We’re at the start of another one of those weeks where Apple announces one or two of its lesser products each day. The first pair to break cover is the and , with more due to drop as the calendar rolls forward. The iPhone 17e is by far the more interesting gadget, especially as the price remained the same as for the iPhone 16e. Apple is charging $599 for the 17e, even though the base model storage has doubled to a very welcome 256GB.
The 17e also gains several features that were held back from the equivalent budget handset last year. The most notable is perhaps the addition of MagSafe at Qi2 speeds, enabling users to wirelessly charge their device at 15W. Keen-eyed spec-list nerds will also spot Apple’s C1X proprietary wireless chip, which offers comparable speed to the Qualcomm models it will eventually replace, but with far better power efficiency.
The iPad Air, by comparison, is the very model of a modern major iterative spec revision to keep it up to date. The M3 has been upgraded to an M4, and it’ll get the same home grown wireless chips (), blessing it with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility. Apple is also adding some more RAM to the iPad Air, boosting it from 8GB to 12GB, but without adding any more digits to the price.
As someone who’s still clinging on to an iPhone 14, the generous storage and low cost of the iPhone 17e is intriguing. And it’s a far more attractive package than whatever Apple was trying to offer with the .
— Dan Cooper
The other big stories this morning
Modularity! For! Some! Reason!
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Lenovo rocked up to MWC to show off a , letting users push around their keyboard and displays at will. The company says you can set up the hardware on your desk to suit your needs at any given time. So, if you need a standard laptop, you can do that, or you can put a second display where your keyboard should go and use your keyboard wirelessly. Sadly, it’s a concept, so while you can purr at Lenovo’s engineering prowess you can’t hand it any of your cash to properly own this thing.
Sources describe the unit as ‘adorable.’
Mat Smith for Engadget
Honor made its usual full-court press at MWC, but the star of its own show was the , due to launch later this year. It’s a smartphone with its own articulating camera gimbal which can move around in response to its user’s commands. The Morning After’s own Mat Smith says it’s able to shake and nod its, uh, “head,” and can even dance along to music. And that’s before you get to its real function to, you know, take photos and stuff.
The combined ParaSkyWarDisco would serve 200 million subscribers.
Paramount Sky CEO David Ellison has outlined his vision for his latest toy, Warner Brothers Discovery. He told investors both companies would , giving it a global audience of around 200 million subscribers. Ellison also pledged to give HBO operational independence, hopefully meaning it won’t be staffed entirely by patronage appointees.
Far too many things for one newsletter.
Mat Smith for Engadget
MWC is such a big show it would be impossible to cover everything we’ve reported on in a single newsletter. But, thankfully, , especially all of the biggest phones that you aren’t as likely to see on store shelves in the US.
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