Apple’s next entry-level iPhone is expected to be the iPhone 17e. It’s thought that it will arrive in spring 2026 and it may have a very welcome upgrade in the form of an upgrade to the front-facing camera. Here’s what’s predicted.
One Feb. 28, 2025, Apple released the iPhone 16e. It was nothing like the iPhone SE, though that was the phone it replaced. The iPhone 16e is the most affordable iPhone, just as the SE had been, but unlike the SE, the 16e introduced Face ID, an OLED screen and the same processor as the iPhone 16.
Apple iPhone 17e Release Date
It looks like another big difference with the SE will be the release cycle, which was two to three years for the SE but may be just one year until the next “e” series phone.
An annual upgrade has been rumored before, but now a new report corroborates it.
Analyst Jeff Pu, in a research note seen by 9to5Mac, says that the iPhone 17e will launch in “mid 1Q26,” which exactly matches the release of the iPhone 16e.
On that basis, I’d expect Apple to launch the iPhone 17e on or around Friday, Feb. 27 or Friday, March 6 next year. At this distance, another Friday in March is also likely.
Like in 2025, it looks like the next iPhone will be released alongside a new tablet, but unlike last year, there may be a new MacBook alongside it. And all three look like they will be the most affordable models in their respective categories.
Apple iPhone 17e Camera Upgrade
Jeff Pu says that a big change will be the front-facing camera, which be upgraded to the Center Stage 18-megapixel sensor introduced on the iPhone 17 series.
This is the new-design square sensor that allows you to take landscape selfies without rotating the phone — the software automatically shoots a different portion of the sensor. It seems certain that there’ll only be one rear camera on the 17e, as on the 16e.
It looks like the Apple playbook of putting a cutting-edge processor in the affordable model will be maintained, so the iPhone 17e will almost certainly carry the A19 chip found in the iPhone 17. The design is likely to be similar to iPhone 16e.
I’ll be returning to the iPhone 17e as new information emerges, so please check back.
