The new iPhone 17e retains the design language of the predecessor, but comes with big upgrades internally. Also, Apple is bringing a new soft pink colour option in addition to the standard black and white variants.

The iPhone 17e comes in a lightweight compact form factor featuting aerospace-grade aluminium-based frame, and is said to IP68 splash, water, and dust resistant rating.

Also, its display is protected by the Ceramic Shield 2, which is touted be the sturdiest screen guard of any smartphone in the industry.

It sports a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, supports Dolby Vision and offers up to 1200 nits peak HDR brightness. It also features a FaceID sensor along with a 12MP TrueDepth FaceTime camera.

It is powered by the Apple A19 chipset, the same as the one found in the original iPhone 17. It comes with a 6-core CPU + 4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, which promises faster performance, console-level gaming on AAA titles and hardware-accelerated ray tracing for more realistic lighting and reflections.

The chipset also comes integrated with an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine and Neural Accelerators built into each GPU, which are optimised for large generative models. It promises to run Apple Intelligence and other AI models faster than on the previous generation.

Apple iPhone 17e.

It runs iOS 26 and comes with several value-added features, including Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and with AirPods. Also, it supports Visual intelligence and Call Screening. The latter can screen calls from unknown numbers and automatically ask the reason for calling, while Hold Assist can hold on the line until a live agent is available.

Like the predecessor, it houses a lone primary camera, but better. It features a 48MP Fusion camera, which enables an optical-quality 2x Telephoto. It can shoot sharp photos at up to 48MP resolution, or capture in the 24MP default for incredible image quality at a file size perfect for storing and sharing.

It also supports Portrait mode, which promises to deliver natural depth and smooth bokeh that gracefully blurs the background while keeping subjects sharp. The advanced pipeline also enables next-generation portraits, so iPhone 17e recognises people, dogs, and cats, and automatically saves depth information, allowing users to turn photos into beautiful portraits with background blur after capture and to adjust the focus point in the Photos app.

Apple iPhone 17e.

The latest generation of HDR captures subjects with true-to-life renderings of skin tones and ensures bright highlights, rich midtones, and deep shadows across the image - all while preserving fine details.

The new iPhone 17e also features Apple C1X cellular modem, which is up to 2x faster than C1 in iPhone 16e and matches the speed of iPhone Air. C1X uses 30 per cent less energy than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro, to deliver long all-day battery life.

With fast wired charging using USB-C, iPhone 17e can charge up to 50 per cent in around 30 minutes.

Also, the iPhone 17e supports MagSafe and Qi2 for fast wireless charging up to 15W, compared to 7.5W Qi wireless charging on iPhone 16e.

The new iPhone 17e is one of the most eco-friendly mobiles in the industry. Apple's new device is made with 30 per cent recycled content, including 85 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100 per cent recycled cobalt in the battery. It is manufactured with 55 per cent renewable electricity, like wind and solar, across the supply chain. And, the paper packaging is 100 per cent fibre-based and can be easily recycled.

Apple iPhone 17e.

Apple iPhone 17e India price and availability details

It comes in two storage options-- 256GB and 512GB-- for Rs 64900 and 84,900, respectively. It will be available for pre-order on March 4 and hit stores next week on March 11.

Apple is also offering the iPhone 17e Silicone Case with MagSafe in six colours - black, anchor blue, light moss, vanilla, bright guava, and soft pink - for Rs 4,900 and is compatible with the Crossbody Strap. iPhone 17e Clear Case with MagSafe will also be available for Rs 4,900.