A new report repeats previous rumors that Apple will launch an iPhone 17e in early 2026, but also makes the dubious claim that the company will limit production to protect flagship sales.
The current iPhone 16e
Even before the iPhone 16e shipped in February 2025, there were already rumors of an iPhone 17e following exactly a year later. Then in April 2025, it was claimed that an iPhone 17e might be in testing ahead of its 2026 launch.
Now The Elec claims that Apple will definitely launch an iPhone 17e in Spring 2026. But it also claims that the company will intentionally constrain supplies for fear of cannibalizing sales of other models.
If Apple becomes known for releasing a budget iPhone every Spring, as the report also says, then there is a logic here. Buyers who know a lower cost model is coming could elect to skip each year's main September launches.
However, Apple has previously been reported to be splitting its iPhone launches into two per year. If it does, it will launch the higher end Pro models in September, and the budget edition is unlikely to compete with those.
Then The Elec's idea of capping or limiting production is to constrain it to around 20 million devices. That's not artificially limiting buyers, it's just around the sales that Apple managed with the iPhone 16e and the iPhone SE models before it.
What the iPhone 17e brings
This new report has little information about the iPhone 17e itself. But it does specify that it will retain the same 6.1-inch OLED display as in the iPhone 16e.
That suggests that Apple will be continuing to use the same display that was originally introduced with the iPhone 14 in 2022.
The report's only other detail is that it claims screens will be made by Samsung Display, LG Display, and BOE. But it also says that it is screen manufacturer BOE who will make most the majority.
BOE has long made iPhone screens for Apple, albeit not without controversy. Separately, it's reported that BOE has expanded its production capacity specifically to win more orders from Apple.
Note that The Elec appears to have reasonably good sources within Apple's supply chain. However, it is typically less accurate when it predicts Apple's future plans.