I, too, am not thrilled about this release. I'm quickly approaching the "no choice but to upgrade" point with my iPhone SE (just plain SE, as in, the original) because apps are starting to drop support. I just want as close to the same experience as I can get. That's not going to be a 16e. And I don't want to buy an SE3 that's years old the day it's bought. C'mon, Apple, there are people of folks that want quality without all the bells and whistles.
An SE3 would be a great upgrade from your SE1 and you can get a refurb for under $200. The SE3 might be a few years old but it's still got at least a couple more years of the latest OS updates to go. With Apples history, there may be another SE in a couple years. - SE1 launched in 2016 - SE1 spec bumped in 2017 - SE1 discontinued in 2018 when the Xr (the 16e's real predecessor) was launched - No SE for two years - SE2 launched in 2020 - SE2 updated to SE3 in 2022 (same form factor, but a little more than just the spec bump of the first gen SE) - SE3 discontinued in 2025 when the 16e was launched
For those who subscribe to the theory that everyone must be classified and placed into a schema that neglects human individuality and life experiences, I would be classified as a boomer, a late-boomer to be more precise. I prefer to say that individuals born at any point in time and place are shaped by their need to survive in the environment and during the period of time and the environment in which they live. The hard skills and soft skills individuals need to develop to get by, make a living, and be productive contributors to their family, their community, and society at large are always changing. It’s a very individual thing, not something that fits the “slot everyone into predefined classification buckets” model. I can rebuild a carburetor and operate and maintain an iPhone. Why? Because I had to learn those things and many more things to get by.
When you really think about it, many of the things that are most corrosive to past and present human societies is rooted in the propensity to strip individuals of their uniqueness and individuality. The wild card of course is that some individuals are always curious, highly adaptable, and continue to seek out and acquire knowledge and learn new skill throughout their lives and through personal life experiences and necessity. The wild card factor is independent of when or where you were born or what broad category or classification bucket you’re slotted into when your individuality is stripped away.
How does this relate in any way to the products that Apple creates? It’s all about me as an individual flipping the script and viewing purchase decisions through a “pull” model rather than the conventional marketing “push” model. Even though product marketing is heavily focused on “pushing” certain products into certain categories and demographics of consumers, i.e., targeted marketing, I believe it is much more productive and satisfying for me as an individual to view Apple’s (and all other manufacturers’) portfolio of products from a “pull” perspective and ignore the marketing hype. Apple presents a variety of choices from which to choose and I “pull” out the one that best fits my individual needs when all of my factors for selection are considered.
It’s perfectly fine and probably very smart that Apple puts a ton of effort into understanding their customers and putting together bundles of features in product variations at price points that they believe will appeal to certain categories of buyers they’ve created. If they are very good at this, they will get a lot of “pulls” and sell a lot of products. As an individual I don’t want to lose my “pull power,” i.e., choice, and I’m concerned that Apple’s (and others) desire to “push” things that they’ve invested millions and possibly billions into creating, like Apple Intelligence, is going to limit my ability to choose what I need rather than what Apple wants me to have. So no, I don’t see the iPhone 16e as a boomer phone or a phone targeted to cash strapped individuals. I see it only as another buying option in Apple’s portfolio of iPhones. It stands on its own and it will sink or swim depending solely on what it has to offer to prospective buyers looking to “pull” the trigger on a purchase decision.
Couldn't have said it better myself, so I didn't. Solid.
“Intelligence” is what the “i” in “iPhone” is. After all, the iPhone has ALWAYS been the most intelligent phone on the market since it came out and it gets more intelligent with every model.
If Apple decides to launch the iPhone 17e, then we can say that Apple got it right. If not, then they probably got it wrong. Of course, hardcore Apple fans would argue that it was always part of the plan even if Apple decides to not launch iPhone 17e next year. But let us wait and see what happens.
Honestly, I think you've summed it up pretty well. I think the market will dictate whether or not this thing takes off. While I'd love to say the comment section here is telling, we all know anyone who has an account here is at least in some way aware of how Apple operates. Anyone posting on an Apple-centric site is going to have some biases one way or another.
I've had a very limited pool of people who are aware enough to notice that the iPhone 16e launched while also not feeling strongly about Apple as a whole. But also, I think that kind of describes about 50% of the original SE audience, so maybe folks will see the iPhone 16e and go "Huh. I guess that's the new budget entry iPhone." and get it anyway. I mean, I certainly think that's going to happen, but I dunno in what quantity.
I think the primary audience in that specific demographic are the people who may think the iPhone SE 4 is coming and will slide in closer to the $450 mark. Because honestly, with everything being as expensive as it is right now, an iPhone under $500 sounds pretty darn good.
I, too, am not thrilled about this release. I'm quickly approaching the "no choice but to upgrade" point with my iPhone SE (just plain SE, as in, the original) because apps are starting to drop support. I just want as close to the same experience as I can get. That's not going to be a 16e. And I don't want to buy an SE3 that's years old the day it's bought. C'mon, Apple, there are people of folks that want quality without all the bells and whistles.
My friend has the SE3 and she was like "If this one gets too bad, I'm gonna keep buying refurbished SE 3s until all of the apps are unsupported. And by that point, maybe the earth will have exploded or something and I won't need to worry about it."
I think, weirdly enough, that kind of gave me a reason to not upgrade my 13 mini until it quits working. And then maybe, if it's still well supported, just buy another one.
So I do get the hesitation of buying a years-old phone, but the fact that the iPhone SE 2 is still supported kind of gives me a little tiny bit of hope that I can milk this until the potential release of a new iPhone SE-class phone.
The iPhone 16e isn't that good of a deal. When the iPhone SE 3 was released, it was priced at $429. The then-current mainline iPhone, the iPhone 13, was priced at $799. That's a savings of about 46%. The iPhone 16e costs $599. The iPhone 16 still costs $799. That's a savings of only 25%. That's significantly less.
iPhone 16e is no SE. 16e is a modern XR featuring FaceID, latest gen processor, a 48 MP lens, and even OLED. A major improvement compared to SE. Unlike similar phones from Samsung and Google the 16e is no plastic phone.
Pricing. XR became very popular and delivered 25% savings on XS just as 16e is 25% less than the fantastic iPhone 16. Users can buy a $10 magnetic cover if they want. Same as for XR, SE, and Android.
I'm sure Apple would have liked a $499 or $549 price but inflation and import duty made it impossible this year.
The easiest way to make a less expensive iPhone without compromising on quality would have been to build it around an older CPU.
Untrue. The point of the iPhone SE was to offer a lower cost phone, but at the same time, offer the same performance as the current flagship phone. The original iPhone SE was priced at $349, but offered the exact same CPU as the iPhone 6s, which was the flagship phone at the time. So you got a lower cost phone without sacrificing the performance. The 16e is not a replacement for the iPhone SE. It is just a weird phone that did not need to exist in the first place. Apple used to discount the previous models way more than they do now, making the previous models a great deal if you did not want the latest flagship phone. Those days are gone, and now there are too many iPhone models and it is confusing to the normal consumer.
Spot on with the article. It points out all the weirdness with this phone model, and the same reasons why most people have no interest in it. That is why the phone hasn't even sold well in the pre-sale. All configs are still available.
Nice to see all the love for the mini iPhones here. Two of the phones on my account are 13 minis, and those family members don't want a larger phone...
I get that the minis only represented a small percentage of total sales, but didn't Apple sell millions of them? Not every phone needs to be in the top 10 does it? Obviously, you can't lose money on every sale, but I wonder how many units need to be sold to recoup development, tooling, and distribution costs. Seems to me that if you could sell millions of anything, that's still good business.
And here I am with a SE generation 1 ( that’s right SE Gen 1, and I’m in my 30s) that I love and was waiting for the SE 4 to finally shift to. Now I don’t know what to do.
Same here. I have been waiting for a newer smartphone that doesn't look and feel like a tablet. Was looking at the 13 Mini for a while but the SE was still doing what I needed from a smartphone (call, text messaging, WhatsApp, pay, hold travel tickets, GPS navigation, and more so called "basic" stuff) and still do BTW..
To me, size is a huge factor, what I need is an up-to-date device about the same size as the SE Gen 1. And it seems I'm not alone.
So the complaint here is that the entry level model lacks some of the features of the regular and premium models. Interesting.
It's not that it's missing features between regular and premium. It's that it's missing features between last generation and the generation that came out five months ago. And my issue is that the features that exist are perplexing, not that it's missing them.
While the iPhone 16e appears to be aimed at iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users looking to upgrade, IMO it misses even that target - that group is better served by just picking up a second-hand iPhone 14 Pro, for example.
To me, the iPhone 16e is a 'hard pass' for two reasons :
1) lack of Dynamic Island. There is ZERO reason for this omission in a device with the A18 chip, and the components all cost the same, since they are by now widely used across the entire iPhone line. Zero excuse to not provide the Dynamic Island. This omission feels more like a slap in the face and a pathetic cash grab of wanting to push buyers to the next higher model. Hard Pass.
2) lack of MagSafe. Same for all the good reasons you've already pointed out in your article, so I won't rehash these good reasons. Again, it feels like a slap in the face and a deliberate effort to present a 'cheapened' product. Hard Pass.
Personally, my iPhone 14 Pro has been performing well enough for me that I see very little reason to upgrade to an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 model ... Apple 'Intelligence' is more less similar to an early 'Newton' level handwriting joke, especially since the one component that could benefit the most from any sort of intelligence upgrade is Siri, and Apple's current solution is to have Siri ask *every single time* "would you like to use chatGPT for that" ... yeah, no thanks .. I'll just continue using the ChatGPT app on my iPhone 14 Pro, which appears to be doing a much better job that all of Apple 'Intelligence' on the newer models. So, again, Hard Pass.
Apple is really failing on too many fronts these days, mainly when it comes to small details that matter, or just simply bare functionality (that Siri is still pathetic after all these years is inexcusable) - and this is coming from an Apple Guy that bleeds in 6-colors ;-)
I am more upset with Apple not including Ultra Wideband in the 16E. Even the iphone 11 has it. It seems Apple really went backwards considering that a lot of iphone owners have multiple Airtags. It is so handy to locate our keys and wallets, etc. I realize that the SE model did not have it, but with the additional features added to the 16E, and the price increase, I just think that was a mistake to not include UWB. I would have considered purchasing the 16E, but I am just too spoiled with the detailed tracking with UWB and Airtags!
An iPhone mini (with the size of an iPhone 12/13 mini) and I would buy one instantly.
I would be awake, on Apple's site, credit card in hand, as soon as preorders started. I know they probably won't bring a mini back for the 17 cycle but like.... what if they did.
Reading your comments Amberneely, you should write more here. The humor is refreshing.
Thanks, I come from a family whose primary language is sarcasm and joking around. Mom always says "What's the difference between tragedy and comedy? Oh, about two weeks. Unless its us, and then it's about fifteen minutes."
I'll let her know she raised me right (and I'm sure it won't go to her head.)
So the complaint here is that the entry level model lacks some of the features of the regular and premium models. Interesting.
It's not that it's missing features between regular and premium. It's that it's missing features between last generation and the generation that came out five months ago. And my issue is that the features that exist are perplexing, not that it's missing them.
While the iPhone 16e appears to be aimed at iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users looking to upgrade, IMO it misses even that target - that group is better served by just picking up a second-hand iPhone 14 Pro, for example.
To me, the iPhone 16e is a 'hard pass' for two reasons :
1) lack of Dynamic Island. There is ZERO reason for this omission in a device with the A18 chip, and the components all cost the same, since they are by now widely used across the entire iPhone line. Zero excuse to not provide the Dynamic Island. This omission feels more like a slap in the face and a pathetic cash grab of wanting to push buyers to the next higher model. Hard Pass.
2) lack of MagSafe. Same for all the good reasons you've already pointed out in your article, so I won't rehash these good reasons. Again, it feels like a slap in the face and a deliberate effort to present a 'cheapened' product. Hard Pass.
Personally, my iPhone 14 Pro has been performing well enough for me that I see very little reason to upgrade to an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 model ... Apple 'Intelligence' is more less similar to an early 'Newton' level handwriting joke, especially since the one component that could benefit the most from any sort of intelligence upgrade is Siri, and Apple's current solution is to have Siri ask *every single time* "would you like to use chatGPT for that" ... yeah, no thanks .. I'll just continue using the ChatGPT app on my iPhone 14 Pro, which appears to be doing a much better job that all of Apple 'Intelligence' on the newer models. So, again, Hard Pass.
Apple is really failing on too many fronts these days, mainly when it comes to small details that matter, or just simply bare functionality (that Siri is still pathetic after all these years is inexcusable) - and this is coming from an Apple Guy that bleeds in 6-colors ;-)
No joke, I actually started researching the iPhone 14 Pro (price wise, I was here for the coverage of the 14. I know what the 14 is.) as a viable alternative to my 13 mini. I think I'd probably enjoy the camera upgrades quite a bit, and I've never had a Pro model before. I dunno. I'm being cheap and sentimental over my 13 mini, still. She's still kicking.
So the complaint here is that the entry level model lacks some of the features of the regular and premium models. Interesting.
No, the complaint is that Apple is prioritising as-yet uninteresting AI and not features that the author (and myself) actually care about or would get more use out of, including: MagSafe, more/better cameras, brighter display; and Dynamic Island instead of the ugly notch, to name but a few.
Comments
- SE1 launched in 2016
- SE1 spec bumped in 2017
- SE1 discontinued in 2018 when the Xr (the 16e's real predecessor) was launched
- No SE for two years
- SE2 launched in 2020
- SE2 updated to SE3 in 2022 (same form factor, but a little more than just the spec bump of the first gen SE)
- SE3 discontinued in 2025 when the 16e was launched
I've had a very limited pool of people who are aware enough to notice that the iPhone 16e launched while also not feeling strongly about Apple as a whole. But also, I think that kind of describes about 50% of the original SE audience, so maybe folks will see the iPhone 16e and go "Huh. I guess that's the new budget entry iPhone." and get it anyway. I mean, I certainly think that's going to happen, but I dunno in what quantity.
I think the primary audience in that specific demographic are the people who may think the iPhone SE 4 is coming and will slide in closer to the $450 mark. Because honestly, with everything being as expensive as it is right now, an iPhone under $500 sounds pretty darn good.
I think, weirdly enough, that kind of gave me a reason to not upgrade my 13 mini until it quits working. And then maybe, if it's still well supported, just buy another one.
So I do get the hesitation of buying a years-old phone, but the fact that the iPhone SE 2 is still supported kind of gives me a little tiny bit of hope that I can milk this until the potential release of a new iPhone SE-class phone.
Pricing. XR became very popular and delivered 25% savings on XS just as 16e is 25% less than the fantastic iPhone 16. Users can buy a $10 magnetic cover if they want. Same as for XR, SE, and Android.
I'm sure Apple would have liked a $499 or $549 price but inflation and import duty made it impossible this year.
I get that the minis only represented a small percentage of total sales, but didn't Apple sell millions of them? Not every phone needs to be in the top 10 does it? Obviously, you can't lose money on every sale, but I wonder how many units need to be sold to recoup development, tooling, and distribution costs. Seems to me that if you could sell millions of anything, that's still good business.
To me, size is a huge factor, what I need is an up-to-date device about the same size as the SE Gen 1. And it seems I'm not alone.
1) lack of Dynamic Island. There is ZERO reason for this omission in a device with the A18 chip, and the components all cost the same, since they are by now widely used across the entire iPhone line. Zero excuse to not provide the Dynamic Island. This omission feels more like a slap in the face and a pathetic cash grab of wanting to push buyers to the next higher model. Hard Pass.
2) lack of MagSafe. Same for all the good reasons you've already pointed out in your article, so I won't rehash these good reasons. Again, it feels like a slap in the face and a deliberate effort to present a 'cheapened' product. Hard Pass.
Personally, my iPhone 14 Pro has been performing well enough for me that I see very little reason to upgrade to an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 model ... Apple 'Intelligence' is more less similar to an early 'Newton' level handwriting joke, especially since the one component that could benefit the most from any sort of intelligence upgrade is Siri, and Apple's current solution is to have Siri ask *every single time* "would you like to use chatGPT for that" ... yeah, no thanks .. I'll just continue using the ChatGPT app on my iPhone 14 Pro, which appears to be doing a much better job that all of Apple 'Intelligence' on the newer models. So, again, Hard Pass.
Apple is really failing on too many fronts these days, mainly when it comes to small details that matter, or just simply bare functionality (that Siri is still pathetic after all these years is inexcusable) - and this is coming from an Apple Guy that bleeds in 6-colors ;-)
I'll let her know she raised me right (and I'm sure it won't go to her head.)