Apple could be preparing to announce a brand new iPhone in the coming weeks, and it’s one whose price tag might be more appealing to you than the iPhone 17 Pro or slim but expensive iPhone Air.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPhone 17e “is due imminently”, though the Apple reporter does not indicate an exact release date. This iPhone would replace the iPhone 16e, which was announced in February 2025, so Apple lining up a February 2026 announcement does make sense.

Meanwhile, Macworld has reported that Apple will launch the iPhone 17e on February 19, the exact same day Apple announced the iPhone 16e last year. This would land on a Thursday, which is not a common day for Apple to unveil products traditionally

The iPhone 16e itself replaced the long-running iPhone SE range. The 16e took on the screen of an iPhone 14 with the A18 processor from the iPhone 16, but only had one rear camera and lacked MagSafe, the magnetic charging and accessory feature built into most iPhones since 2020.

It retails for £599, which is currently £200 less than the next-cheaper iPhone, the iPhone 17.

Gurman said the iPhone 17e will get the A19 chipset, which is from the iPhone 17, as well as add MagSafe charging. Macworld said the addition of MadSafe would improve wireless charging speeds to 25W, besting the 16e’s slow 7.5W speeds.

Gurman also said the phone will get Apple’s “newest in-house cellular and wireless chips”. These won’t be consumer-facing marketed new upgrades, but it follows that Apple would put its own components inside its new iPhone, as the company moves away from using Qualcomm modems.

This is in line with Apple’s introduction of its own M-series chips in its iPads and Macs, moving away from buying processors and modems from other firms.

Gurman also reported the price of the iPhone 17e is set to stay at the same $599 as the iPhone 16e in the US, but with no word on UK pricing.

While this looks good year to year, Apple increased the price of its cheapest current iPhone when it priced the iPhone 16e at £599. Previously, the 2022 iPhone SE was available from £429.

“Apple will market the 17e heavily to users in emerging economies and enterprises — two areas the company plans to target aggressively this year with both devices and software,” Gurmam said.

“Apple also could benefit from weaker competition. Though Alphabet Inc.’s Google is set to release a new version of its low-end model, the Pixel 10a, that upgrade isn’t expected to add much. And Samsung Electronics Co. is focusing more on the high end.”

Amazon is now one of the biggest names in home security thanks to its hugely popular Ring range of devices. However, for those on a tighter budget, the online retailer also offers more wallet-friendly devices, called Blink. These are already cheaper than the more premium Ring gadgets, and now talking delivery of one is even less expensive thanks to a new sale event. In fact, you can currently pick up a Blink camera and keep an eye on your home, via your smartphone, for just £9.99.

That ludicrously low price is for the Blink Mini, and it’s more feature-packed than you might think.

This diddy device offers 1080p recording, along with being able to film at night. It also sends alerts straight to phones if it spots something strange taking place, and there is two-way audio so you can hear and speak to anyone who has entered your property.

£9.99 is unbelievably cheap, and the only thing you might need to add is a Blink Subscription Plan, which starts from £2.50 per month.

This allows you unlimited access to the live feeds (cut to 5 minutes without a subscription) as well as cloud recordings, which store all captured footage.

So that’s the inside of homes sorted, but what about outdoors? Along with the Blink Mini on offer, Amazon has also cut the cost of its Ring Outdoor camera as well.

This battery-powered device usually costs £79.99, but that price has been dropped to just £49.99.

This security camera offers a water-resistant design, full 1080p recording, real-time alerts and customisable motion zones.

This device can be mounted on exterior walls and capture pin-sharp 2 K-resolution footage. Thanks to 4X digital zoom, you can even get a close-up if the camera notices anything.

It’s not just during the day that things will be spotted. There’s also enhanced low-light performance, and it can record full colour even when the sun goes down. This means you can see important details – like the colour of a vehicle or clothing – when natural light is limited. Another bonus is battery life: Amazon promises a single charge can last up to 2 years.

It goes on sale this month.