iPhone 17 prices could be on the rise — should you wait for an iPhone 17e instead?

(Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

It's not exactly a bold prediction to note that Apple will release its iPhone 17 lineup tomorrow (September 9), with several new models looking to take their place among the best iPhones. Likewise, it's hardly going out on a limb to assert that an iPhone 17e — a new version of Apple's less-expensive phone — won't be among those new models. After all, the iPhone 16e only arrived this past February.

But an iPhone 17e is going to come one of these days — possibly as soon as spring 2026 if you believe the rumors about Apple's release plans. And anyone who balks at paying up for their next phone might be tempted to hold off for Apple's cheaper model.

That desire to save could be especially strong this time around. Rumor has it that iPhone 17 prices are going up compared to what Apple charged for the iPhone 16 models. And if the iPhone 17 starts at, say, $849 instead of $799 as one rumor claims, the idea of waiting a few more months for the next sub-$600 iPhone won't sound so bad to a certain type of shopper.

I believe that the best time to upgrade to a new phone is when you need a new phone, so if you find the new features revealed by Apple at the September 9 iPhone 17 event compelling, you should make that purchase right then and there. But if cost considerations are very much on your mind — understandable in the current economic climate — it may pay to wait for an iPhone 17e. Here's why.

Apple's approach to low cost phones

Dating back to the original iPhone SE, Apple has taken a pretty sensible approach to delivering a less expensive phone — scale back on some premium features while retaining the things that make owning an iPhone so special. If that means only having one rear camera on the phone instead of two or three, then fine, so long as Apple delivers the kind of image-processing algorithms that make the images from that single lens look superb.

At the same time, the lower price tag doesn't mean compromised performance. Every midrange iPhone has featured the same chipset found in the entry-level iPhone flagship that immediately preceded its release. In the case of the iPhone 16e, that's the iPhone 16's A18 chip, which means you can pay $599 for a phone that delivers some of the best performance we've come across in our testing over the past year.

The up-to-date processor has another benefit in Apple's most recent release: it means the iPhone 16e can run the same Apple Intelligence features as any other device dating back to the iPhone 15 Pro. And when I say "features," I mean all the features. The iPhone 16e isn't shut out of anything, unlike, say, the Google Pixel 9a, which lacks some of the neural processing to handle every AI capability on board the Pixel 9 series.

The bottom line is that from the get-go, you sacrificed some features with Apple's cheapest phone, whether it be the iPhone SE or iPhone 16e. But you always got enough value in return in the areas that mattered. And that's likely to remain the case with the iPhone 17e next year.

Early iPhone 17e rumors

Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand. — The iPhone 17e could adopt the iPhone 16's look, with a Dynamic Island cutout instead of a notch. (Image credit: Future)

Releasing an iPhone 17e a year after the iPhone 16e would be a change for Apple — past updates have taken at least two years and sometimes longer to come out — and it's one I don't entirely agree with. But at least the early whispers about the next E series device sound pretty promising.

For starters, the rumors tip the iPhone 17e to feature the same silicon that will be making its debut in the iPhone 17 series this week. That's the A19 chipset, which figures to deliver improvements to both performance and power management as well as ongoing support for all those Apple Intelligence features Apple keeps introducing.

A design tweak could be in the works, too. While the iPhone 17e is expected to keep the 6.1-inch screen of the current model, we could see the end of the notched display, as Apple brings a Dynamic Island cutout to its cheapest phone. Again, these probably won't be revolutionary changes, but they should be enough of a step up if you're upgrading from an older iPhone.

The big question will be the price of the iPhone 17e, and it's way too early to predict what that might be. Still, you can expect it to be less than what Apple winds up charging for the iPhone 17, and if the price of that new model turns out to put you off upgrading now, you can rest assured that a cheaper model is likely waiting in the wings.

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Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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