Apple has officially introduced two major updates to its hardware family, unveiling the iPhone 17e and a significantly faster iPad Air through a series of global press releases today, March 2, 2026. The new iPhone 17e serves as a powerhouse “budget” option, finally bringing MagSafe support to the entry-level series and debuting the advanced A19 chip, which Apple claims is up to twice as fast as the iPhone 11. Despite maintaining its starting price of $599 (₹64,900 in India), the device now offers double the base storage at 256GB and features a more durable “Ceramic Shield 2” display designed to be three times more scratch-resistant. Available in black, white, and a new soft pink, the 17e is positioned as a high-value upgrade for those seeking flagship internals—including the new Apple-designed C1X 5G modem—without the “Pro” price tag. While it retains the 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate and the classic notch design, the addition of a 48MP Fusion camera with a 2x telephoto mode ensures that the 17e remains a formidable tool for mobile photography and 4K Dolby Vision video.
Simultaneously, Apple has supercharged the iPad Air by outfitting it with the M4 chip, previously exclusive to the iPad Pro. This update brings a massive 30% performance boost over the M3 model and makes the tablet up to 2.3 times faster than the M1 version, catering to creative professionals and gamers alike. The new iPad Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes and sees its unified memory bumped to 12GB as standard to better handle the growing demands of Apple Intelligence. Connectivity also sees a major leap with the introduction of the N1 wireless chip, enabling Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for the first time on an Air model. While the exterior design and 12MP Center Stage landscape camera remain familiar, the underlying hardware—including a 16-core Neural Engine and hardware-accelerated ray tracing—significantly narrows the gap between the Air and the Pro lineups. Pre-orders for both the iPhone 17e and the new iPad Air are set to begin on Wednesday, March 4, with official store availability starting next week on March 11
