Apple’s iPhone 16e proved to be a sleeper hit . Despite its somewhat lackluster specs, it did surprisingly well. Perhaps it was the somewhat affordable price tag that allowed customers who wanted an iPhone to finally be able to afford an iPhone. If you held off on the iPhone 16e in anticipation of the iPhone 17e, you might be disappointed to learn that it might not get a bump to a 120Hz display.
iPhone 17e to maintain 60Hz refresh rate
According to a post on Weibo by tipster Digital Chat Station, they claim that the iPhone 17e might maintain the same 60Hz refresh rate . Even the screen size will remain the same at 6.1-inches. Is this necessarily a bad thing? In this day and age where we’re seeing 120Hz displays become commonplace, even amongst mid-range devices, yes, it is disappointing.
However, 60Hz has been the standard for the longest time ever. If your current device has a 60Hz display, then it might not be a big deal. But for those coming from 120Hz displays, you’ll notice the difference immediately.
That being said, it’s not all bad news. Digital Chat Station says that Apple could change up the design of the display. Instead of a notch, it will adopt Dynamic Island, giving it a look more akin to its iPhone 17 siblings. It will also continue supporting Face ID and sports an upgraded A19 chipset . For context, the iPhone 16e used the A18. Bumping it to A19 puts it on par with the base iPhone 17, which means that you’re getting a close-to-flagship experience without the hefty price tag.
We’re not saying it’s going to be cheap. But based on the pricing of the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e could be an affordable alternative to Apple’s flagships.
When can we expect it?
Right now we don’t have a launch date for the iPhone 17e. The iPhone 16e was announced in February last year, but this doesn’t guarantee a similar launch date this year. However, a recent rumor claims that we can still expect an “early 2026” release . Whether this means February 2026 remains to be seen, but this has been corroborated by other sources as well.
The prices of our phones have been going up. The RAM shortage isn’t going to help either. So, if you’re an Apple fan, maybe sacrificing a 120Hz display for a 60Hz might be the financially smarter play.
