Spring 2026 debut: iPhone 17e release window confirmed, design still in doubt

Spring 2026 debut: iPhone 17e release window confirmed, design still in doubt

Tech 10.09.25


According to multiple sources, Apple plans to launch the budget iPhone 17e in the first half of 2026, continuing its new product line strategy after replacing the iPhone SE series. This new phone is expected to be equipped with the A19 chip and may feature a major upgrade in display design—the first time a budget model will adopt the Smart Island design.

Regarding the release date, multiple sources point to early 2026, but the specific timing is conflicting. In February 2025, two independent sources claimed the iPhone 17e would launch in February 2026. One of the more reliable sources reversed this claim in April, pushing the release date back to May 2026.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated in May that the iPhone 17e would debut in the first half of 2026. Taking all this information into account, the most reasonable prediction is that it will continue the iPhone SE series' release pattern, with a release between February and April.

Regarding the display design, most reports indicate the iPhone 17e will feature a 6.1-inch display, likely with a 60Hz refresh rate, smaller than the 6.3-inch screen of the base iPhone 17. However, significant disagreement persists regarding the display design: A report in July suggested the iPhone 17e would directly reuse the iPhone 16e's display (essentially the iPhone 14's notch), with Samsung Display, LG Display, and BOE jointly supplying the display, with BOE reportedly handling the bulk of the production. However, another Weibo leak in August claimed the device would use the same display as the iPhone 16—possibly introducing the "Smart Island" design, making it the final iPhone model to say goodbye to the notch.

The iPhone 17e is expected to be equipped with the A19 chip, consistent with the standard A18 chip used in the iPhone 16e (non-Pro version). The A18 chip features six CPU cores and four GPU cores, one less GPU core than the A18 chips in the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

The A19 chip's neural accelerator boosts on-device AI processing capabilities and increases memory bandwidth. Unlike the A19 Pro, which ships with 12GB of RAM, both the A18 and A19 chips come with 8GB of RAM.

On the Geekbench 6 Metal test, the iPhone 17 scored 37014, far surpassing the iPhone 16e's 22478. Regarding the CPU, the iPhone 17 achieved a multi-core score of 9360 and a single-core score of 3680, while the iPhone 16e scored 7976 and 3217, respectively. The A19 chip features two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Apple claims it is 1.5 times faster than the iPhone 13's A15 Bionic chip, while the A18 chip is 0.5 times faster than the A15.

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