In last week’s poll about the Apple iPhone 17e, some 30% of voters say that they are not looking to buy an iPhone. Another 30% say they are looking for a new iPhone but are aiming for a more premium model. The 17e does have its fans, but it is a niche device – let’s break it down.
Only 10% of voters are ready to buy a 17e outright and around half of that would join them if they like what they see in reviews. Speaking of, we have a review unit at the office and already posted an unboxing video.
There is plenty to dislike on the iPhone 17e – even though it’s the most basic model, it still costs $600. That gets you 256GB of storage to be fair, but having a chunky notch on the display (the 60Hz display no less) makes the phone feel cheaper than it actually is.
Having a single camera on the back and not even Apple’s most capable wide camera is another downer. Some commenters say that this is a phone for grandma or for a young kid – other commenters counter that it’s too expensive to give to a 12-year-old. They may be better served by a cheap-o Android phone (RCS mostly cured the fear of the green bubble, right?).
The biggest issue facing the iPhone 17e right now is that for $200 more you can get an iPhone 17, which is better in every respect – now $200 is a lot of cash, but if you are already looking to pay $600, then paying $800 for the better phone doesn’t feel out of reach.
You could also pick up an older iPhone 16, but not everyone is happy with that option – especially since Apple doesn’t even sell 256GB iPhone 16 units anymore and the 128GB base storage is too limiting.