The iPhone 17e is now priced at $699 in the US — up $100 from its original launch price, and starts at Rs 64,999 in India, according to Apple’s official store listings confirmed by Tom’s Guide. It’s the cheapest iPhone Apple sells in 2026, undercutting the base iPhone 17 by $300 and arriving with 256GB of storage standard, MagSafe support, and Apple’s A19 chip.
But it keeps a 60Hz display and a single rear camera: a 48MP main (f/1.7), no ultrawide. That makes it an outlier in the sub-$700 segment, where rivals like the Pixel 10a ($599) and Galaxy A57 (price not stated in sources) ship with 120Hz screens and dual- or triple-camera arrays.
The iPhone 17e’s camera outperforms both in raw low-light and dynamic-range tests, per Tom’s Guide’s six-month hands-on. Its A19 silicon also dominates CPU and GPU benchmarks against the Pixel 10a’s Tensor G4 and the Galaxy A57’s unspecified chipset. But iOS 27’s new Reframe AI tool and custom pass creation can’t offset Siri AI’s limited third-party app integration, a gap Tom’s Guide calls “functionally inferior” to Gemini.
The Pixel 10a matches the iPhone 17e’s $699 ceiling only after its $100 hike, landing at $599. It ships with a 6.3-inch Actua display (1,896-nit peak brightness), 128GB base storage, and a triple-camera setup: 50MP main (f/1.8), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2), and 5MP macro (f/2.4). Its standout is software: Gemini handles multi-app tasks like ordering food via DoorDash by voice, and Pixel desktop mode works over USB-C with external monitors.
Battery life hits 15 hours 16 minutes in lab testing. Wired charging hits 64% in 30 minutes. The Galaxy A57 isn’t priced in the source, no US or Indian figure appears, but Tom’s Guide notes it has IP68 rating, glass-and-metal build, a 6.7-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED screen, and a triple rear camera (50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro).
It’s described as “premium-looking,” with design cues borrowed from the Galaxy S26 Ultra. None of the three phones launched before 2026. All are available now. The iPhone 17e’s price jump makes its compromises, no ultrawide, no high refresh rate, harder to justify next to the Pixel 10a’s AI depth and the A57’s screen and build.
Buyers choosing between iPhone 17e vs iPhone 16 will find the 17e faster, better built, and far more capable in photos and battery, but still stuck on iOS 27’s uneven AI rollout. Apple hasn’t announced a price cut. No carrier deals or trade-in offers are cited in the source. The iPhone 17e remains Apple’s entry point, just a pricier one.
HTFiled by The Home Tech Desk
TVs, home appliances and the smart home: refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, purifiers, robot vacuums, the sets on the wall and the platforms that connect them. Launches, prices in the US and India, and what changed.
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