Apple has kicked off its week-long launches in March by officially introducing the iPhone 17e as a more affordable model in the iPhone 17 family. Despite its entry-level positioning, the phone still packs the same A19 flagship chipset as the other models in the series. For the Malaysian market, the iPhone 17e is slated to arrive on 11 March 2026, with pre-orders available starting tomorrow on 4 March.
The iPhone 17e features an aerospace-grade aluminium body with a premium matte finish. It carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, which the company claims offers three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation, along with reduced glare thanks to an improved anti-reflective coating.
Up front is a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with up to 1200 nits peak HDR brightness. The phone retains Face ID for biometric authentication and includes the customisable Action button, allowing users to quickly access shortcuts such as the torch or other system features. It is available in Black, White, and a new Soft Pink colour option.
As mentioned earlier, Apple powers the device with its new A19 chip, built on a 3nm process. The chip packs a 6-core CPU, a 4-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a 16-core Neural Engine that handles on-device AI tasks and generative models. Apple offers the iPhone 17e in 256GB and 512GB storage options.
The iPhone 17e also debuts the C1X modem, Apple’s latest in-house mobile modem. Apple claims it is up to twice as fast as the C1 in the iPhone 16e and more energy efficient, contributing to improved all-day battery life. On charging, the device supports USB-C wired charging with up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes. It also supports MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging at up to 15W.
Other than that, the phone ships with iOS 26, featuring Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language and expanded Apple Intelligence features. These include Live Translation across Messages, FaceTime and Phone calls, as well as enhanced visual intelligence that can analyse content on screen. Other additions include Call Screening for unknown numbers, Hold Assist to wait on hold for a live agent, and improved filtering for unknown senders in Messages.
Imaging-wise, Apple equips the iPhone 17e with a 48MP Fusion main camera. The camera supports full 48MP capture as well as a 24MP default output mode, and it enables a 2x optical-quality telephoto option through in-sensor cropping. For video, the phone records in 4K Dolby Vision at up to 60fps. It also supports Spatial Audio recording, along with Audio Mix and wind noise reduction features.
Image: Apple
Pricing for the iPhone 17e starts at RM2,999 for the 256GB model. As previously mentioned, pre-orders begin on 4 March, with availability from 11 March. Apple is also offering trade-in credits of up to RM650 for iPhone 12 and up to RM975 for iPhone 13, subject to terms and conditions. Meanwhile, official silicone and clear MagSafe cases are also available for the new model and will retail at RM239 each.
(Source: Apple Malaysia press release)
