Apple’s big year set to start with looming iPhone 17e launch
Hang onto your hats, because what may yet be Apple’s biggest year of product releases yet is about to begin, with the introduction of the low cost iPhone 17e which may ship next month.
Here comes the iPhone 17e
A Chinese Apple rumourmonger, Smart Pikachu, claims the iPhone 17e will enter mass production after CES ends January 9. The aim, according to the leak, is to compete with lower-priced flagship phones. (Which I translate to mean that while the iPhone 17e will not be eye wateringly expensive it will not be cheap).
It’s a big start to 2026, all the same. This year should also see new low cost Macs, folding iPhones, speedy processors, and much, much more in the months to come. The year won’t actually culminate until next year’s twentieth anniversary iPhone – so you should see this as the good ship Apple raising momentum toward that exciting launch.
There’s a lot to look forward to.
As an aide memoire, Macworld reminds us that the iPhone 16e entered mass production January 8 before going on sale February 28, which basically suggests Apple plans a Feb launch for the iPhone 17e.
What to expect
We expect a 60Hz 6.1 inch OLED display, Dynamic island, and an (underclocked) A19 processor with an Apple 5G modem. We may even get MagSafe and also expect a single 48MP rear camera and 18MP front camera.
The devices should start at $599, will run Apple Intelligence, and will be a perfectly capable smartphone for most users, no doubt denting the mid-range Android market and posing further price pressure on downstream vendors, struggling with memory prices. Apple has locked in memory prices into the middle of the year, Morgan Stanley recently said, though these are likely to increase fairly dramatically as those deals expire.
But, despite those anticipated memory price increases, Apple’s ability to generate more performance from less memory will continue to give the company a huge advantage, which could yet transform into market share gains across all Apple’s segments in the coming months.
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