Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone 4

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

iPhone 17e compared with iPhone 4
AppleiPhone 17eAppleiPhone 4
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2026June 2010
Display
Screen size6.1″3.5″
Resolution2532 × 1170 (better)960 × 640
Sharpness457 pixels per inch (better)330 pixels per inch
PanelOLEDLCD
Refresh rate60 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness1,200 nits (better)500 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED displayRetina display; 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Pixel density460 ppi326 ppi
Brightness detail800 nits max (typical); 1,200 nits peak (HDR)500 cd/m² max brightness (typical)
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 frontAluminosilicate glass front and back; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
Display featuresHDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
Performance
ChipA19A4
Memory8 GB (better)512 MB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB (better)8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores1.0 GHz Cortex-A8 (GSMArena); 512 MB of RAM (iFixit)
GPU4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracingPowerVR SGX535 (GSMArena)
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Cameras
Main camera48 MP (better)5 MP
Ultra wide cameraNoneNone
Telephoto cameraNoneNone
Optical zoomNoneNone
Front camera12 MP (better)0.3 MP
Main camera48MP Fusion Main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos5-megapixel still camera with LED flash and tap to focus
Front camera12MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsVGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 fps
Zoom12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; digital zoom up to 10x–
Video recording4K 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.264HD (720p) up to 30 fps with audio
Front video4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps–
Camera featuresPhotonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic StylesTap to focus video or still images; photo and video geotagging
Battery and charging
Battery4,005 mAh (better)1,420 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 26 hoursUp to 10 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 15 W (better)None
Battery life detailUp to 21 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 45 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cyclesTalk time up to 7 hours on 3G or 14 hours on 2G; standby up to 300 hours; internet use up to 6 hours on 3G or 10 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 40 hours; 3.7 V, 1,420 mAh (iFixit)
Wired chargingUp to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)Charging via USB to a computer or power adapter
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 15W with a 20W adapter or higher–
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYes–
Mobile networkApple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3634GSM model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); CDMA model: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM supportMicro-SIM (GSMArena)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMOWi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.3Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve–
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite–
USBUSB-C with charging and USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack; video out up to 1024 × 768 with the Dock Connector to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC; digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationAssisted GPS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight170 g137 g (better)
Thickness7.8 mm (better)9.3 mm
Height × width146.7 × 71.5 mm115.2 × 58.6 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68–
MaterialsAluminium design; glass backAluminosilicate glass front and back with a stainless steel band
ColoursBlack, White, Soft PinkBlack, white
ButtonsAction button; side button; volume up/downOn/off, sleep/wake; ring/silent; volume up/down; Home
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529–
BiometricsFace ID–
SensorsBarometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsThree-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers–
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 26iOS 4
Software updatesSecurity, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)–
AI featuresApple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence–
Safety featuresCrash Detection–
In the boxiPhone 17e, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter–

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