Apple officially introduced the iPhone 17e globally on Monday (March 2) local time. This “most affordable” model in the iPhone 17 line offers storage starting at 256 GB, dropping the 128 GB option, and is priced at US$599, or around Rp 10.1 million.
The iPhone 17e is powered by a 3-nanometer-based A19 chip, with a 6-core CPU that’s twice as fast as the iPhone 11 and a 4-core GPU that supports hardware-based ray tracing for running AAA-class games. A 16-core Neural Engine powers artificial intelligence (AI) features through Apple Intelligence.
This iOS-based smartphone features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a peak HDR brightness of up to 1,200 nits. The Ceramic Shield 2 coating offers up to three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduces light reflection.
In terms of camera, the iPhone 17e is equipped with a 48MP Fusion main camera. The camera system supports 2x optical zoom, 4K Dolby Vision video recording at up to 60 fps, Audio Mix and Spatial Audio features, and a next-generation portrait mode that recognizes objects and allows for focus adjustment after the photo is taken.
This new iPhone also supports MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W. Fast charging via USB-C can charge the battery to 50 percent in about 30 minutes.
The iPhone 17e runs on iOS 26 with a Liquid Glass design and supports Apple Intelligence. New features include Live Translation in Messages and FaceTime, Call Screening to filter out unknown calls, and Visual Intelligence that can analyze on-screen content.
In terms of design, the iPhone 17e uses an aerospace-grade aluminum frame with IP68 certification. For emergencies, Apple includes satellite features such as Emergency SOS, Messages via satellite, Roadside Assistance, location sharing through Find My, and Crash Detection to detect serious accidents and automatically contact emergency services.
The iPhone 17e is available in black, white, and soft pink, with storage options of 256GB and 512GB. Pre-orders open March 4, and sales begin March 11 in more than 70 countries.
