Apple Finally Learned: iPhone 17e Will Be Better Than the 16e

iPhone 16e was straight-up a terrible phone, which never made sense from any angle. 

I am sorry, Apple fans, but that’s the truth. 

The price point at which it was launched never made sense, especially when you look at the disappointing spec sheet – It was a single camera module along with a 60Hz display, a 5-year-old notch design, and a toned-down chipset. 

However, what I observed from the rumors around the 17e is something better. Something that makes a lot of sense this time around. Well, you must be wondering what that particular thing is that makes the most sense. 

It will likely have better cameras, performance, and design. How exactly will it have those aspects better than the 16e? Let me share the details with you. 

Camera Upgrades

Previously, Apple was keen to use its TrueDepth front-facing cameras, and that worked well until the Center Stage Camera. This 18MP sensor is better than the TrueDepth sensor, which is a part of the iPhone 17 lineup. 

What does it do? Well, to understand that, let’s understand the difference between this and the TrueDepth sensor. 

A TrueDepth sensor was rectangular in shape, which, in simple words, meant that you had to rotate the phone in order to take a landscape selfie. Well, this has been sorted by the CenterStage. 

It is a square-shaped sensor that adjusts accordingly without ever needing to rotate the phone. Since its pixel count has been increased, it technically doesn’t lose any details when compared to the older models of the iPhones with a 12MP selfie camera. 

Having said that, since iPhone 17e will be considered a midrange phone, you will likely see no changes on the back of the phone. It will ship with one main shooter without any ultrawide or telephoto lens. 

Performance Upgrades

The iPhone 17e will be coming with the Apple A19 chipset, which is the same as the latest flagship iPhone 17. 

Now, the real question is: how good is A19? Well, it’s pretty good. 

It rivals the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. As for the benchmark scores, GeekBench single-core test showed that it is more powerful than the Snapdragon, while the multicore test revealed it is slightly underpowered when compared to the latest Snapdragon. 

Well, this was expected because the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the latest chipset, while the A19 is a slightly older chipset. 

I have been using the base iPhone 17 for quite a while now, and I have had no problems in the realm of performance. You must be wondering how I am so sure of that. Well, I am an avid mobile gamer. I love playing multiplayer games on my phone, so I can’t compromise on the performance. Since I play multiplayer games, the latency of my WiFi is another aspect that I can never compromise, and I never have to because I am connected to my high-speed Spectrum Internet. It is one of the best choices for a home WiFi in the US because of its fiber-powered connectivity that keeps the pings and latency fairly low. If you want to explore more about it, dial the Spectrum customer service number. 

Anyway, iPhone 17  is great for multiplayer games. However, graphics-intensive story-based games like Genshin Impact run just fine on it. The Pro variant of the chip runs it better. 

So, I expect the same level of performance in the iPhone 17e. 

Notch Upgrades

This was the most obvious upgrade that should have been received, considering the backlash Apple received after pricing iPhone 16e at $599 for a five-year-old design. 

iPhone 17e will come with the Dynamic Island just like the other latest iPhones, and to be honest with you, I am so happy with it. 

iPhone 16e’s notch was less functional than the Dynamic Island. You will have much more room for tiny animations, which are more useful and, on top of that, look super cool. 

Apple should have included it in the iPhone 16e, but better late than never, right? 

Micro Upgrades

iPhone 16e was significantly less durable than the base iPhone 16. The reason was its inferior coating that couldn’t help the phone from shattering. 

But this year, it’s different. 

Rumors suggest that it is going to come with a Ceramic Shield coating. Users have reported that even though the phone with Ceramic Shield is less prone to shattering, it is certainly more prone to scratches. That’s the trade-off you will have to make with the cheaper iPhone 17e. 

Having said all of that, these are the latest rumors that I have found to be the most legit. 

If you are looking to upgrade your iPhone with the iPhone 17e, just wait a bit. If you’re looking to make an upgrade, I recommend spending a little more and opting for the base iPhone 17 variant instead.