Apple appears to have a lot on its plate for the year 2026. Among them is the iPhone 16e’s successor, presumably the iPhone 17e. This is the company’s entry-level iPhone that took over the SE lineup. Besides this, we’ve also been hearing about a low-cost MacBook as well as the 12th-generation iPad. In an encouraging development, a new research report from Jeff Pu of GF Securities says that Apple will introduce its low-cost iPhone 17e in early 2026, which syncs with previous reports.
iPhone 17e could be arriving in early 2026
Jeff Pu says (via MacRumors) the iPhone 17e will use an A19 chip, which is present in the base iPhone 17. The more powerful A20/A20 Pro will debut with the iPhone 18 model in the latter part of the year. It’ll also get an 18MP Center Stage camera, similar to the iPhone 17 again. The phone will get Apple’s C1 modem, even though it introduced the C1X 5G modem for the iPhone Air, and is said to be working on C2.
Apple could bring its N1 wireless chip to the iPhone 17e. This should enable better power efficiency and faster and more reliable peer-to-peer transfers. The other specifications of the iPhone 17e will reportedly remain similar to the iPhone 16e. Previous rumors said that Apple would replace the current notch design with a more modern Dynamic Island.
Apple will want to turn the tide of its low-cost ‘e’ series with these upgrades, considering the low sales of the iPhone 16e. The report adds that iPhone 17e could debut in Spring 2026 alongside a low-cost MacBook and 12th-gen iPad.
Low-cost MacBook and 12th-gen iPad
The low-cost MacBook will reportedly use the A18 Pro chip from iPhone 16 Pro models and sport a 13-inch display. The laptop could be available in silver, pink, blue, and yellow color options, like the iPad. As for the price, the MacBook could be placed between $699 and $899. For the price, we also believe there could be some notable trade-offs to the hardware.
Meanwhile, the 12th-generation iPad may not see any design changes, but it will see an upgrade with an A18 chip. This should bring Apple Intelligence support for the first time. The latest research report also corroborates some previous reports that suggest Apple will pursue a split-launch cycle for its iPhones going forward. This means we’ll only see the iPhone 18 Pro models launching in the second half of next year alongside the company’s first foldable iPhone.
The base iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 could move to the first half of 2027. Lastly, Pu believes that Apple will be immune to recent DDR memory prices through 2026. This is courtesy of its “strong procurement power.”
