Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
it comes ios 18.3 build 22D8063 but the 18.3.1 update is already available for the 16e with build 22D8075
here is the 18.3.1 ipsw for the 16e: https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2025W...BB4A95/iPhone17,5_18.3.1_22D8075_Restore.ipsw
here is the 18.3.1 ipsw for the 16e: https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2025W...BB4A95/iPhone17,5_18.3.1_22D8075_Restore.ipsw
Last edited:
A good point about Watch SE ... probably next on the chopping block
I doubt SE branding will remain
interesting idea.
i can try to see a scenario where that happens. current android users who want an iPhone that looks modern and yet costs less than the other iPhone models. so, yes, that could happen.
but i think this phone is a Frankenstein phone.
everything about this phone looks like it was designed using a check list.
large screen. check.
reduce features like mag safe to achieve better cost. check.
iPhone branded. check.
apple raising the price for its lowest cost iPhone to achieve better profit. check.
keep colour options limited. check. (probably add a colour next year. check.)
this is a supply-chain inspired phone. and Tim is a supply chain guy.
this phone is soul-less. uninspiring. dull. and, not inexpensive.
its not a surprise. ever since 2 years ago when the basic rumour was that it would be based on an iPhone 14 indicated the it is the phone that apple has intended from the very beginning.
hard pass on this. and that's coming from me, who is still using an iPhone SE(2).
i think i can see this iPhone 16E giving google pixel sales a great boost. with some people actually considering leaving the apple platform and trying a google pixel phone.
Android has come a long way and is offering the same possibilities as Apple and even more. There isn’t any difference in ecosystems anymore except Apple only works with Apple where other brands are compatible with all android. The ecosystem Apple is offering is closed and limited especially when you live outside the US.
Nothing of these things you mentioned are something that makes the overall experience differentiated from 100% of all other smartphones of today and tomorrow.
A hot cake that tastes like any other and cheaper cakes will not easily be promoted. Trade in for what? You can trade in for a pixel and get the same for less. The only thing that makes smartphones unique nowadays is the integrated password management. Everything else is sadly identical, those times were the apple eco system stood out are long gone.
A lot of people are framing this phone all wrong. This may have replaced the SE but it, more importantly, replaced the 14 which started at the same $599 price point. You lose the ultra-wide, a gpu core and MagSafe but gain a significantly better main processor, more ram, usb c, the 48MP camera , better battery life, and AI if you’re interested in it.
This phone is like a point for point improvement in the areas most customers are interested in while cutting the ones which are less valued.
This phone is like a point for point improvement in the areas most customers are interested in while cutting the ones which are less valued.
Newer technology is expected in new products
It also generally gets less expensive over time
People are right to complain
"The new iPhone 16e will allow Apple to test out the in-house modem before starting to include it in its primary iPhone models..
“This is a test vehicle,” said Edward Snyder, a managing director of Charter Equity Research and a longtime wireless industry expert. “Apple wants to get field data on how well it works before they release it into the iPhone 17.”"
WSJ 2/19/25
Appears that the 16E owners will be test subjects on how the new modem does to see if Apple may release it later into the iPhone 17 models.
“This is a test vehicle,” said Edward Snyder, a managing director of Charter Equity Research and a longtime wireless industry expert. “Apple wants to get field data on how well it works before they release it into the iPhone 17.”"
WSJ 2/19/25
Appears that the 16E owners will be test subjects on how the new modem does to see if Apple may release it later into the iPhone 17 models.
It's 600$ for a "budget" iPhone...you pay for the name and brand. But take into consideration that the original iPhone costed $499 for 4GB and had almost no features compared to this one and with today's inflation that is about $730.
As a stock owner I'm happy about them bringing in the moneyMr. Cook. Remember the three P’s: Price price and price.📱
Apple's loss.
If Apple thought doing the SE series for a few years would get people sucked in to the Apple ecosystem then they'd henceforth be locked-in and willing to pay a lot more for Apple phones and watches they thought wrongly—at least in the cases of my wife and I.
We'll just go back to buying used stuff off Swappa, eBay, etc. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
600 (closer to 700 after tax) bucks for the new "budget" iphone with no magsafe, binned gpu, notch, 60hz refresh rate, and only 128gb. Hilariously poor value. It's just too damn expensive for what it is. I really wish I didn't hate Android so I could just buy the new pixel 9a and feel like I got something for my money other than an unwanted buggering.
The SE is truly dead. Once the mac Mini of the iphone lineup. New one came along every few years and overperformed w/r/t price point. One of the true value buys Apple offered up. Welp, no more.
The SE is truly dead. Once the mac Mini of the iphone lineup. New one came along every few years and overperformed w/r/t price point. One of the true value buys Apple offered up. Welp, no more.
I guess the price difference is regional. Here it's 110$ difference for the 128GB model.
Again, for those that are negative about it. Won't most people just see this as a cheaper iPhone 16? Won't they just buy this and save 200 usd?
If the framing is this is a 150 dollar increase for the SE, I get the beef, but I don't think that's how it's being sold, or how most will see it. They'll see the 800 usd iPhone 16 with basically the same screen and internals for 200 less. Explain to me why this won't be the case and out sell the regular 16.
If the framing is this is a 150 dollar increase for the SE, I get the beef, but I don't think that's how it's being sold, or how most will see it. They'll see the 800 usd iPhone 16 with basically the same screen and internals for 200 less. Explain to me why this won't be the case and out sell the regular 16.
I never got fooled by that logic.
When i was a kid they still had black and white tv sets running in many houses. However, the more modern color sets became technically better each year and the prices went down. The first tv costed as much as a car. Today, a 60 inch flat tv that outperforms the first tv in all aspects can be drawn from the discount shelf for 400 dollars. Inflation or not, it's drastically cheaper.
The Pixel 9a eats this thing alive on the spec sheet and I do think it will win over more people who want a good smartphone that's not a thousand bucks or more. An SE around 400 dollars was such a no brainer for cost conscious people -- with life becoming insanely more expensive and income not rising to match, now the cheaper and likely better Pixel 9a is where normal people who still want something decent will throw their money.
This is an iPhone 16 not an SE. You can get a current gen iPhone 16 for 599 now. Not 799, but 599. OLED, 6+ inch screen, current gen chipset doing all the AI gimmicks, longer battery life. My only question is how the GPU will impact kids and gaming.
People on here are missing the boat imo.
People on here are missing the boat imo.
I wonder why Elon retweeted it.
Maybe it was just a nod to Apple advertising on X again
Maybe it was just a nod to Apple advertising on X again
Very disappointed, costly, and nothing but a iPhone 16 with new pajamas , nothing new and represents Apple ending a smaller phone. Very SAD day!!!
Apparently that John guy thinks
Askin for a lil magnetism or
Magnetic Ring is a bridge too far
for folks lookin for a lower price point on their iPhone 💀