The upcoming iPhone 17e might finally fix the worst thing about buying budget

Let’s be real for a second—buying the “budget” iPhone usually feels like Apple is pranking you. You hand over a decent chunk of change, and in return, they give you a great phone with exactly one feature missing that makes you want to pull your hair out. It’s like buying a luxury car that still requires you to roll down the windows with a hand crank.

For the iPhone 16e, that missing piece of the puzzle was MagSafe.

It was baffling, honestly. We’re living in a world where magnets are basically the glue holding the Apple ecosystem together, yet the entry-level model was stuck in the past. But if the latest murmurs from the supply chain are true, Apple is finally listening. The iPhone 17e might actually be the phone we all wanted the 16e to be.

The magnet situation is finally getting resolved

If you used the iPhone 16e, you know the pain. It had wireless charging, sure, but it was that old-school, non-magnetic Qi charging. It was capped at 7.5W, which, in 2025, is practically prehistoric. You could put your phone on a pad, go watch the entire Lord of the Rings extended trilogy, and come back to find it only went up by 14%.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly, but 7.5W is painfully slow.

The biggest rumor circulating right now—thanks to a report from The Information—is that the iPhone 17e is finally getting the full MagSafe treatment. We are talking about actual magnets in the back of the phone. This is huge for two reasons.

First, the speed. With MagSafe, we’re likely looking at charging speeds bumping up to 20W or even 25W. That is a massive quality-of-life upgrade. It transforms wireless charging from a “let me charge this overnight” situation to a “let me top this off while I grab a coffee” situation.

Second, the accessories. Not having MagSafe meant 16e users couldn’t use the magnetic wallets, the car mounts, or those cool floating stands that make your desk look like a sci-fi command center. Gatekeeping magnets felt incredibly petty, so seeing them potentially arrive on the 17e is a breath of fresh air.

Nerd talk: The silicon inside

Beyond the magnets, there is some interesting stuff happening under the hood that you probably won’t see, but you’ll definitely feel.

Leaks coming out of the code-diggers at MacRumors suggest that Apple is equipping this bad boy with its own homegrown modem. We’re hearing it’ll be either the C1 or the C1X modem. If you’ve been following the drama with the “iPhone Air,” the C1X is the same chip that debuted there.

Why should you care? Because for the longest time, Apple relied on Qualcomm for connectivity. By moving to their own silicon, Apple can integrate the modem better with the main processor (rumored to be a version of the A19). In English? Better battery life and potentially more stable 5G connections.

It’s a bold move to put this tech in the budget line, but it makes sense. If they want to test the waters and refine their modem tech, the high-volume budget phones are a great place to do it.

The “Pro” features trickle down

It’s not just about charging and modems, though. The rumor mill is churning out some other specs that make the 17e sound suspiciously like a flagship from two years ago.

We are hearing whispers about the Dynamic Island finally landing on the budget model. If this happens, the notch is officially dead across the entire lineup. Good riddance. The Dynamic Island isn’t just a cosmetic change; it changes how you interact with background apps like timers, music, and Uber rides. Bringing that UI consistency to the cheapest iPhone is a smart play.

There’s also talk of Center Stage coming to the camera. If you take a lot of FaceTime calls or Zoom meetings from your phone (why do you do that to yourself?), this feature keeps you in the frame even if you fidget or move around.

Combined with the A19 chip, this package sounds… almost too good? Usually, Apple cripples the budget phone more severely to protect the sales of the Pro models. If the 17e has MagSafe, a fast chip, the Dynamic Island, and decent cameras, the gap between the “regular” iPhone and the “budget” iPhone is getting dangerously small.

The sharks are circling

Here is the thing, though: Apple has to do this. They don’t really have a choice anymore.

The mid-range smartphone market in 2025 is an absolute bloodbath. Apple isn’t operating in a vacuum. Just look at what’s dropping around the same time.

OnePlus is gearing up to launch the 15R, which usually offers flagship specs for a fraction of the price. Then you have the spring launch window where Samsung drops the Galaxy A57 and Google releases the Pixel 10a. The Pixel “a” series, in particular, has been embarrassing Apple in the camera department for years at this price point.

If Apple rolled out an iPhone 17e that still lacked MagSafe and had a notch, they would get laughed out of the room. The competition is too fierce to release a device that feels like a compromise.

Is Apple apologizing?

Honestly, this feels a little bit like an apology tour. The iOS 26 launch was… let’s just call it “rocky” and be polite. The software bugs were annoying, and the vibe around Apple recently has been a bit stale.

By releasing an iPhone 17e that actually checks all the boxes—fast charging, modern design, good connectivity—they might be trying to win back the crowd that feels priced out of the $1,000+ phones.

I’m always skeptical until Tim Cook actually holds the thing up on stage, but right now? The iPhone 17e is sounding like the sleeper hit of the year. If they can keep the price down and actually deliver on these specs, this might be the first time in years where the “budget” iPhone is actually the smartest one to buy.

Just give us the magnets, Apple. That’s all we really ask for.

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