Apple's budget iPhone line could finally ditch the notch and get a Dynamic Island, as part of the 2026 iPhone 17e update.

The iPhone 16e is the current budget-aimed model in the iPhone lineup, sharing its lineage with the iPhone SE. Just as its ancestor reused previous iPhone designs when it was refreshed, the iPhone 17e is prepared to do the same thing.

A Monday post by Weibo leaker "Digital Chat Station" provided some information allegedly sourced from the supply chain about the model. If true, it could have a big visual overhaul.

The leaker says that the new model will still have a 6.1-inch display, but this time it will probably be the same one as used in the iPhone 16. That includes it being an OLED panel, a 60Hz screen, and one that has a "Smart Island" design, as per computerized translation.

"Smart Island" refers to Dynamic Island, Apple's screen aesthetic that moved from the reviled notch to a punch-hole camera system. It also uses UI elements to help camouflage the opening.

If the iPhone 17e does move to using the Digital Island, it would be the last iPhone model to transition away from the notch. The concept lives on in the MacBook lineup, though hopefully that will change at some point.

The other main change in the new model is a new design, which will have "changed significantly." As to what, the leaker doesn't say.

Educated guesses

The rest of the claimed specifications are pretty logical, including the 48MP rear camera and the 12MP front camera with Face ID. The switch to the A19 is also expected, considering it has to match the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.

The leaker concludes that the biggest selling point should still be the "cheapest iPhone," which mirrors the iPhone 16e's value proposition.

Though a lot of this seems quite plausible for the next iPhone 17e upgrade, it also doesn't seem like groundbreaking infromation. It isn't entirely hard to make educated guesses along the same lines, based on Apple's previous hardware upgrades.

It doesn't help that the source of this is a Weibo leaker, as the platform isn't known for its accuracy of shared and re-shared rumors. That said, "Digital Chat Station" has been vaguely accurate in the past, though that could be a byproduct of the sheer amount of leaks shared by this type of social media account.

Other rumors about the iPhone 17e include a claim it had entered testing in April, and that a launch in Spring 2026 was the most probable.