This Is The Only iPhone 17 Model Missing From The World's Top 5 Best-Selling Smartphones

Part of the iPhone 17 lineup is about to complete a year in the market. Still, the regular iPhone 17, followed by the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro, account for the top three best-selling smartphones in the second quarter of 2026, with the iPhone 17 grabbing 6 percent of global smartphone unit sales. Data from Counterpoint Research also shows the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy A07 coming in next, rounding out the top five. However, one important omission remains: the iPhone 17e, also part of the iPhone 17 lineup.

According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone 17e occupies position seven in the ranking, while 2024's iPhone 16, which a year ago would represent the best-selling smartphone with 4 percent of global smartphone unit sales, is the tenth most sold smartphone. "Apple's unit sales grew 5 percent year over year despite a broader market decline. iPhone sales increased across India, Japan, and the MEA, and nearly doubled in South Korea in Q2 2026, driven by the iPhone 17 series. Rising smartphone prices also pushed consumers towards the higher-end segments, further strengthening Apple's competitive position," said senior analyst Karn Chauhan.

Interestingly, while the iPhone 17e added several features missing from its predecessor, both the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e occupied the same position, suggesting that even with Apple's improvements, something is still missing from this "e" lineup.

The iPhone 17e is the natural successor to the iPhone SE, a Special Edition device focused on accessibility while still bringing some of the features of the current generation. With this new brand, Apple tried to approach the "e" lineup to its main releases, but several things made this product far from what customers expected. For example, the iPhone 17 is marked for the Dynamic Island cutout first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models, an all-new always-on display and 120Hz refresh rate, the A19 chip, dual-camera system, and more.

The iPhone 17e, on the other hand, has the same design as an iPhone 14 with a notch cutout, a single-camera approach, the same display technologies as an iPhone 14, and, despite an A19 chip, it has one fewer GPU core. In everyday usage, it doesn't mean much, but in the long run, this iPhone is slightly less capable for more demanding tasks.

That said, compared to the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e still offers two key improvements: MagSafe support and an all-new 256 GB base storage without raising the price. Still, as the data shows, this iPhone feels like a Frankenstein: it's not truly an iPhone 17, but it's also not an iPhone SE anymore.

Currently, there's a $200 price difference between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e. While this could change with the announcement of the all-new iPhone 18 Pro lineup, this device isn't for people who upgrade every year. Instead, it is a great option for regular customers who don't consider themselves tech-savvy and, among smartphone options, would rather have an iPhone than an Android.

Apple also targets this smartphone at emerging markets, where price fluctuations are more pronounced, making other models much more expensive than what a customer in the U.S. or Europe would be willing to pay. The iPhone 17e isn't a bad device; in our review, we praised Apple for fixing some issues from the previous generation. However, data shows it hasn't gained the popularity of the more premium models.

For the next cycle, Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable iPhone in September, and refresh the regular iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 in early 2027. Since historically early adopters focus on the Pro models and then general customers get the regular versions later, it will be interesting to see how the new low-budget iPhones will sell in the long run, or if Apple is once again really focusing on the premium market, as there are many reasons customers should skip the regular iPhone 18 already.