With the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max now on the market but no vanilla iPhone 18 yet in sight, the Apple iPhone 17e and Apple iPhone 17 remain Apple’s current more affordable options. And with a sizeable price gap between them – around €650 for the iPhone 17e versus €900 for the iPhone 17 – the question is whether stepping up to the regular model is really worth it.
The iPhone 17e gets you into the current iPhone lineup for considerably less, while the iPhone 17 brings a number of meaningful upgrades. So how much better is it in practice, and does that justify the premium? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete spec sheets.
Size comparison
The iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 feature an identical premium build – Ceramic Shield 2 front, aluminum frame, and glass back. The iPhone 17e has a slightly smaller display, and that’s why it is 3mm shorter and 8 grams lighter than the iPhone 17.
It’s also worth noting that both iPhones are IP68-rated and are immersible in up to 6m deep water for up to 30 minutes.
The iPhone 17e, even if not that different in size than the 17, feels lighter and smaller when handled. It gave us the iPhone SE feeling, and if it weren’t for the retro-looking notch, it would have won quite a few potential buyers right out of the gate.
At the end, while we do appreciate the smaller and compact size of the iPhone 17e, we think the iPhone 17 would appeal to more users, us included. And because of that – we’d say it’s a tie here.
Display comparison
Apple
iPhone 17
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
120Hz
1206×2622
pixels
460
ppi
1012
nits
The iPhone 17e has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with 460ppi, 60Hz refresh rate, and HDR10 support. It’s the same display we saw on the iPhone 16e and not that different panel from the iPhone 16’s.
The iPhone 17 is the first of the non-Pro models to bring a ProMotion panel a.k.a. 120Hz refresh rate. The new model features a larger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with 460ppi, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10 and Dolby Vision streaming support.
The iPhone 17 has the pill-shaped cutout, while the iPhone 17e has the infamous notch. Furthermore, having a fixed refresh rate of 60Hz surely puts the iPhone 17 in the winning spot.
But if that’s not enough, the iPhone 17 also has a brighter screen in both maximum auto and peak brightness occasions.
All of these – higher refresh rate, larger estate, higher brightness, and additional Dolby Vision support, give an easy win of the premium OLED on the iPhone 17.
Battery life
The iPhone 17e is powered by a 4,005mAh battery, while the flagship iPhone 17 has a smaller 3,692mAh cell. The 17e also has the advantage of a smaller display to power, which usually helps to achieve longer battery life.
And, indeed, the iPhone 17e posted an Active Use Score of 15:30h, better than the iPhone 17’s score of 14:59h. Looking deeper into those results, the 17e has notable improvements in the call and web browsing times, but the iPhone 17 wins in the video streaming and gaming scenarios.
We’d say this section is a tie.
Charging speed
Apple hasn’t been exactly known for advancing the charging capabilities of its phones. In fact, it was the last maker to bring fast charging to its smartphones.
Both iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 support fast wired charging via USB-PD protocol. The iPhone 17e’s official sticker says it can go up to 26W, while the iPhone 17 up to 29W.
Apple promises 50% of charge in 30 minutes if you are using Apple’s own 20W charger.
Both iPhones support MagSafe wireless charging but the iPhone 17 can go faster at 25W because it supports Qi2 standard. The iPhone 17e covers the previous Qi standard and is limited to 15W.
In our charging test with a 100W PD charger, the iPhone 17 was a bit faster than the iPhone 17e – 36% vs 32% in 15mins, 63% vs 59% in 30mins and 85min vs 94mins for 100%.
The iPhone 17 recharges slightly faster than the iPhone 17e, both wired and wirelessly and hence it grabs the win here.
Speaker test
Both the iPhone 17e and the iPhone 17 offer hybrid stereo speaker systems where the earpiece is pulling a double duty. Both setups support Dolby Atmos and spatial audio.
And it appears that both phones feature identical speakers by scoring similarly good loudness points. Furthermore, both iPhones sound marvelous with clear vocals, balanced high-frequency range and prominent bass for an overall deep and rich output.
As far as speakers are concerned, both iPhones deliver excellent performance.
Performance
All iPhone 17 models use the same Apple-designed chipset, but with varying GPU cores. While the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max get the A19 Pro with 6-core GPU, the regular iPhone 17 and the budget 17e settle for the non-Pro A19 SoC with fewer GPU cores.
The iPhone 17e skips one of the GPU cores, so the Apple GPU inside runs on a 4-core design, instead of 5-core like the vanilla iPhone 17 and that shows in the graphics benchmarks. However, the GPU is still clocked at 1620 MHz in both variants.
The processor retains the standard hexa-core configuration with 2x 4.26 GHz main cores and 4x 2.6 GHz efficiency cores. The same CPU is found in the A19 Pro, too.
Both phones come with 8GB RAM and their base storage is 256GB.
The iPhone 17 has better connectivity package that includes tri-band Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and Ultra Wideband support vs. dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 on the iPhone 17e.
Benchmark performance
There is only one difference between the two phones when it comes to raw performance and it’s the graphics. The iPhone 17 scores better because it has one more GPU core. But as far as day-to-day behavior and experience is concerned – you will get virtually the same on both iPhones.
Having one more GPU core inside the iPhone 17 allows this model to do even better in games, especially in a few years. Plus, the 17 supports up to 120Hz refresh rate, so it probably needs the extra power. And for that, it gets the win here.
Camera comparison
The iPhone 17e straight-up reuses the 16e’s camera system and it’s a pretty basic camera system with a single rear module and a selfie camera. The rear 48MP unit is two tiers down from the one used in the 17 Pros and a notch below that in the iPhone 17, and it’s coincidentally the sensor on the 17’s ultrawide camera. The 17e doesn’t even have an ultrawide camera.
Similarly, the selfie camera of the 17e isn’t using the company’s latest 18MP multi-aspect octagonal sensor, which you will find in the 17, but the old and conventionally rectangular-shaped 12MP unit of pre-17 models.
The 17e is the only one of the 17s not to have the Camera Control key – the iPhone 17 will give you that.
The camera samples (both photo and video) have been taken on separate occasions with the two phones. In the low-light sections, note that the lights on one of the buildings were changed from amber to a more neutral temperature during the span of time between taking the two sets of photos.
Image quality
Daylight
Both phones let you choose between 12MP and 24MP modes as well as being able to shoot in the nominal 48MP resolution. In broad daylight, the results from the main cameras at 1x in 24MP are largely identical, giving you plenty of detail but not a particularly refined rendition of it. The global look is equally iPhone-y on both too.
Daylight, main camera (1x): iPhone 17e • iPhone 17
The 2x zoom shots, in 12MP resolution on both phones, are consistently better on the iPhone 17, offering better detail definition. The 17e isn’t too bad, mind you, but the 17 is better.
Daylight, main camera (2x): iPhone 17e • iPhone 17
Then there’s the ultrawide camera. While the one on the iPhone 17 is hardly industry-leading, it’s still pretty decent and having that is most certainly better than having none, which is the 17e’s situation. That’s a difference already obvious from the specsheets, but it bears repeating.
Daylight, ultrawide camera (0.6x): iPhone 17
Low light
The main cameras return very similar images in the dark, most often with no Night mode action and conversely in 24MP. The 17e’s photos are just a little bit grainier, and the 17’s images might have slightly better highlight dynamic range, but for practical purposes, there’s little to separate the two. Maxing out the Night mode will also get you virtually the same results on both phones.
Low light, main camera (1x): iPhone 17e • iPhone 17
At 2x zoom, the 17e’s results are decent, but the regular 17 will get you superior shots – while global properties are very similar, the photos from the more upmarket iPhone are consistently sharper.
Low light, main camera (2x): iPhone 17e • iPhone 17
Again, for completeness’ sake, here’s a handful of shots from the iPhone 17’s ultrawide camera – the iPhone 17e has no answer to that. That said, the 17’s ultrawide results are pretty meh at night, though they do clean up noticeably if you force some more Night mode onto them.
Low light, ultrawide camera (0.6x): iPhone 17
Selfies
The iPhone 17 has the upper hand in the selfie department from the get go – higher-resolution sensor that can shoot vertical or horizontal selfies without rotating the phone, plus a wider lens for extra coverage. That said, pixel size is seemingly the same, and image quality is quite comparable. The 17e’s 23mm lens is plenty wide enough and maybe it’s not that big of a deal to rotate your phone if you want to shoot in the other orientation.
Selfies comparison: iPhone 17e • iPhone 17
Video quality
Both iPhones can record video up to 4K60 with all of their cameras – it’s just that the 17 has an extra camera that can do it too. 4K120 is missing on both models – only the Pros support that, as well as some other high-end features. Dolby Vision recording is available on both.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but both phones’ main cameras capture largely identical 4K30 clips. The 17 just might have a miniscule advantage at 2x, but it’s nowhere as pronounced as in stills. And, yes, the iPhone 17 can record ultrawide videos, pretty decent ones too – the 17e can’t.
Daylight video screengrabs, iPhone 17e: 1x • 2x
Daylight video screengrabs, iPhone 17: 1x • 2x • 0.6x
It’s a bit more of the same after dark – very similar results at 1x and 2x, and ultrawide videos from the 17 that the 17e isn’t equipped to compete with.
Low-light video screengrabs, iPhone 17e: 1x • 2x
Low-light video screengrabs, iPhone 17: 1x • 2x • 0.6x
Verdict
The iPhone 17e and iPhone 17 are quite interesting offers. The iPhone 17 turned out to be the highest-selling device in the iPhone 17 family, as it’s an incredibly balanced device.
Then came the iPhone 17e with the dated 60Hz screen and the previous-generation cameras. It also does not feature an ultrawide shooter on the back. And yet, it turned out even smaller and lighter than the main entry, and equally powerful and interesting, notch, 60Hz screen, and everything.
And we think that the iPhone 17e has found its footing and has become an attractive offer to those seeking a more affordable iPhone without many cutbacks. A reliable phone with a premium build, iPhone OS, and plenty of high-end features.
You either get the iPhone 17 for the most Apple features, or the iPhone 17e for the more affordable price and yet comparable iPhone experience.
- The cheaper price.
- The longer battery life.
- More compact, lighter body.
- The equally good user experience.
Get the Apple iPhone 17e for:
- The 120Hz OLED with Dolby Vision.
- The faster wired and wireless charging.
- The faster GPU performance (equal in all other aspects).
- The multi-aspect selfies.
- The camera control key.
- The ultrawide camera, better 2x photos.
- The newer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, and UWB support.
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