BENGALURU - Apple on Monday launched iPhone ​17e, its ‌more affordable smartphone model that starts at a price of US$599 with 256 gigabytes of storage, as ​it ⁠looks to defend its share in a fiercely competitive global handset market. The ‌move comes as memory chip prices climb amid a global shortage, suggesting Apple ⁠is willing to absorb some component cost pressure to make its lowest-priced model more compelling. By offering higher storage at ​the same price point, Apple is positioning the 17e as ​a ‌stronger value option as it looks to attract new users ​and ⁠defend market share against rivals facing tighter supply ⁠constraints. Some analysts view the higher storage at the same starting price as effectively a ⁠price cut, since customers ​previously had to pay an upcharge to access the higher capacity.

Source: Bangkok Post March 02, 2026 17:55 UTC