Early Geekbench 6 results for the iPhone 17e have revealed that its A19 chip delivers nearly identical CPU performance to the standard iPhone 17, with a multi-core score of 9,241 compared to the iPhone 17's 9,249. This suggests Apple's budget-friendly model maintains flagship-level processing power despite its lower price point.

The one notable difference lies in graphics performance. The iPhone 17e features a 4-core GPU while the iPhone 17 has a 5-core GPU, resulting in Metal scores around 31,000-31,500 versus approximately 37,000 for the iPhone 17. This mirrors the previous iPhone 16e's configuration, which also used a binned A18 chip with four GPU cores.

Beyond the chip, the iPhone 17e gains several upgrades over its predecessor, including Apple's second-generation C1X modem for faster 5G, MagSafe support, and doubled base storage at 256GB. Priced at $599 - the same as the iPhone 16e - the device begins pre-orders March 4 ahead of its March 11 launch, positioning it as a compelling option for users seeking flagship performance without flagship pricing.