Apple should release the iPhone 17e sometime next spring, featuring the same OLED panel as the iPhone 16e that launched in February 2025.
Korean-language publication The Elec reported today that Apple will release a second-generation iPhone “e” in spring 2026. The upcoming smartphone will join the iPhone 17 lineup comprising the standard iPhone 17 model, a new ultra-thin device dubbed “iPhone Air” and two iPhone 17 Pro models.
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 lineup in September, like in years past, with the “iPhone 17e” occupying a spring slot which used to be reserved for a seasonal mid-cycle color refresh. According to the publication, the iPhone 17e will reuse some of the components in the iPhone 16e to optimize costs.
Rumor: Apple to release the iPhone 17e in spring 2026
The report doesn’t say whether Apple will price the official iPhone 16e successor higher than the $600 that the iPhone 16e starts at for 128GB of storage. It does state that Apple will reuse the OLED panel from the iPhone 16e, meaning we can expect the same 6.1-inch screen with the 2532 × 1170 pixel resolution as the iPhone 16e. This is the same panel that Apple first used for the iPhone 14 series.
The device will also have the same OLED panel suppliers. According to the report, China’s BOE and Samsung have been commissioned to build OLED panels for the iPhone 17e, while LG Display may join later.
According to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a third-generation iPhone 18e will arrive in the spring of 2027 alongside the standard iPhone 18 model. Kuo claims that Apple will change the iPhone release schedule starting in 2027 so that standard models are unveiled in spring, with September reserved for the iPhone Pros.
Apple to release flagship iPhones biannually
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will release new flagship iPhone models biannually instead of annually. Intense competition in the smartphone market is said to be behind a change in marketing strategy. Kuo says the iPhone 17e and iPhone 18e are in the works, with Apple’s first foldable iPhone launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone 18 Air in the second half of 2026.
The analyst says the Cupertino company is switching the iPhone release strategy due to tightened competition and the fact that its rivals unveil competing handsets ahead of new iPhones in September. Releasing flagship iPhones biannually instead of annually could help that.
“The primary reason Apple adopts a bi-annual iPhone release schedule, with launches in the first and second half of the year, is intense competition, particularly in China, prompting a shift in its marketing strategy,” Kuo wrote on Medium
“Due to intense competition, Apple needs to offer more iPhone models,“ reads the post. “Launching them all in the second half of the year risks diluting marketing efforts. For instance, the growing shipment ratio of the Pro series is overshadowing budget models.”