iPhone 18eExplainer
Release date
iPhone 18e release date: not announced, and the iPhone 17e now costs $699
Apple hasn't announced an iPhone 18e or said when one will come. Its cheapest new iPhone is the iPhone 17e, which Apple announced on March 2, 2026, and released on March 11. The 17e launched at $599, and Apple's US store now lists it from $699 for 256GB and $899 for 512GB. Apple's last two e models both came out in late winter: the iPhone 16e on Feb. 28, 2025, and the iPhone 17e on March 11, 2026.
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Apple hasn’t announced an iPhone 18e. Its cheapest new iPhone is the iPhone 17e, released on March 11, 2026. It launched at $599 and now costs $699 in Apple’s US store.
When will the iPhone 18e come out?
Apple hasn’t said, and it hasn’t confirmed that an iPhone 18e is coming at all. What we do know is when it released its last two e models, and both came in late winter, separately from the fall launches of its main iPhones.
- Feb 19, 2025Apple announces the iPhone 16e at $599
- Feb 28, 2025iPhone 16e goes on sale
- Mar 2, 2026Apple announces the iPhone 17e at $599
- Mar 4, 2026iPhone 17e pre-orders open
- Mar 11, 2026iPhone 17e goes on sale
- Sep 9, 2026Apple announces the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but no regular iPhone 18
The iPhone 17e: what Apple sells now
The iPhone 17e is the most affordable member of the iPhone 17 family. It has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with up to 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness, Face ID and the Action button. Apple’s A19 chip has a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and Apple says it handles demanding AAA games.
There’s one rear camera, a 48MP Fusion camera that also takes 2x optical-quality telephoto shots, and it records 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 60 fps. The phone has Apple’s own C1X modem, which Apple says is up to twice as fast as the C1 in the iPhone 16e.
IPhone 17e price: $699, up from $599
Apple announced the iPhone 17e at $599 with 256GB of storage, the same starting price as the iPhone 16e but with double the base storage. As of Oct. 14, 2026, Apple’s US store lists it at $699 for 256GB and $899 for 512GB. The iPhone 17 is listed from $899, so the 17e is still $200 cheaper.
What changed from the 16e to the 17e
The jump from the iPhone 16e to the 17e shows how Apple has updated its e line so far. The 17e moved to the newer A19 chip and the C1X modem, doubled the base storage to 256GB, added MagSafe with wireless charging at up to 15W instead of 7.5W, and got a Ceramic Shield 2 front with three times better scratch resistance. It also added a third color, soft pink.
Apple hasn’t confirmed any of these details for an iPhone 18e, or whether it will keep the e name.
For the rest of Apple’s 2026 phones, see our pages on the iPhone 18 release date and the iPhone Duo.
This page is updated as soon as Apple announces an iPhone 18e or changes the iPhone 17e price.
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FAQ
When is the iPhone 18e coming out?
Apple hasn’t announced an iPhone 18e or a date for one. For comparison, Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Feb. 19, 2025, and the iPhone 17e on March 2, 2026, and both went on sale about 10 days later.
Is there an iPhone 18e?
Not yet. Apple’s current lineup is iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e and iPhone 16, and it hasn’t announced an iPhone 18e.
How much will the iPhone 18e cost?
Apple hasn’t announced a price. The current iPhone 17e is $699 for 256GB and $899 for 512GB in Apple’s US store. It launched at $599 in March 2026.
How much is the iPhone 17e?
$699 for 256GB and $899 for 512GB in Apple’s US store as of Oct. 14, 2026. Apple announced it in March 2026 at a starting price of $599.
When did the iPhone 17e come out?
On March 11, 2026. Apple announced it on March 2, and pre-orders opened on March 4.
What chip does the iPhone 17e have?
The A19, the same generation as the iPhone 17 lineup, with a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It also has Apple’s C1X modem, which Apple says is up to 2x faster than the C1 in the iPhone 16e.
Can the iPhone 17e play AAA games?
Apple says the A19 in the iPhone 17e supports demanding AAA titles and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and it showed the phone running Arknights: Endfield.
Pop quiz
2 questions from this story.
When did the iPhone 17e come out?
The iPhone 17e went on sale on March 11, 2026. The iPhone 16e came out on Feb. 28, 2025.
What did the iPhone 17e add that the iPhone 16e didn’t have?
The iPhone 17e added MagSafe, with wireless charging up to 15W instead of 7.5W on the iPhone 16e.
Your call
Would you buy an iPhone 18e?
