Apple’s next ‘budget’ mobile could pack this premium iPhone 17 feature

iPhone 17e is expected to look more premium compared to the iPhone 16e. Here’s why.

iPhone 17 series has proven to be popular for Apple, with iPhone 17 models reportedly in high demand. However, there could also be one more surprise waiting for customers in the form of a new iPhone 17 series model called the iPhone 17e. There have been several reports suggesting what we can expect from the iPhone 17e, including its potential launch timeline in the first half of 2026, but now new leaks have emerged suggesting the kind of display the phone will have and the design changes it will require to accommodate it. Here are the details.

iPhone 17e could look a lot like the iPhone 17 from the front. (Ayushmann Chawla)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

Read moreRead less

iPhone 17e could get Dynamic Island, Thinner Bezels

The iPhone 16e, which launched earlier this year, notably omitted the Dynamic Island, a premium feature Apple has reserved for its mainline models like the iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and the iPhone 17. The iPhone 16e still featured the infamous notch that Apple introduced a while back, but now a report by The Elec says that BOE is going to supply the OLED panels for the iPhone 17e alongside Samsung and LG Display.

The panel will likely be a 6.1-inch unit like the iPhone 15. However, the bezels could be significantly thinner compared to the iPhone 16e. This could be an LTPS OLED panel, not an LTPO panel, the report says. The major upgrade, however, could come in the form of the Dynamic Island, which would bring it in line with the design of the rest of the iPhone 17 series.

When is the iPhone 17e supposed to launch?

iPhone 17e, as reported, is expected to launch in the first half of next year, and reports suggest this could happen in May. The phone could feature the Apple A19 chip, which would be the same as the Apple iPhone 17. However, it could be nerfed compared to the standard iPhone 17, with fewer cores. For the cameras, it could continue featuring a single-camera setup with a 48-megapixel shooter like the iPhone 16e, and the front-facing camera could be a 12-megapixel unit.

MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 17 Pro LATEST Price