After months of rumors and hypothesis, the iPhone 16e has arrived to switch the iPhone SE (2022) as Apple’s most cost-effective smartphone. Pre-orders are dwell now, and the cellphone itself will start delivery on February 28.
As the brand new title suggests, the iPhone 16e isn’t precisely a direct follow-up to the iPhone SE, nevertheless it does have the identical spirit. It’s acquired the internals of the iPhone 16 packaged in an older design with a single-camera setup and fewer bells and whistles than its costlier contemporaries. That’s the iPhone SE MO if ever there was one.
However, there’s greater than only a title separating the iPhone 16e from its predecessor. At $599 / £599 / AU$999, the iPhone 16e is far costlier than the iPhone SE (2022) ever was. Up till February 19, Apple offered the latter for simply $429 / £429 / AU$719, which is an absolute steal compared.
Off the highest of my head, that’s the biggest worth bounce between two iPhone ‘generations’ in latest reminiscence. To me, this worth hike echoes the reveal of the iPhone X at $999 / £999 / AU$1,579 approach again in 2017, which marked a sizeable improve over the iPhone 7’s $649 / £599 / AU$1,079 launch worth.
Though the iPhone 16e gained’t have almost as a lot affect because the then-flagship iPhone X, it nonetheless means that Apple is feeling braver about its smartphone pricing than in recent times, throughout which era issues have stayed fairly secure throughout the corporate’s cell portfolio.
Just not too long ago, I wrote that I’d battle to advocate an iPhone SE 4 that price in extra of $500 / £500 / AU$800, however as talked about, the iPhone 16e appears to be beginning a brand new product line. So, within the spirit of equity, let’s check out what you get to your cash.
As anticipated, the iPhone 16e has successfully the identical inner make-up because the baseline iPhone 16, with the highly effective A18 chipset, 128GB of storage, and presumably 8GB of RAM because the cellphone helps Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 16e additionally debuts Apple’s new C1 modem for New Radio and cell service connectivity.
The actual variations include the digital camera and design. The iPhone 16e sports activities the identical 48MP principal digital camera because the iPhone 16, however that’s it – there’s no ultra-wide digital camera, no telephoto lens, and fewer taking pictures modes. Design-wise, the iPhone 16e borrows the show of the iPhone 14 – notch and all – and the physique of the iPhone 15, together with the useful Action button.
With 5 fashions within the iPhone 16 collection, and the iPhone 15 nonetheless kicking about, Apple’s cell pricing ladder has by no means made much less sense.
Older show apart, it’s a modern-looking cellphone that doesn’t look notably misplaced alongside the remainder of the iPhone lineup. It’s clearly not aiming for a similar mixture of nostalgia and familiarity because the iPhone SE, which in its closing incarnation sported the internals of the iPhone 13 and the chassis of an iPhone 8, full with a Lightning port, large bezels, and even a Touch ID-enabled Home button.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have additionally been discontinued, changed by the iPhone 16e. The iPhone 14, with its A15 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 12MP digital camera, was beforehand offered by Apple at a worth of $599 / £599 / AU$999, and if you put it subsequent to the iPhone 16e, the latter positively looks as if higher worth for cash.
That stated, I believe the takeaway right here is that the iPhone 14 was overpriced, reasonably than the iPhone 16e being notably good worth for cash. For a greater learn, we have to look over the fence at what Android cellphone makers are as much as in the identical worth bracket.
Simpler stratification
As I discussed in my earlier op-ed, for $100 / £100 / AU$150 lower than the price of the iPhone 16e you’ll be able to choose up the Google Pixel 8a, which affords just about all the identical performance as Apple’s mid-ranger, albeit through Android and Google Gemini reasonably than iOS and Apple Intelligence – you additionally get an ultra-wide digital camera and a 120Hz show with a punch-hole selfie digital camera.
Google’s cellphone lineup can be well-stratified whereas providing actual worth at each step, as a result of the corporate takes an additive method to worth, including options to justify larger worth factors. It additionally helps that Google retains the lineup neat at simply 4 telephones.
It’s my suspicion that Apple is extra subtractive with the best way it decides worth, seemingly beginning with the top-end Pro Max and taking away options to justify cheaper worth factors. But with 5 fashions within the iPhone 16 collection, and the iPhone 15 nonetheless kicking about regardless of being outclassed in {hardware} energy and AI assist by the brand new iPhone 16e, Apple’s cell pricing ladder has by no means made much less sense.
Furthermore, the iPhone 16e is oddly positioned as a gateway system to Apple’s AI suite. As the most cost effective iPhone you should purchase from Apple instantly, this would be the selection for individuals who need one thing cost-effective and easy. I’m unconvinced that this is similar viewers that cares a lot about Apple Intelligence.
Even with all of the confusion, my intestine tells me that the iPhone 16e is simply too costly for what it’s. Apple has missed the mark with a cellphone marketed to AI lovers, constructed for digital minimalists, and offered at a worth that may’t declare to be budget-friendly but in addition prevents a very premium function set. I’m nonetheless wanting ahead to our iPhone 16e assessment, however I’m undecided I’ll be satisfied that the iPhone 16e is definitely worth the cash.
What do you consider the iPhone 16e? Should it discover a place on our record of the most effective low-cost telephones? Might it shock us and transform probably the greatest iPhones in recent times? Let us know within the feedback under.
