Rumors Rated is where we assess the biggest, most interesting and sometimes bizarre rumors and claimed leaks around the upcoming tech and predicted products. We draw upon a wealth of technology experience to assess and rate which rumors and information tidbits are worth your time and attention and those that are a bit too far-fetched. If you have any tips or insider information, feel free to contact us. Also check out our rundown of the iPhone 18 rumors so far.
With the iPhone 16e having landed last February, we could be set to get the iPhone 17e imminently – and in fact a new release date rumor puts forward an exact date later this month that we might see it.
That’s not the only new iPhone 17e tip though, as we’ve additionally heard other claims recently – including that it might get MagSafe.
But some iPhone 17e claims sound more convincing than others, so below, we’ve detailed and rated all the major iPhone 17e rumors so far, starting with the most recent ones.
1. MagSafe
One of the latest iPhone 17e leaks suggests that this phone will come with MagSafe – so in other words it will not only get wireless charging, but also magnets that let you wirelessly attach chargers and accessories to the phone.
This claim comes from German site Macwelt (via Phone Arena), but it’s something that we’d also previously heard from a report in The Information.
This would seem a logical upgrade for the phone – MagSafe doesn’t feel like a tech that there’s much reason to reserve for premium devices, and including it here gives Apple one more device that it can sell MagSafe accessories for.
So this – coupled with the fact that we’ve heard this claim from multiple sources – makes us think it’s quite likely to happen.
2. A Dynamic Island
Will the iPhone 17e have a Dynamic Island? That’s a question that sources don’t seem able to agree on. We heard back in August that it would, and leaker Digital Chat Station – who made that claim – reiterated it in January too, with Mark Gurman (who has a great track record) saying the same in September, but more recently Macotakara (via Apple Insider) has said that it won’t.
Aside from Gurman – who hasn’t made the claim recently – these sources have solid but not impeccable track records, so it’s difficult to know which to believe.
Certainly, it feels about time that Apple brought the Dynamic Island to a mid-range phone, since the feature first debuted all the way back on the iPhone 14 Pro, and has been on base models since the iPhone 15. But then again, the iPhone SE (2022) – which was Apple’s mid-range model for that year – had a design which by that point was ancient.
So Apple might not be in any hurry to give a mid-ranger newer design elements like the Dynamic Island. But with more sources pointing to a Dynamic Island than not, and with at least one of those sources having a superb track record, there’s definitely hope for one.
3. A February 19 launch
The Macwelt report we mentioned further up also suggested that the iPhone 17e would land on February 19.
That’s the first precise release date we’ve heard, and the month makes sense, since the iPhone 16e launched in February last year, so in that sense this is believable, but that exact date is slightly questionable.
It would be exactly the same date as Apple launched the iPhone 16e last year, which is slightly odd. But more unusual is that it’s a Thursday, when Apple usually launches new phones on a Monday, Tuesday, or occasionally Wednesday.
Still, there’s not really any reason we’re aware of that the company couldn’t switch to a Thursday, especially as this is likely to be a minor launch for the firm – with its announcement probably coming via press release rather than an event.
4. An A19 chipset
The iPhone 16e has an A18 chipset, so the logical assumption would be that the iPhone 17e would have an A19 chipset, which is the chipset that’s already used by the standard iPhone 17.
We’ve also heard that exact claim in the above report from Macotakara, and had previously heard this from Apple watcher Mark Gurman. So with logic and multiple sources pointing in that direction, this seems very likely.
5. A new design
One of the more intriguing iPhone 17e claims we’ve heard is that it could have a new design, with this design seemingly being a change above and beyond the Dynamic Island that we’d also heard rumored.
What form that change could make is less clear, but perhaps it would be along the lines of the horizontal camera block found on the iPhone Air – which has an extended raised area despite just packing a single lens.
We wouldn’t count on it though – we’ve only heard this from one source so far, and a more recent report from Macotakara (linked further up) suggests that the design won’t be changing.
Plus, we’d expect the iPhone 17e to look more like the standard iPhone 17, which other than its Dynamic Island and a second rear camera isn’t much different visually to the iPhone 16e.
6. A 60Hz screen
If you were hoping for a higher refresh rate on the iPhone 17e than its predecessor then you’re probably out of luck, as back in September we heard from Mark Gurman that this phone would be stuck at 60Hz.
The same claim was made by leaker Digital Chat Station in January, and it’s a claim that makes sense – even the iPhone 16 only has a 60Hz screen, with the iPhone 17 being the first standard model to get a 120Hz display, so it’s probably too soon for a mid-ranger to get it.
That’s a shame though, since Android mid-rangers have pretty much had 120Hz screens as standard for years, and the lack of one here would mean scrolling won’t feel as smooth and the phone probably won’t have Apple’s always-on display feature.
7. A single-lens camera
We’ve also heard that the iPhone 17e might have a single-lens camera, just like the iPhone 16e. There hasn’t been a ton of news about the phone’s cameras yet, so this claim hasn’t been repeated much. But nor have any sources disagreed with it, so this seems fairly likely.
That would mean you’d get a wide-angle camera on the back but no ultra-wide or telephoto lenses.
So the iPhone 17e could be quite limited for photography, but that would still be in line with the iPhone Air, and mean it only had one less lens than the iPhone 17.
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