Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiPhone 17e | AppleiPhone SE (3rd generation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | March 2026 | March 2022 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 6.1″ | 4.7″ |
| Resolution | 2532 × 1170 (better) | 1334 × 750 |
| Sharpness | 457 pixels per inch (better) | 326 pixels per inch |
| Panel | OLED | LCD |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1,200 nits (better) | 625 nits |
| Display type | Super Retina XDR OLED display | Retina HD display; 4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Brightness detail | 800 nits max (typical); 1,200 nits peak (HDR) | 625 nits max brightness (typical) |
| Screen protection | Ceramic Shield 2 front | Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating |
| Display features | HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating | True Tone; wide colour display (P3); Haptic Touch; 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical); Display Zoom; Reachability |
| Performance | ||
| Chip | A19 | A15 Bionic |
| Memory | 8 GB (better) | 3 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB (better) | 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB |
| CPU | 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores | 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 4 GB of RAM (GSMArena) |
| GPU | 4-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing | 4-core GPU |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Cameras | ||
| Main camera | 48 MP (better) | 12 MP |
| Ultra wide camera | None | None |
| Telephoto camera | None | None |
| Optical zoom | None | None |
| Front camera | 12 MP (better) | 7 MP |
| Main camera | 48MP Fusion Main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos | 12MP Main, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, True Tone flash with slow sync, sapphire crystal lens cover |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels | 7MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash |
| Zoom | 12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; digital zoom up to 10x | Digital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video) |
| 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 | 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; optical image stabilisation for video; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; Night mode Time-lapse; QuickTake; stereo recording |
| Front video | 4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps | 1080p HD at 25 or 30 fps |
| Camera features | Photonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic Styles | Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 4; Photographic Styles; Portrait mode with Depth Control and six Portrait Lighting effects on both cameras; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP) |
| Battery and charging | ||
| Battery | 4,005 mAh (better) | 2,018 mAh |
| Video playback (maker's claim) | Up to 26 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Wireless charging | Up to 15 W | Yes (wattage not published) |
| 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 | Video playback up to 15 hours (10 hours streamed); audio playback up to 50 hours; 2,018 mAh, 6.96 Wh (GSMArena) |
| Wired charging | Up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) | Up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe and Qi2 up to 15W with a 20W adapter or higher | Works with Qi chargers |
| Connectivity | ||
| Satellite messaging | Yes | – |
| Mobile network | Apple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3634 | 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 2x2 MIMO; 4G LTE Advanced with 2x2 MIMO and LAA; VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM support | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC | NFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve | NFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve |
| Satellite features | Emergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite | – |
| USB | USB-C with charging and USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s) | Lightning connector; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately) |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC; digital compass; iBeacon micro-location | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation |
| Design | ||
| Type | Standard | Standard |
| Weight | 170 g | 144 g (better) |
| Thickness | 7.8 mm | 7.3 mm (better) |
| Height × width | 146.7 × 71.5 mm | 138.4 × 67.3 mm |
| Water and dust resistance | IP68 | IP67 |
| Materials | Aluminium design; glass back | Aerospace-grade aluminium with the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back, the same as the back of iPhone 13 |
| Colours | Black, White, Soft Pink | Starlight, Midnight, (PRODUCT)RED |
| Buttons | Action button; side button; volume up/down | Home/Touch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; side button |
| Water resistance detail | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529 | IP67 (maximum depth of 1 metre up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529 |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button |
| Sensors | Barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensors | Touch ID fingerprint sensor; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers | Stereo playback |
| Microphones | Built-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes | – |
| Software | ||
| Operating system | iOS | iOS |
| Software at launch | iOS 26 | iOS 15 |
| Software updates | Security, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet) | – |
| AI features | Apple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence | – |
| Safety features | Crash Detection | – |
| In the box | iPhone 17e, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter | – |
More comparisons
- Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone Duo
- Apple iPhone Duo vs Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone 18 Pro
- Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- Apple iPhone 16e vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 17e vs Google Pixel 10a
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 17e vs Apple iPhone Air
- Apple iPhone 16 vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 17e
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 17e

