Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone 3GS

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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iPhone 17e compared with iPhone 3GS

	AppleiPhone 17e	AppleiPhone 3GS
Overview
Released
Released	March 2026	June 2009
Display
Screen size
Screen size	6.1″	3.5″
Resolution
Resolution	2532 × 1170 (better)	480 × 320
Sharpness
Sharpness	457 pixels per inch (better)	165 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	OLED	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Peak brightness
Peak brightness	1,200 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Super Retina XDR OLED display	3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Pixel density
Pixel density	460 ppi	163 ppi
Brightness detail
Brightness detail	800 nits max (typical); 1,200 nits peak (HDR)	–
Screen protection
Screen protection	Ceramic Shield 2 front	Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display features
Display features	HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating	–
Performance
Chip
Chip	A19	Samsung S5PC100
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	256 MB
Storage
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB (better)	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB
CPU
CPU	6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores	600 MHz Cortex-A8 in Samsung S5PC100; 256 MB of RAM (Wired's 2009 teardown report)
GPU
GPU	4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing	PowerVR SGX535 (Apple developer documentation)
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Cameras
Main camera
Main camera	48 MP (better)	3 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Telephoto camera
Telephoto camera	None	None
Optical zoom
Optical zoom	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	12 MP	–
Main camera
Main camera	48MP Fusion Main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos	3-megapixel still camera with tap to focus
Front camera
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels	–
Zoom
Zoom	12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; digital zoom up to 10x	–
Video recording
Video recording	4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p Dolby Vision at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; HEVC and H.264	VGA up to 30 fps with audio
Front video
Front video	4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps	–
Camera features
Camera features	Photonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic Styles	Photo and video geotagging
Battery and charging
Battery
Battery	4,005 mAh (better)	1,219 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Video playback (maker's claim)	Up to 26 hours	Up to 10 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Up to 15 W (better)	None
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 21 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 45 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cycles	Talk time up to 5 hours on 3G or 12 hours on 2G; standby up to 300 hours; internet use up to 5 hours on 3G or 9 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 30 hours; 3.7 V, 4.51 Wh, 1,219 mAh (iFixit)
Wired charging
Wired charging	Up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)	Charging via USB to a computer or power adapter
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	MagSafe and Qi2 up to 15W with a 20W adapter or higher	–
Connectivity
Satellite messaging
Satellite messaging	Yes	–
Mobile network
Mobile network	Apple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3634	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
SIM
SIM	Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM support	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
NFC
NFC	NFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve	–
Satellite features
Satellite features	Emergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite	–
USB
USB	USB-C with charging and USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)	30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack; 576p and 480p video out with Apple Component AV Cable (sold separately)
Positioning
Positioning	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC; digital compass; iBeacon micro-location	Assisted GPS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular
Design
Type
Type	Standard	Standard
Weight
Weight	170 g	135 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	7.8 mm (better)	12.3 mm
Height × width
Height × width	146.7 × 71.5 mm	115.5 × 62.1 mm
Water and dust resistance
Water and dust resistance	IP68	–
Materials
Materials	Aluminium design; glass back	–
Colours
Colours	Black, White, Soft Pink	Black (8GB)
Buttons
Buttons	Action button; side button; volume up/down	Sleep/wake; ring/silent; volume up/down; Home
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529	–
Biometrics
Biometrics	Face ID	–
Sensors
Sensors	Barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensors	Accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers	–
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes	–
Software
Operating system
Operating system	iOS	iOS
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 26	iPhone OS 3.0
Software updates
Software updates	Security, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)	–
AI features
AI features	Apple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence	–
Safety features
Safety features	Crash Detection	–
In the box
In the box	iPhone 17e, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter	–