How Big of an Upgrade Is the New iPhone 17e Over the iPhone 16e?

Apple introduced the iPhone 17e on Monday, but is it worth an upgrade from the iPhone 16e? The new phone retains its predecessor's 6.1‑inch OLED display and display notch, so you won't see any benefits from the controversial Dynamic Island, but it does offer a faster A19 chip, MagSafe support, and more storage at the same base price.

The biggest upgrade comes from the A19 processor, with a faster CPU and GPU and stronger on‑device AI capabilities. Apple also doubles the phone's base storage from 128GB on the iPhone 16e to 256GB on the iPhone 17e. While the iPhone 16e supported wireless charging, you couldn't attach a charger because it lacked MagSafe compatibility. Thankfully, MagSafe has arrived on the 17e, which lets users snap on not just chargers but also other accessories that historically have only worked on higher‑end iPhones.

On the ...