iPhone 16e is here
White or Black
A18 chip
C1 (Apple made) cellular modem
6.1" OLED with a notch
Single 48mp camera
Action Button
Supports Apple Intelligence, including Visual Intelligence despite the lack of the camera button
Aluminum body
$999, 128GB to start
❌ no magsafe
but they could fit it into a mini! 😮Didn't think it was much thinner than the previous models.
Yeah weird choice tbh .
but on the outside it's basically a iPhone 14 with 1 camera. 🤔
I follow tech news so I'm interested in this new release. but weird for apple?
compare 16e and 16 and yeah no magsafe, the area where it says "works with magsafe cases or wallets" is also blank. so what even if you put a magsafe case on it, it won't recognize and wireless charge?
also was definitely expecting iPad 11 and new Apple watch SE. iPad 10th gen was released all the way back in 2022 and before that, the new model budget iPad was released every year, so iPad 11th gen is over 1.5 years late! (iPad 9 was released 9/2021, iPad 10 was released 10/2022 so iPad 11 should have been released 10/2023, but give 1 year delay for covid and should have been released 10/2024 but still not?!).
Apple watch SE models are released on a 2 year cycle. Apple watch SE (1st gen) was released 9/2020 and AW SE (2nd gen) was released 9/2022. So also AW SE (3rd gen) should have been released 9/2024. 6 months late but still not?
Figured I'm the target market for these: Want mid-range price; Small enough to fit in pocket; Not fussed on the extras, just want main features to work well; Upgrade every 3-4 models rather than 1-2.
Had an iPhone 8 then iPhone12 mini but iPhone SE3 didn't extend screen all the way to the edge. Pixels teething issues meant I switched to Samsung A73, but I've been monitoring the SE4 since 2022 to see if switching back to Apple would be better.
iPhone 16e has the right chip (though GPU only has 4 cores to 16s 5) and Intelligence features although Camera loses some functionality. No MagSafe is a choice that I can live with and 128GB is plenty for a cheaper, base version especially with OLED screen.
Priced from $450-$500USD (700-800AUD), I think this would be a no brainer but at $1000AUD - what is its purpose? A worse overall phone for only $200-300 off flagship entry.
If someone is prepared to pay the $1000 why not spend $1200-$1300 or difference of about $10 per month if adding to a phone plan payment to get the better option.
Can't quite understand why this was necessary at that price and what market it will actually cater to.
Yeah it’s thought provoker for Apple, they want you to spend on pro
I can definitely see that for their usual lineup customers who "need" the latest & greatest as only a few hundred to upgrade from base 16 to Pro.
But there is no way anyone looking at the SE/mid range models around $750 end up spending $1799.
As @mskeggs says - This is the uncle-aunty phone that doesn't want to spend too much and only upgrade when they need to.
Those that want to stick to Apple iOS in this price range will probably keep their current for another generation.
Just don't see an actual market case for it with such little differentiation in price. Hopefully they will price correct downwards in 6 months however unlikely with Apple.
A worse overall phone for only $200-300 off flagship entry
This is the main question.
Well, the iPhone 16 list price is precisely $400 more.
Sure, you can get $150-200 of that on sale, but we'll almost certainly similar offers on the iPhone 16e once the launch fever dies down.
I'll just watch and wait, and when it gets below $900, I'll grab one.
I hope these 16e sales be dreadful, which may lead Apple to bring back the Mini's
An iPhone 16 mini with dynamic island would be an instabuy for me
Doesn’t seem great for the price.
I may have considered it with some price drops if I hadn’t purchased the iPhone 15 last year
I was considering it, but of all things the lack of 0.5x zoom turned out to be the deal-breaker. I've found myself using it surprisingly often and not having it would be really annoying.
0.5x is amazing for nature photography
No. Lack of .5 camera, no wifi 6e support, no magsafe, and finally no UWB for airtags/airpods. Would rather fork out an additional $250 ish for a iphone 16 when they're on sale.
exactly hwhat they want you to do….
Yeah nah
I'm okay with my 13 mini.
Amaysim deal ? How’s your battery ?
I’ll hang onto my 6S for a bit longer I think… $999 is crazy
6S a ? Salute 🫡
Yep. 10 years coming up this year. No iOS 16 is the worst bit about it
10th anniversary of your 6s coming up this year, incredible sustainability effort on your part
How many batteries / screens have you gone through in ten years?
5 or 6 batteries I think. All done myself.
No screens, but have a few small cracks (not over the LCD fortunately)
whats the best value iphone atm, even second hand? i have a iphone X thats dying
SE 2022, considering only 2.5 years old and recent deal for $259
Not with those bezels 🤢
What would you suggest for ~$250 for value?
@[Deactivated]: I'm currently using a G84 which is in that price bracket and I highly recommend it. My previous phone was an Edge 30 Ultra which costs 2-3x as much and besides the camera being quite noticeably worse, this phone is just as good as a daily driver. Obviously it's worse specs-wise but I don't notice it in my day-to-day use.
Edit: if you meant iPhone only, I'd prefer a used 11 or 12 for $250-300, if you look around you'll find a good condition one at that price.
No fingerprint sensor in 2025, enough said.
Apple's face unlock is very good though. It's not that big a thing compared to androids which abandoned the advanced face unlock hardware to get a less annoying hole in the screen.
There's a big difference between very good and very safe…
How do you define safe?
Apparently I’m very much counter to the masses, but I actually think it’s alright?
$999 vs $1399 makes the full fat iPhone 16 40% more expensive (or the e 30% cheaper) by cutting some of the frippery but keeping the basics. Seems ok to me.
Obviously if you already have a 16 (or 15) there’s no point, but for someone coming from an older model (I have a 12 mini) it’s either equal or better almost entirely across the board and saves some money and gets (claims) better battery life.
Granted that’s rrp and not factoring sales, but if this is as unpopular as commentary would have us believe, fair to say there’ll be sales on this too.
Just seems bizarre to me that in a cost of living crisis they’re getting crucified for offering a (significantly) cheaper model. Sure it could be cheaper, but a) what couldn’t? And b) when has Apple ever actually been ‘cheap’?
I think the general consensus is you get a much better phone at 1k with more features.
If comparing with Android I think that's completely fair, but also nothing new? If you wanted the most cutting edge features and/or the cheapest price…iPhone has never been the answer.
Within the Apple ecosystem though, maybe the 14 is the comparison? But you'd more or less be trading Performance, Software support and Battery Life for Magsafe…to me that's a no brainer.
Maybe I'm just getting old. I switched back to the iPhone four years ago precisely because I felt everything had stagnated, most of the new 'features' were marketing gimmicks at best and I just wanted a phone that worked, vaguely respected my privacy (I'm looking at you Google Play Services), and didn't lag to hell. 4 years later my 12 mini is going pretty good, but the battery is suffering (was mediocre to begin with), by comparison I was lucky to get 18 months out of my Samsung's before they drove me nuts with instability/lag, and even my new ish company phone S24 is extremely poor (though likely due to the corporate policy BS).
I agree 100%
I'm on an iphone 12 atm, and this will probably be my next phone!
I think it will be a lot more popular once deals start popping out for it. We're hitting the point where we're getting $150-200 off the iPhone 16 in sales here and there, when the 16e pops up for $800-850 it'll be a great phone. I bought a refurb 13 pro for about $700 a year ago, I would have taken this instead if it was an option.
I'm still tempted if I can get $400 for my 13 pro, although I'm waiting for the camera reviews first.
When all leaks and reports suggested it was the SE4 until 24-48hrs prior to official media release, it seems quite lacklustre.
Simply because this phone is overpriced to what it had been rumoured for a long time - an iPhone SE4 at approximately $750-800AUD ($450-499USD).
As such, it's seen as 25-30% more expensive and needing an approximate 20% drop in price to $800 for people to buy (as per multiple comments in this thread).
I worry if it sells poorly compared to other SE, it's more likely they will drop the range completely then realise it's overpriced.
That’s fair, I wasn’t paying attention to any rumours so for me it came out of nowhere.
I still think relative to the SE series, while it does jump up a price bracket, you are getting a hell of a lot more phone. Understandably if you wanted an SE form factor (or myself with a mini) then the bigger size alone is a whole different ballpark though.
Realistically I can’t really see much crossover of SE buyer vs this, but that can definitely be seen as a negative for those hoping for a new one.
Beware A18 chip has less core compare to iPhone 16, not same chip.
Apple doing magic to raise price for the next iPhone and by trying to justify this look like good deal. Lol
Just got iPhone 16 or even S25 will do better.
Beware A18 chip has less core compare to iPhone 16, not same chip.
it's 1 less GPU core so the only difference matters for gaming.
iPhone 16
does this mean there will be "e" edition every year?
Stop encouraging apple to manufacture more ewaste
Apple products last a lot longer than Android, who are making more ewaste since their products typically don't get as much use in the long run.
Apple phones aren’t that great but man, the android fanboys are just so rabid….
A small 8gb 1 camera granny/uncle phone should be $700-800 at most. The biggest issue with this phone is the processor is too expensive, too good. Uncle Bob isn't likely to dig into the AI features.
I wonder how big the overlap in the Venn diagram is between people that want high powered AI SoC and a small one camera system.
It’s not really a high powered SoC to Apple, it would’ve been throw away otherwise due to the defective GPU core.
Apple intelligence lol
From what I've seen it should be renamed to apple unintelligence. Doesn't do much right
Trash phone thats already 2 years out of date
It doesn't have UWB so it won't work with the Airtag.
So I'm going to give it a miss.
I know this thinking is a little out of date, but they are a bit sh@t at actually picking up signal and working as a phone. We do a bit of travelling and my wife often will connect to the hotspot on my Samsung to get access. She has a 14pro. Same carrier and plan.
Clearly not a massive issue for city only, i guess. But if they needed to do one job……..
will be holding on to my Sony Ericsson until it dies an untimely death.
Which model lmao
Getting a refurb 13 mini later this year. Big phones don’t interest me as I have a fold 5 that do that for me.
This iPhone 16e is a disgrace. Should be a 13 mini chassis with Dynamic Island and silicon carbon battery with wifi 7
I have the 13 mini, so this phone should have been the ideal progression for me, as I am happy with the smaller size in my pocket.
But I'm not buying it. The price and lack of wireless charging kills it for me.
It should be an $800 phone with magsafe wireless charging.
I expect there will be a wireless charging add on for the 16e made by someone soon, as this was even available for my 4S back in the day.
I have bought a 4S, 2020SE, and the 13mini previously.
The 13 mini is still good for my needs.
My 13 Mini battery health is 82%, and I have wireless chargers at home, work, and car.
Battery is only a problem when travelling, but a magsafe portable battery keeps me alive.
The only thing I really hate with the 13 mini, are 2 camera issues:
1. The cameras inability to focus on anything much closer than 25cm. Which means taking a photo from further away, then digitally zooming in and cropping, which then reduces resolution.
2. Poor low light photos.
I hope the 16e bombs and Apple come to their senses releasing a worthy follow up to the S, SE, and Mini ranges.
Hey, I'm in much the same boat (12 mini here), but this does have wireless charging, albeit slow @ 7.5W. It just doesn't have the magsafe magnets. But I agree, should be in there, and yes, it feels slightly too expensive.
I think what Apple did is correct in terms of pricing and features. First of all, if you are still comparing value for money of iPhone and Android, then clearly you are not their target market. Apple has always been in the premium segment of smartphones and will remain so. iPhone 16e is clearly for someone who wants to be in Apple ecosystem but don't need all of the fancy stuff on the PRO phones and can should last for the next 5 years.
Its priced well if you compare to base iphone 16 which is still 40% more. If iPhone 16e is priced less than that, then iPhone 16e will destroy the sales of iPhone16 which is not what apple would've wanted. Clearly, apple still want you to spend more on their most expensive product, it will be silly for them to make a budget phone which makes all of their other phones no longer worth it to buy.
I think people who complaint about iPhone 16e are Android users who can't accept the fact that Apple don't want to compete in pricing with Android phone, what they want is to create an exclusive environment only for Apple users. I'm sure lots of people who've owned any iphone 12 series or older who don't want to spend $2k on a new phone would be really happy to switch to this iPhone 16e.
Btw, I've been Android users for the past 5 years now, but I know iPhone's value can't be justified by just specs on paper.
Yes but I am waiting for a more reasonable price. My partner hates phones with large cameras, so I guess 16e is what he needs (He is still using iPhone 6s Plus).
Some patience on your partner . Yeah this one is pretty simple wet design.
Just price beat on Officeworks using costco price, then use 10% off giftcards to pay. That's about 20% savings.
Apparently the chassis is small