Both arguments could be true. I am leaning towards the dropped low cost SE rather than the new lower price last year’s model.
People who waited for an SE of an I Phone are disappointed. No more SE I don’t think but 16E will probably won’t get replaced for at least another 2/3 years too.
Every SE was constrained at launch, minutes after they went on sale.
The 16e is not. That in itself is noteworthy.
This is indeed noteworthy and worth discussing.
It is a steep price for a SE 4 but this is no SE. Apple doubled both memory and storage, went 48 MP, introduced FaceID, and delivered OLED while keeping it away from the cheap plastics of Android. It could never be a $449 phone. This phone is durable and designed to stay relevant. It is sold at 25% less than iPhone 16 just as XR was 25% less than XS. We knew about specs and import tariffs. Why didn't we see that that pricing would be a tier above SE? If we didn't get it then no wonder consumers are confused.
Not that the launch was good. Apple could have kept SE but made a connection between 16e and SE. Reviewers including Amber Neely then decided to compare it to iPhone 16 instead of to SE. Seems like a failed press briefing. Perhaps making it $499 without OLED would have been better.
Apple really, really wants you to compare the 16e to the 16. The 16 is a great selling device and now you can get a very comparable model (sans magnets, plus extra battery life) for $200 less. It's a great comparison in favor of the new device.
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