Apple Inc. has launched the iPhone 17e in India as the most affordable model in the iPhone 17 lineup. The device starts at Rs 64,900 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, while the 512GB version is priced at Rs 84,900. It will go on sale from March 11, with pre-orders beginning March 4 at 7:45 PM.
Key Highlights
The iPhone 17e brings five major upgrades:
New A19 chip
Latest C1X 5G modem
Support for MagSafe charging
More durable Ceramic Shield 2 protection
Three colour options
Design and Build
The phone retains a design similar to the iPhone 16e, but now features Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, which Apple claims is up to three times more scratch-resistant than the earlier version. The glass-and-metal body carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. It is available in black, white, and soft pink.
Display
The iPhone 17e sports a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 1.5K resolution. It supports up to 800 nits peak brightness (1200 nits for HDR content). The refresh rate remains capped at 60Hz.
Performance
Powering the device is Apple’s A19 chip, the same generation used in the main iPhone 17 lineup, though paired here with a 4-core GPU instead of the 5-core GPU found in the standard iPhone 17. It also includes the new C1X cellular modem, which is claimed to be up to twice as fast as the C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. The phone comes with 8GB RAM as standard and storage options up to 512GB. Base storage now starts at 256GB, up from 128GB previously.
Cameras
The iPhone 17e features a single 48-megapixel rear camera with an f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilisation. Apple describes it as a “2-in-1” camera system, offering a 2x telephoto mode with optical-quality output. It supports Night Mode and can record 4K video with Dolby Vision at up to 60 fps, along with Spatial Audio recording.
On the front, there is a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera that enables Face ID authentication.
Additional Launch
Alongside the iPhone 17e, Apple has also introduced a new iPad Air powered by the M4 chip, starting at Rs 64,900 in India for the 11-inch Wi-Fi model.
