iPhone 17e Set for Chipset and Wireless Charging Upgrades No Price Hike Expected

Mark Gurman, reporting from Bloomberg's Power On newsletter, suggests that Apple will introduce 3 upgraded features to its iPhone 17e in late 2023. The iPhone 17e will focus on both the emerging and enterprise markets, with hardware & software upgrades. The iPhone 17e will use the A19 chip and could potentially incorporate Apple’s new C1X modem for cellular/wireless communication. Pricing is expected to remain unchanged at the base price.

iPhone 17e Upgrades

In the Power On newsletter, Gurman notes that the iPhone 17e will offer three core upgrades. The processor and modem changes are positioned to improve performance and connectivity while the company tests how the device will be marketed in emerging economies and enterprise environments.

The iPhone 17e is reportedly powered by the A19 chip that currently powers the vanilla iPhone 17 and promises up to 40 percent faster CPU performance than the prior generation. The Apple silicon includes a 16-core Neural Engine, which is described as delivering power-efficient AI inference, increased memory bandwidth, and improved performance.

Modem and Wireless Charging

Beyond a faster processor, the iPhone 17e could shift to Apple's latest proprietary modem, the C1X, for cellular and wireless features. The C1X modem was introduced with the iPhone Air in September 2025 and, according to Gurman, can deliver twice as fast networking speeds while being more efficient than the C1 modem on the iPhone 16e.

The third notable upgrade relates to wireless charging. The iPhone 17e is expected to offer MagSafe charging, potentially supporting faster charging than the previous model. The iPhone 16e used the Qi standard at up to around 7.5W, while the iPhone 17e could scale up to 25W, bringing charging speeds closer to other Apple devices.

Pricing and design, however, are expected to remain unchanged. Gurman says the iPhone 17e will begin at $599 for the base variant, though it remains unknown whether the base storage will be increased to 256GB, as seen with the vanilla iPhone 17 in September 2025.

Officials involved said the device’s strategy focuses on two markets, with a strong emphasis on both hardware and software in those segments.

• A19 chip powering iPhone 17e; CPU faster by up to 40% vs previous generation; 16-core Neural Engine; memory bandwidth improvements
• C1X modem for enhanced networking speed and efficiency; introduced with iPhone Air; faster and more efficient than C1 modem
• MagSafe wireless charging possibly up to 25W
• Base price at $599; uncertain if base storage increases to 256GB
• Target markets: emerging economies and enterprise users