comparison, even the most expensive Samsung phone, such as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, does not have…
