Apple debuted the iPhone 16e earlier this year, offering an update to its more affordable iPhone model. The iPhone 16e is a replacement for its previous budget-priced model, the iPhone SE.
Although there have been reports of a new iPhone 17e device for release in the middle of next year, we may not actually see a new budget model in 2026. Apple’s previous low-price iPhone, the iPhone SE, was only updated every few years or so, and one report indicates that we may see Apple continue that trend with the “e” iPhone.
The Information on Sunday published a timeline of iPhone models that Apple will release in 2025, 2026, and 2027, including an iPhone 18e in the spring of 2027. The report did not mention an iPhone 17e, so Apple could be skipping that model.
From the report:
The iPhone 18 series will include updated versions of Apple’s thin iPhone, Pro and Pro Max, along with the new foldable device. In spring 2027, Apple plans to release the standard iPhone 18 and a successor to the more budget-friendly iPhone 16e, the people said.
In his newsletter last month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple has yet to make a decision on whether to release an iPhone 17e.
Also, well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said Apple will launch an iPhone 17e in the first half of next year. He provided what he says is Apple’s roadmap for future iPhone releases (as reported by MacRumors), which indicates Apple will follow a split-release schedule in the future:
- 2H25: iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Slim, iPhone 17
- 1H26: iPhone 17e
- 2H26: iPhone Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Slim
- 1H27: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e
- 2H27: iPhone Foldable 2 (already kicked off), iPhone 19 Pro Max, iPhone 19 Pro, iPhone 19 Slim (with a larger display vs. 18 Slim)
Kuo said there are two key factors driving this strategy change. First, Apple’s competitors typically release new flagship phones in the first half of the year, which creaties a “marketing gap” that Apple would like to close. Plus, the company’s expanding iPhone lineup runs a risk of “diluting marketing efforts” if all models are launched simultaneously.
