Don't you just love it when a tech brand brings out a cheaper version of their flagship product that essentially does all the same things?

What's the catch?

Good question.

That's what I'm still trying to figure out after a couple of weeks with Apple's latest handset.

Starting at NZ$1,199.00, it's a bit of a misnomer to refer to the iPhone 17e as "entry level" - although it certainly makes it a lot more affordable than the base-model iPhone 17 launched late last year at NZ$1,699.00.

In New Zealand, the timing of the 17e's release couldn't be better, as apparently quite a few people still haven't figured out the 2G and 3G networks are in the process of shutting down across the country and it's definitely time to upgrade old phones.

In 2025 we saw Apple pivot from its much more stripped-down SE line of cheaper iPhones, instead launching the 16e - much less of a misfit member of the family with a lot more of the premium features included.

This year's model "e" takes that philosophy even further, starting with the inclusion of MagSafe, which was missing on the 2025 version. For those of you unfamiliar with MagSafe, it's essentially just a ring of magnets built into the rear panel of the handset so you can attach accessories like wireless chargers and card wallets, as if by magic. Sounds silly - right up to the point you try it and realise it's going to change your life.

Being able to attach your phone to car cradles and bedside chargers without plugging in and unplugging all the time is weirdly freeing. I love it.

Better still, the iPhone 17e now charges wirelessly at twice the speed; 15W. Even betterer stiller, the battery life on this thing is impressively decent. Although this is a mid-priced phone, it will outlast many flagships. It's not unusual for me to get to the end of the day with 70% charge still in the tank. It certainly helps that I can just plonk it down on the nearest available wireless charging pad.

The 6.1-inch display is protected by Ceramic Shield 2 - making it three times more scratch resistant than the iPhone 16e. This is something I don't think Apple makes enough noise about; for generations now (iPhone generations, not human generations), iPhone users just haven't really had to worry about scratching or cracking their screens - an expensive inconvenience that used to be a given for any smartphone owner sooner or later. These days iPhone screens are pretty much as tough as they come. Shout it from the rooftops, Apple - it makes an already reasonably-priced phone even better value.

By now you must be wondering - as indeed I was - where has Apple cut corners here in order to cut the price? Surely they've used older hardware under the hood, like so many other phone-makers do with their less-than-premium offerings. Well, no actually.

The 17e runs on Apple's proprietary A19 chip, just like the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro do. Admittedly there's a GPU core or two less in this version - but that's really only going to hold you back if you're planning to edit a 3D feature film on your phone. It still handles AAA gaming perfectly well, with the Super Retina XDR display looking great. 

Wait... there is ONE downside display-wise; you don't get ProMotion on the 17e so that means no Always On Display and no Dynamic Island either.

What do you mean, you can't remember exactly what Dynamic Island is? It's that tiny widget that replaced the infamous "notch" around the selfie camera at the top of the screen. It does things like display what media is playing or shows the progress of AirDrop file transfers. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, you probably won't miss it but yes, the 17e still has the infamous notch instead.

Speaking of the selfie-cam, this is definitely one area of compromise - in comparison to the rest of the iPhone 17 family that is. The 12MP TrueDepth camera is still great, it just doesn't do the aspect-ratio swap trick the other 17s do, thanks to their square, 18MP CentreStage sensors. Again, no major drama.

You do lose a few actual lenses on the primary camera array around the back though. Just a single lens there. Apple calls this a 48MP Fusion camera and it's still capable of 24MP and 48MP "super-high-resolution" pics and Dolby Vision 4K video. Just to make things even more confusing, the all-new iPhone Air that came out at the same time as the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro also only has one rear-facing camera, although technically, it's a Dual-Fusion sensor so it's supposed to be better than what the 17e has. I've used both. They both seem to take great pics. Neither do Ultra-Wide or zoom particularly far - but other than that portrait shots look amazing and low-light shooting is damn good for any phone too.

Perhaps the one last place where the 17e comes up a little short - when compared to the other 17-series iPhones I mean - is there's still no Camera Control sensor, the relatively new iPhone innovation that lets you open the camera app with a press, click off photos and slide your zoom in and out, along with a few other photography shortcuts. I'm going to keep it real here and argue that's no great loss either - for a couple of reasons.

1: As we've already discussed, there's not much zooming in and out to be done with this camera anyway and...

2: The iPhone 17e (just like the 16e before it) does have the Action button - the customisable shortcut key that can be set to launch the camera app anyway.

Whichever way you look at it, although the 17e has a midrange price-tag, it delivers a hell of a lot of premium features and performance. Although only single-lens, the camera will surprise you. The fast wireless charging and battery life are stellar. The display looks fabulous and is protected by Ceramic Shield 2. The chip is the latest generation Apple has to offer and it's pretty bulletproof. And yes, it'll do all the Apple Intelligence stuff too. To top it all off, you have the new addition of MagSafe, which is some absolutely excellent accessory icing on the cake.

If you want the pinnacle of iPhone technology Apple has to offer, Pro Max yourself up the wazoo, it's an unbelievable piece of tech and you won't be disappointed. But if you're just after a fantastic phone that does most of what those other iPhones do anyway, save yourself a significant amount of dosh and take the "e"asy way out.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 17e.