Apple might be shaking things up with how it launches its next budget-friendly iPhone. And honestly, it’s about time.
The iPhone 17E is rumored to arrive soon, but unlike last year’s quiet press release drop, Apple could be planning something with a bit more fanfare. We’re talking potential Siri updates announced at the same time, which would give the whole thing more buzz than a simple blog post ever could.
Last year’s iPhone 16E showed up in mid-February without much ceremony. Just a press release and that was it. For a phone that costs $600, you’d think Apple would want to make more noise about it. But maybe they learned something from that approach.
What’s Actually Getting Better
The good news is that Apple seems to be listening to at least some complaints. MagSafe charging was a glaring omission from the iPhone 16E, and leaks suggest the 17E will finally include it. That’s the kind of basic feature that shouldn’t be missing from any iPhone in 2026, budget model or not.
The notch might also be on its way out. If the rumors are accurate, the iPhone 17E will get the Dynamic Island treatment that’s been on the flagship models. That pill-shaped cutout with animations does feel more modern than the chunky notch we’ve been staring at for years.
But here’s the thing about calling this a “budget-friendly” model. Six hundred dollars is a lot of money for most people. Sure, it’s cheaper than the Pro models that creep past $1000, but let’s not pretend this is some affordable alternative for the masses.
The Value Question Nobody’s Answering
If Apple keeps the price at $600 or nudges it higher, they need to add more than just MagSafe and a new screen cutout. More base storage would be a good start. Nobody wants to be nickel and dimed with cloud storage subscriptions because their phone came with 64GB in 2026.
The Technology industry has this habit of removing features and then celebrating their return as upgrades. It’s exhausting. MagSafe should have been there from the beginning. The Dynamic Island is nice but it’s not revolutionary at this point.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Invite App Sits Lonely
Speaking of things that feel oddly disconnected from reality, the Apple Invites app exists. It’s been around for a year now, and apparently still hasn’t caught on enough for regular people to actually use it for parties. There’s new artwork because Apple is sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is great for marketing but doesn’t solve the app’s relevance problem.
Apple turns 50 on April 1st this year. Tim Cook promised employees “some celebration” according to Bloomberg. Maybe they could use that Invites app to actually throw a party that gets people excited about using it. Just a thought.
The whole situation with the iPhone 17E feels like Apple testing how much they can get away with. They want credit for adding features that competitors include as standard. They want us to celebrate a $600 price tag as affordable. And they’re trying to figure out if a press release launch or a proper event makes more business sense for a mid-tier product.
What’s really interesting is whether consumers will buy into this strategy or finally push back on what “budget-friendly” actually means in the tech world.
