Apple’s cheapest current iPhone with Apple Intelligence is the iPhone 17e at $699 for 256GB, exactly $500 under the iPhone 18 Pro, and the iPhone 16e it replaced launched at $599. The extra money buys two more rear cameras, a 120Hz ProMotion display with a Dynamic Island, MagSafe, USB 3 and 10 more rated hours of video playback; the e models keep Apple Intelligence in a lighter, simpler phone.
Apple’s Store page lists the 17e from $699 and Apple’s iOS 27 page lists it with the A19 chip, but we have not verified its full spec sheet, so the tables below use the iPhone 16e’s published specs and mark the 17e where Apple’s figures are known. The 18 Pro, announced on September 9, is $1,199 for 256GB with pre-orders on September 12 and availability on September 18.
Key facts
| Spec | iPhone 16e | iPhone 17e | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | A18, 4-core GPU | A19 | A20 Pro (2nm), 7-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine |
| Apple Intelligence | Yes | Yes | Yes, including Siri AI beta |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED, 2532 x 1170, 460 ppi, notch, no ProMotion | Not verified | 6.3-inch OLED, 2622 x 1206, 460 ppi, Dynamic Island, ProMotion 120Hz |
| Rear cameras | One: 48MP Fusion main | Not verified | Three: 48MP main, 48MP Ultra Wide, 48MP 4x telephoto |
| Video playback | Up to 26 hours | Not verified | Up to 36 hours |
| Wireless charging | Qi, no MagSafe | Not verified | MagSafe 25W, Qi2 25W |
| Weight | 167 g | Not verified | 211 g |
| Price | $599 at launch, no longer sold by Apple | From $699 (256GB) | $1,199 (256GB) |
What the e models give you
Apple’s Apple Intelligence device list includes all iPhone 16 models and later, and Apple’s iOS 27 page names both the 16e with its A18 chip and the 17e with its A19. That means Siri AI in beta, Image Playground, Clean Up, Siri mode in Camera and the rest arrive on September 14 on a $699 phone, the same day as on the $1,199 Pro. Our iOS 27 release guide has the full list.
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The 16e’s sheet also shows what the e line leaves out: a notch instead of a Dynamic Island, no ProMotion, a single rear camera with no Ultra Wide, Qi charging with no MagSafe, USB 2 speeds and a 512GB ceiling. It is light at 167 g, and its 26-hour video rating beats the standard iPhone 16’s 22 hours.
Cameras: one lens or three
| Camera | iPhone 16e | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main | 48MP Fusion, 26 mm, f/1.6 | 48MP Fusion, 24 mm, variable f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0 |
| Ultra Wide | None | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2, 120-degree field of view |
| Telephoto | 12MP 2x crop, 52 mm, f/1.6 | 48MP 4x, 100 mm, f/2.8, plus 12MP 8x crop at 200 mm |
| Zoom range | 2x optical-quality in | 8x optical-quality in, 2x out (16x range) |
| Front | 12MP, f/1.9 | 18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 |
The 16e’s single 48MP lens is the same class as the Pro’s main sensor and gives a 2x crop, but there is no wide-angle option and nothing past 2x. The 18 Pro adds a 120-degree Ultra Wide, a 100 mm telephoto and the four-stop variable aperture covered in our 18 Pro camera explainer. For landscapes and anything at distance the Pro is a different camera; at 1x the gap is narrower than the price suggests.
Battery, charging and connections
Apple rates the 16e at up to 26 hours of video playback, 21 hours streamed and 90 hours of audio, with 50 percent in 30 minutes from a 20W adapter. The 18 Pro is rated at 36 hours of video, 33 hours streamed and 24 hours of typical use, and it reaches 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter. The 18 Pro battery guide has the MagSafe claims.
Wireless charging is the clearest hardware split. The 16e supports Qi but not MagSafe, so magnetic accessories do not attach; the 18 Pro has MagSafe and Qi2 at 25W. Both use USB-C, but the 16e’s port is USB 2 at 480 Mb/s and the Pro’s is USB 3 at up to 10 Gb/s. The Pro also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and the C2 modem with mmWave 5G in the US.
Price and who should stay budget
On Apple’s US Store page the 18 Pro is $1,199, $1,399, $1,799 and $2,399 for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, or $49.95 a month over 24 months, as detailed in our 18 Pro price breakdown. The 17e starts at $699 for 256GB, so the Pro premium is $500 at the same storage. Apple’s trade-in estimate for a 16e is up to $270.
Stay budget if the phone is for messaging, browsing, a single-lens camera and Apple Intelligence: the e models deliver the software layer at $500 less. Move to the Pro if you want zoom or a wide lens, MagSafe accessories, a 120Hz screen, fast offloading over USB 3 or more than 512GB. There is no middle ground on the 16e sheet, which makes this decision cleaner than most.
What Apple has not said
- We have not verified the iPhone 17e’s display, camera, battery or weight specs; only its A19 chip and $699 starting price come from Apple’s pages in our sources.
- Apple has not published a performance comparison between the A20 Pro and the A18 or A19; its figures reference the A19 Pro.
- Apple’s iPhone 16e spec sheet lists no ProMotion and states no refresh rate.
- Apple has not published RAM for any of the three phones.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, and the phone ships Friday, September 18 from $1,199. The iPhone 17e is on Apple’s Store page now from $699, and both get iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence on Monday, September 14.
