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jntdroid

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 12, 2011
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This might seem like a pointless post, but I just realized the 16e only weighs 0.07 ounces more than the Air (1.99 grams). That made me think of a couple of things...

First, further confirmation the Air is impressive given its footprint, excellent screen, and the fact that it still weighs less than the 16e (albeit, probably not noticeably less).

Second, prior to the Air, there was already an extremely light phone in the line-up that's even more one-handable than the Air and has solid battery life as well. Yeah there are a few other slight differences in these phones (/s), but don't forget about the 16e's of the world... ;)

#underdogs
 
There's no doubt Air shows off legendary Apple engineering. But to be fair, the 16e is a repackaged iPhone 14.

If we think of Air as the "17e Plus" it tells you how the pricing doesn't make sense except to a niche group of buyers.

iPhone 16e is $599. Below are customary charges we normally see from Apple.

+$100 for 256GB storage
+$100 for "Plus" form factor

That leaves $200 as the "luxury" Air tax. You really have to be an enthusiast to buy it.
 
There's no doubt Air shows off legendary Apple engineering. But to be fair, the 16e is a repackaged iPhone 14.

If we think of Air as the "17e Plus" it tells you how the pricing doesn't make sense except to a niche group of buyers.

iPhone 16e is $599. Below are customary charges we normally see from Apple.

+$100 for 256GB storage
+$100 for "Plus" form factor

That leaves $200 as the "luxury" Air tax. You really have to be an enthusiast to buy it.

Well, there's also 50% more RAM, better processor, faster storage, significantly better screen, better camera, etc.

But there's definitely still a luxury tax, especially when you start factoring in the price of the standard 17.

I didn't communicate it great, but the highlight I was trying to point out was that the 16e was already a very lightweight phone relative to their overall lineup, and I believe the lightest since the 2022 SE. But I agree, still basically a repackaged 14... ;)
 
I didn't communicate it great, but the highlight I was trying to point out was that the 16e was already a very lightweight phone relative to their overall lineup, and I believe the lightest since the 2022 SE. But I agree, still basically a repackaged 14... ;)

The 16e is like a hybrid between 14 and SE with updated chipset.

I got the 16e ($5.99/mo without trade-in on AT&T) for my mom and she's happy with it. The iPhone 15 was available for the same price but the 16e's ~4000 mAh battery won out over the newer design and ultrawide camera.
 
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I always thought the 16e was a good phone due to its weight. If the Air hadn’t been released I would have bought the 17e assuming they keep the weight down.
 
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I always thought the 16e was a good phone due to its weight. If the Air hadn’t been released I would have bought the 17e assuming they keep the weight down.
I have both right now and I’m still debating because the battery on the 16e is still so solid for me. The Air’s battery has been fine, but definitely doesn’t hang on to its charge as well as the 16e in my day to day usage. But the Air is so nice to use… 🤷‍♂️
 
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There's no doubt Air shows off legendary Apple engineering. But to be fair, the 16e is a repackaged iPhone 14.

If we think of Air as the "17e Plus" it tells you how the pricing doesn't make sense except to a niche group of buyers.

iPhone 16e is $599. Below are customary charges we normally see from Apple.

+$100 for 256GB storage
+$100 for "Plus" form factor

That leaves $200 as the "luxury" Air tax. You really have to be an enthusiast to buy it.

How about paying a little more for MagSafe, Dynamic Island, Always on Display, 120hz refresh rate, extra screen size (6.5 v 6.1), upgraded processor, and better camera system (has sensor shift image stabilization and a much better selfie camera).

I’d say that all this collectively is probably worth the extra $200 over the 16e (with equal storage).
 
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