An accessory listing has gone live early for the yet-to-be-announced iPhone 17e, granting the briefest of glimpses at Apple’s upcoming lower-cost phone.
Subscribers to the mailing list of Australian accessory maker Quad Lock received an email advertising the iPhone 17e MAG Case, accompanied by an image of what appears to be the unannounced phone. GadgetGuy contributor and freelance writer Alice Clarke received the email, which has since been seen by GadgetGuy.
A link included in the mailout directs to a product page of iPhone 17e accessories, which currently includes the case and a tempered glass screen protector.
Screenshot: Chris Button.
Prior to the email to Australian Quad Lock customers, subscribers in other regions also received an identical message. One Reddit thread includes a screenshot of the e-newsletter, while a commenter linked to the French listing of the unreleased phone’s accessories.
The picture included on Quad Lock’s website looks nearly identical to the image on its iPhone 16e listing. Only a snippet of the phone is visible through the case. It does seem to confirm that the iPhone 17e will stick with a single-rear-camera system, like last year’s model.
More iPhone 17e details
While one could speculate that the existence of a MAG case for the iPhone 17e confirms the addition of Apple’s MagSafe charging technology, Quad Lock also sold a MAG case for the iPhone 16e, which did not support MagSafe. Quad Lock has its own range of magnetic accessories, like car mounts, that its cases can attach to.
However, previous iPhone 17e reporting strongly suggests that Apple’s next lower-cost phone will indeed feature MagSafe. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, whose reports are often accurate.
This could mean faster wireless charging speeds for the iPhone 17e, in addition to broader compatibility with MagSafe accessories. Apple’s magnetic technology makes it easier to know when a phone is correctly aligned with a compatible charger. Without it, wireless charging can involve some guesswork.
Quad Lock’s early listing of the iPhone 17e accessory could mean that an official announcement from Apple is imminent. Apple has set 5 March for its next major event, where it’s expected to announce a new range of Macs. Perhaps the new iPhone is also on the agenda?