Hands-on experience with iPhone 17e: Only Apple itself can be a substitute for Apple.

If last year I felt extremely "turned off" when I saw the iPhone 16e on the official website, then this year's iPhone 17e has had me "hooked" for several days.

Compared with the standard version of the iPhone, the iPhone 17e is still the precisely - positioned "entry - level" model, but the overall temperament of the phone is completely different.

ifanr has obtained the iPhone 17e in advance. We've found three competitors for it to have a head - to - head comparison. Let's take a look at whether this "surprisingly good" phone is worth buying.

VS iPhone 16e: Upgrades hit the mark

It has to be said that Apple's several changes to the iPhone 17e are quite precise and on point.

Visually, the iPhone 17e and the iPhone 16e are almost identical. The front still has the "notch", and the back still has a single camera - no, the iPhone 17e now also has a brand - new "pale pink" color option.

Left: iPhone 16e; Right: iPhone 17e. Without the new color, they're almost indistinguishable.

The iPhone 16e only comes in two basic colors, black and white, as if for an entry - level model, it's not worth the effort to choose an attractive color.

This year's pale pink of the iPhone 17e not only looks great but is also the only pink color in the iPhone 17 series, a privilege that neither the standard version nor the Pro has.

The new color is an external upgrade, and an internal upgrade of the iPhone 17e is that the highly - anticipated MagSafe magnetic function has finally been added.

Whether it's a power bank, a fill light, a cardholder, or a cooling back clip, the iPhone 17e can seamlessly unlock the entire magnetic ecosystem without relying on a phone case.

More importantly, after supporting MagSafe, the maximum wireless charging power of the iPhone 17e can reach 15W, the same as the iPhone 17 Pro, which is twice the Qi wireless charging power of the iPhone 16e.

Similar to the color, even if you don't use MagSafe, it's still an "added bonus", enhancing the overall cost - performance of the phone and making it feel more like a part of the "iPhone 17 family".

Although the front screen is still the same as the iPhone 14, Apple has replaced the iPhone 17e with the second - generation ultra - ceramic crystal panel of the iPhone 17. According to the official website, its scratch - resistance is three times that of the iPhone 16e, which can save you the cost of screen protectors.

Another "invisible" change is that the iPhone 17e is equipped with the brand - new A19 processor. Like its predecessor, it's a "down - graded version" with a 6 - core CPU + 4 - core GPU in the standard version, having one less GPU core compared to the iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17 family

Last year's iPhone 17 has proven that the more advanced - process A19 has a significant improvement over the previous - generation A18. We ran benchmarks and played games on the iPhone 17e and the iPhone 16e to see how much the actual improvement is.

In terms of benchmark scores, even though both the iPhone 17e and the iPhone 16e have a 5 - core GPU, the graphics performance of the former's A19 chip is still much more powerful.

In a 20 - minute play of "Arknights: Endfield", the average frame rate of the iPhone 17e is 43.1, while that of the iPhone 16e is 36.1. From the frame - rate curve, the iPhone 17e is also more stable, while the iPhone 16e jumps back and forth between 30 and 60 frames. Overall, the gaming experience is similar, but the body of the iPhone 16e gets less hot.

Imaging has never been the strong suit of the iPhone 16e, and the iPhone 17e doesn't have a significant improvement in hardware specifications either. It can be used to record daily life, but expecting high - quality photos from it is a bit demanding.

In all aspects, the difference between the iPhone 17e and the iPhone 16e is not significant, but the upgrades all hit the right points - the practical MagSafe and the powerful performance of the A19.

While the starting price of the iPhone 17e remains unchanged at 4,499 yuan, the starting storage has been upgraded from 128GB to 256GB. For users still using iPhones with small storage from a few years ago, it's really worth an upgrade.

Even for the brand - new 256GB version of the iPhone 16e, the price probably won't be much lower than that of the 17e.

VS iPhone 17: There's a gap, but also a price difference

So, when comparing this highly - cost - effective iPhone 17e with the also "slightly - upgraded" iPhone 17, how should one make a choice?

In terms of price, there's already a significant difference. Last year, when the iPhone 16e was released, the national subsidy channel price of the iPhone 16 had reached 4,699 yuan, not much different from the 3,999 - yuan iPhone 16e. Therefore, we all recommended the iPhone 16, which is better in all aspects.

Currently, the channel price of the iPhone 17 is around 5,499 yuan. Based on the situation of the iPhone 16e last year, it's reasonable to infer that the national subsidy price of the iPhone 17e will be around 3,999 yuan, with a price difference of 1,500 yuan.

With this 1,500 - yuan difference, you can first get a 120Hz high - refresh - rate screen with a narrow - bezel design and the Dynamic Island. These configurations make the iPhone 17 more like a "new iPhone", and a better screen can immediately improve the user experience.

As for the imaging ability, not to mention the lack of an ultra - wide - angle focal length, the main camera sensor of the iPhone 17e is smaller than that of the iPhone 17, so its resolution is slightly inferior, and the gap is more obvious in low - light scenes.

The sky is bluer and the grass is greener in photos taken by the iPhone 17

More crucial than the hardware quality is the lack of certain photography functions. In particular, the adjustable color photography style and the Center Stage function that allows horizontal and vertical selfies in the front camera, both of which have a good reputation, are absent on the iPhone 17e.

The Center Stage selfie function on the iPhone 17

Considering that there are many casual photographers in the world besides professional ones, as we've written before, with the support of Project Indigo, even the single - camera iPhone Air can become a great street - photography device. So, opinions on the imaging aspect may vary.

The workmanship is a difference that many people may overlook but will notice when they hold the phone. The iPhone 17e doesn't have a smooth transition between the frame and the back panel, and the process of the frosted glass back cover is much coarser than that of the iPhone 17.

In terms of performance, the difference between the two mainly lies in the number of GPU cores, which is also clearly reflected in the benchmark scores.

But in actual gaming performance, the average frame rate of the iPhone 17 in a 30 - minute play of "Endfield" is 43.4, which is almost the same as the 43.1 of the iPhone 17e, and the latter is relatively more stable.

Personally, I think the differences in experience and configuration are indeed worth the 1,500 - yuan price difference between the two phones. To some extent, Apple's launch of the iPhone 17e "highlights" the "surprisingly good" nature of the iPhone 17.

If you're not interested in high - refresh - rate screens, imaging, or high - performance, and just want a "user - friendly" phone, then the iPhone 17e is undoubtedly worth recommending.

If last year I thought it was a bit "unworthy" to buy the iPhone 16e for my parents, as there were more cost - effective options; the additional