Why the iPhone 16E doesnt truly fit the iPhone SE's shoes

AppleInsider

The new iPhone 16e is surely the right combination of prices and features to be a hit, but the iPhone SE range that it has replaced will always be special.

The original and second generation iPhone SE

Here's how significant the iPhone SE was -- I actually remember what I was doing when it was announced back in 2016.

I wasn't working here yet. I was supposed to be going into a meeting, but instead, I stayed in my car reading AppleInsider for the latest coverage.

Oddly, what I don't remember is which iPhone I was reading that on. I just immediately knew, like so many millions of other people, that I was going to buy an iPhone SE.

And, I just asked the AppleInsider staff about it. I'm not the only one here that did so.

I wouldn't be buying it for myself, I wouldn't be buying it to replace my iPhone Whatever, I'd be buying one for my wife. As much as she likes iPhones, she's not a heavy user of one and I think at the time she was still rocking an iPhone 5 from 2012.

So many iPhones, so many users, but the original iPhone SE stood out for its combination of features and price.

I'm not sure that original model lasted as well as other iPhones though, I don't think it aged well. For by 2020 when the second generation iPhone SE came out, I was more than ready to replace the original.

Again it was the price, that very nice $399, and again it was how this got a light iPhone user what she really needed.

Only, if the original version just felt old to us after a few years, the second generation model rather soon started to feel slow. Maybe it was my grumbling about the Home button as I'd put down my iPhone 11 Pro to use it, maybe that helped sour the iPhone SE 2 for my wife.

The speed issue, at least, was doubtlessly solved by the launch of the $429 iPhone SE 3 in 2022 -- but I wasn't ever to know. For when I'd moved on to an iPhone 12 Pro, I gave my iPhone 11 Pro to my wife.

Apple's third-generation iPhone SE

She's currently using an iPhone 14 Pro while I'm on an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and neither of us would now tolerate the slowness of the iPhone SE 3. Nor the Home button, which just seems prehistoric today.

It follows, then, that neither of us are going to trade in to get the new iPhone 16e. I couldn't -- Apple's trade-in offers on that new model do not include the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

They do include the iPhone 14 Pro, though, for which Apple offers up to $630 in trade-in. So switching to the new iPhone 16e could be free for her, and she would gain Apple Intelligence.

The original iPhone SE was a gateway drug for users for whom the regular iPhone's price was not justifiable for many. It was the same for the second and third -- now seemingly the last -- generation of the iPhone SE 2.

Not only was it a gateway drug for users, but it was also an effective transition phone for Apple to shift to a Services-heavy company. More users, buying in at a lower price point, means more Services revenue.

Right now, on launch day of the iPhone 16e, it looks like the new phone is delivering Apple Intelligence at the best possible price. It looks like it has a startling array of features, enough so that it doesn't feel as cut-down as the old iPhone SE, or not quite.

But less than being the low-cost on-ramp to the iPhone and iOS that the iPhone SE always was, the iPhone 16e is targeting existing users. It is so clearly being aimed at users who've held on to their old iPhones for years.

So in a way, the very spirit of the iPhone SE has gone. Even if the three generations of the iPhone SE had compromised, and even though they sold most only on price, they were a unique part of Apple's lineup.

Long live the iPhone 16e, but let's pay our last respects to the little iPhone SE range.



Read on AppleInsider

lukevaxhacker

You completely missed one of the other reasons people bought and kept their iPhone SEs: they're the smaller size of the iPhone 7 and 8. Some people have complained and probably still complain the new phones are too big. And we held onto the Home button. Finally in December we turned in our iPhone SE *second editions* for iPhone 14s, and for me, an iPhone 15 Pro Max (for 512 GB of storage - as much as my daughter's new MacBook Air from Costco not an in store model, but on sale and delivered to a store to insure we got it…). Getting used to swiping around…

Fingerprint scanning is more simple than Face scanning… Especially with my wife worried about the Mask On option (and she has a point on security).

bobolicious

lukevaxhacker said:

You completely missed one of the other reasons people bought and kept their iPhone SEs: they're the smaller size of the iPhone 7 and 8. Some people have complained and probably still complain the new phones are too big. And we held onto the Home button. Finally in December we turned in our iPhone SE *second editions* for iPhone 14s, and for me, an iPhone 15 Pro Max (for 512 GB of storage - as much as my daughter's new MacBook Air from Costco not an in store model, but on sale and delivered to a store to insure we got it…). Getting used to swiping around…

Fingerprint scanning is more simple than Face scanning… Especially with my wife worried about the Mask On option (and she has a point on security).

... and for this customer the rounded edges with an ultra slim case mean I rarely notice the 7/8/SE format in even a pant pocket, and I can continue to use most legacy accessories such as the amazing Zeiss Exolens from the iPhone 7 days...

edited February 19

alterbentzion

I have to say I'm disappointed - not in the hardware, but in the loss of a relatively affordable iPhone. I'd love to replace my SE 2020, but not for twice what I paid for it as an open-box phone.

headfull0wine

And then there’s the enterprise bulk purchases. Companies  will usually order whatever is cheapest. We buy around 500-1000 SE’s per year, with a 2-3 year turnover timeline. If you don’t like what they’re offering, you can go BYOD and get a $25/month subsidy. It doesn’t fully cover your device and plan, but if you want the latest greatest, pony up. 

yyzguy

alterbentzion said:

I have to say I'm disappointed - not in the hardware, but in the loss of a relatively affordable iPhone. I'd love to replace my SE 2020, but not for twice what I paid for it as an open-box phone.

Exactly!  I was really looking forward to a new SE.  This is definitely not it.  Very disappointed and not sure what to do now.  The 2020 battery can’t keep up, do want UWB.   Don’t care about Apple Intelligence.   Not impressed.

amberneely

I never jump in and comment on stuff, but this was a really nice read, William. I am honestly kinda sad to see the iPhone SE go. My dad's always had the SE lineup, Josie's got an SE. I had the first SE when it came out and I loved it. 

I've been holding on to my iPhone 13 mini for as long as I could, hoping that the iPhone SE 4 would be a compelling purchase. The iPhone 16e isn't compelling. At that point, I'd rather just pony up the extra $100 to get MagSafe, Dynamic Island, and the extra camera on the iPhone 15. I know it only has the A16, but I'm not a power user (Which would be why I'd be looking at the iPhone 16e in the first place.)

Or I could just pony up the extra $200 to get the iPhone 16 base model which has all the stuff that the iPhone 15 has, has the A18 chip, comes in better colors, has significantly better cameras, and the new camera button. 

I dunno. It feels like the 16e should have more features or cost less. As Wes said earlier, $599 is a tough sell.

RIP, SE, I was hoping we'd one day meet again.

edited February 20

pulseimages

Did Apple raise the price of the 16E in anticipation of the upcoming tariffs?

daalseth

pulseimages said:

Did Apple raise the price of the 16E in anticipation of the upcoming tariffs?

Honestly I think prices will go up again due to tariffs. However, when they finally are removed prices will not go down.
But then I’m feeling really cynical t)ward Apple right now. 

mactac

I spend lots of time online... AT HOME. I use my iPad and Mac Mini all the time. But I do not spend much time on the phone nor do I do much texting. So when I'm on the go the small size of my SE is perfect. When I do go out 'in the real world' I set the online world aside and enjoy everything else. So a bigger, heavier 16e that also is much higher in price holds no interest for me.

hshshuxunsndn8i

They do include the iPhone 14 Pro, though, for which Apple offers up to $630 in trade-in. So switching to the new iPhone 16e could be free for her, and she would gain Apple Intelligence.

edited February 23

hshshuxunsndn8i

According to Apple's own website, your wife would only get up to $370 trade in value for her iPhone 14 Pro, not $630 you quoted. That's still over 60% of the base storage optioned iPhone 16e, but nowhere near free.