The iPhone 17e is bad in a really good way

I’ve been playing with the iPhone 17e for a few days now, and my skeptical first impressions are gradually transforming into a kind of indulgent affection. It’s not the best iPhone I’ve tested, or even close. But it’s bad in a good way.

Let’s quickly recap everything that made me nervous about the 17th when Apple revealed it earlier this month. It starts at $599, the same as the iPhone 16e, a lower price than the iPhone 17, sure, but nowhere near the budget appeal of the $429 iPhone SE. It has a clustered processor (with one fewer working core) and still only has a single rear-facing camera. And while it benefits from MagSafe, it’s an older version capped at 15W instead of the 25W you get on newer models.

I’m still slightly depressed by the price, although it’s worth keeping in mind that the final iPhone SE model had many problems and was actually not a very good choice for buyers on a budget. (A better option was to buy a used device of a more premium model, and that remains an option worth considering today. The iPhone 15 costs $529 in the Apple Refurbished Store, and you can bet there will be cheaper options if you buy elsewhere, or if you’re willing to go back another generation or two.) So it was always asking a lot of Apple to release a no-compromise phone for less than $500.

The bundled processor, if I’m honest, was never a big deal for me either. In fact, my feeling about the iPhone 16e was that Apple focused too much on its AI compatibility, which meant a faster chip and more RAM than was strictly necessary at that price, as well as compromises in other areas. Sure, it was slightly annoying to have a bundled CPU among all the other limitations when the price was mid-range rather than budget, but even a bundled A18 was perfect for all short-term tasks and most tasks even long-term. And I feel much the same way about the A19 consolidated from 17th now.

The real revelation, however, was MagSafe. I was severely hacked by the lack of MagSafe last year, because it’s one of those little conveniences you take for granted until it’s gone: fiddling with a non-magnetic charging puck and hoping the phone stays in the right place all night (or using a cable) was surprisingly annoying. So having this on the 17th is a big improvement.

Meanwhile, MagSafe being capped at 15W, like that processor bundled, is more annoying in principle than in practice. I’m not sure why this old version of the technology is being used again (go back to the iPhone 15 for the last time it appeared in a new iPhone), but for me, as I explained in a separate article, wireless charging speed just isn’t really a priority. At 15W, the 17e’s MagSafe is fast enough to charge the device from zero to full twice during a single night’s sleep, and whenever you need it to charge faster, you can use a cable instead. The value of MagSafe is convenience, not speed.

Do I as have 25W MagSafe? Of course. Of course. But nothing is free, and if using a slower version means we can have MagSafe on a $599 phone, I’m OK with that decision. Not having a MagSafe at all (while still packing 8GB of RAM and a top-line processor) was a bad compromise. Having MagSafe slow is a smart compromise that I fully support.

That doesn’t mean all my worries have been put to rest. The iPhone 17 has clearly spoiled me: the lack of an always-on display bothers me more than I expected, and I wish the camera setup was better, since it’s a high priority for most customers. But I will say that technology has advanced to the point where even a single phone camera will do the job for most people, most of the time. E-class phones are worse than flagships when it comes to portrait and cropped macro photography, but for everyday snapshots they are just fine.

My review will come later this week, but my feelings about the iPhone 17e are much more positive than I expected. This is especially surprising because only one of my issues with the 16e (the lack of MagSafe) has been resolved. But Apple slipped in a bonus upgrade: It doubled the starting storage allocation without increasing the price. Between that, the new processor, the inclusion of 15W MagSafe, and a tougher version of Ceramic Shield on the display, I’m pretty happy with the iPhone 17e. Even though it’s not what you’d call a GOOD phone.

Foundry

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in one handy summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it pairs really well with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you also want to read it during lunch or dinner hours.

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In the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we review the new MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Max, and Apple Studio Display. Log in and get all the details.

You can watch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

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The rumor mill

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