Apple announced the iPhone 16e earlier this month as the newest member of its iPhone 16 family. The latest iPhone with Apple’s first cellular modem and A18 chip went on sale in India today, but details about the iPhone 17e have already started circulating online. A new leak reveals the possible launch timeline of the Phone 16e successor. The iPhone 17e is expected to go official a few months after the launch of the iPhone 17 series.
iPhone 17e Could Debut in February 2026
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) analysts, Apple’s “e” series phones could be part of the programme going forward. The company will reportedly launch the iPhone 17e ‘around this time next year’ which means February 2026. The launch of core iPhone 17 models is said to take place in September this year. The lineup is believed to include iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Slim, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models.
By launching an affordable iPhone 17e in February after the major launch event in September, Apple could be trying to imitate Google’s Pixel series launch pattern. The brand unveils flagship Pixel phones in its annual spring launch event, and releases the cheaper Pixel A series phones around its annual Google I/O event in May.
Apple did not stick to a systematic launch timeline for the iPhone SE models. The first iPhone SE came in March 2016. The second iPhone SE was released in April 2020, while the third-generation model was launched in March 2022.
The CIRP report further states that Apple is trying to replace the success of 2013’s iPhone 5C with the new iPhone 16e. The analysts expect the iPhone 16e to do better based on its features and positioning, at the expense of other iPhone models.
iPhone 16e Price, Specifications
The iPhone 16e is priced at Rs. 59,900 for the base model with 128GB of storage. The 256GB and 512GB storage configurations are priced at Rs. 69,900 and Rs. 89,900, respectively. It is currently up for sale in India.
iPhone 16e ships with Apple’s custom C1 modem and runs on iOS 18. It supports Face ID and has a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. It runs on an A18 chip and supports Apple Intelligence features. On the rear, the new iPhone has a 48-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front for selfies and video calls. It has IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and includes USB Type-C port for charging. The phone supports 18W wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging.
