iPhone 16e Doesn't Have MagSafe

[alexjohnson]

I feel like you might be projecting - I don't really see anyone on this thread defending this lackluster release.

Yeah I’m not even sure if “lackluster” is the right word. It seems like a deliberately hobbled market segmentation device: less that the product ladder tempts you with, “well, if”m spending $x, then I might as well spend a bit more and get this even shinier thing…” than, “well, yes, this does indeed have 95% of what you want, and if you don’t care, you will be happy. But if you think you’re getting the 16 with less camera, er no, we saw you coming and have Intel Celleron’d it so you think again. Why? Because we can.” And, it seems different from previous SEs which were just recycled hardware: this case design has always had MagSafe, so it’s not like they didn’t squeeze it in, they took it out. And, they made a big deal about engineering the board, so again, no UWB seems like a choice, not just because the original version never had it either.

I have the 13 mini — love the format but clearly the war is lost, and battery isn’t great. I don’t need to replace and TBH would like to see the “17 Air” before up- or side-grading but I like the smallest possible phone and take pretty conventional photos, and even then tend to edit on my Mac. Blah blah but 16e was looking good, and I even get no mmWave with the C1, but MagSafe and UWB seem like deliberate gotchas so as not to cannibalize regular 16 sales. If something happens to my 13 mini the right answer is a refurb regular 16: so, rather than tempting me as the video certainly was, I am motivated to hold on and maybe get a battery swap done: this is not the droid I was looking for!

 

[turbineseaplane]

It seems like a deliberately hobbled market segmentation device: less that the product ladder tempts you with, “well, if”m spending $x, then I might as well spend a bit more and get this even shinier thing…” than, “well, yes, this does indeed have 95% of what you want, and if you don’t care, you will be happy.

You've just perfectly articulated Apple under Tim Cook

This $trategy is deployed across most of the product lines

 

[alexjohnson]

I can charge my iPhone SE 3 wirelessly with MagSafe… Am I missing somthing?

Yes. MagSafe is what allows the phone first to align itself properly so you don’t do that thing of just missing the charging surface. It also lets the phone stick to it, meaning you can use a bunch of accessories like car mounts and Apple’s own MagSafe wallet, and also those charging stands that allow nightstand mode (put it on at 90° and it displays an alarm clock interface, and dims itself). It’s not the end of the world but it is also one of those really nice things that makes an Apple product an Apple product. It’s just mystifying why they removed it from a case design they were recycling, and which did have it previously.

 

[alexjohnson]

This is a fair point but I don't use a case. I briefly considered buying the iPhone 16E today when I saw that it's shorter in length than the 16 but the lack of MagSafe ended that idea. I may have to replace the battery in my 13 mini while I wait for the 17 series. C'est la vie.

Exactly the same current phone, and prognosis.

 

[Dc2006ster]

I held off getting a 16 to replace my SE2 until we knew exactly what the new “SE” would look like. This 16e is very underwhelming particularly when for just $229 CAD more I can get a 16 so I wish I had not waited. Ah well off to the apple store for a 16.

 

[KSB]

Sad place to save, they should have supported MagSafe on every iPhone, not make it a stepping ladder

 

[Return Zero]

Yeah, this is a big miss. $599 and no MagSafe is a huuuuuuge mistake in my opinion. I'm honestly fine with the price increase if MagSafe is there. It is incomparably better than the outgoing SE spec-wise, and close enough to the regular 16 to not be a full $300 cheaper. But MagSafe has been a calling card of iPhones ever since the 12 & 12 mini (4.5 years ago!!). The MagSafe accessory ecosystem has taken a while to mature but it has gotten to a pretty great place by now. Many people I know have completely ditched wired charging over the years. To suddenly go feature-backwards 5 years, even for a budget model, is a harmful look to the brand and a consumer-hostile design choice.

 

[Stromos]

Looking at the cut features and the nonsense price the writing is on the wall. It's price will make sense by end of year when all the other prices go up.

Just please think of the shareholders.

 

[Truefan31]

Terrible omission. We’re talking the iPhone 12 had this. Such a cheap move.

 

[cihag]

The MagSafe thing… Eh, most people use cases anyway and I‘m sure case manufacturers will include magnets…

But the price? Shame…

 

[Tagbert]

I imagine that Apple had planned to bump the price for this phone to avoid cannibalizing iPhone 16 sales but with the new tariffs they have added those into this new even higher price.

 

[baryon]

I'd just get a 1-2 year old flagship iPhone, brand new, for a lower price, from a shop that still sells them. That way you get features this new phone still doesn't have.

 

[chars1ub0w]

Would anyone pay $600-900 for something without MagSafe (and access to that ecosystem)? 16e will go down in history as the worst move Apple has made to protect its regular line of iPhones.
I can imagine the product manager meeting: we must delete something more than extra cameras from the 16e, what? Suggestions, people?

 

[wiivile]

such a strange omission

 

[Cervisia]

I was initially happy, no coils and magnet means more space for battery. Then it turns out it still has wireless charging, it just sucks. Worst of both worlds. This phone is pointless, for his price very few people will beta test their modem.

 

[mlayer]

I'm sorry, if I'm shopping for a phone for my 81-year-old dad, I am absolutely getting a case for him. It's likely that a good percentage of new cases will include MagSafe, so if he wants that he's covered. Because he doesn't drive anymore due to cognitive/vision issues, I can't think of a lot of MagSafe use cases other than a bedside charging stand. People who keep arguing that MagSafe is a make-or-break feature on a decidedly midrange phone have little sense of normal people's priorities. Unless you personally are severely budget constrained this is not high on the priority list - if you choose to prioritize MagSafe.

 

[nordique]

MagSafe is one of the best features on iOS devices. Pretty surprising omission.

 

[iHorseHead]

Are there any good Android phones priced at $500 or less?

If so, Apple seems happy to say goodbye to consumers on a budget.

There are many Android phones that are great and priced at $500 or less, especially in Europe. In my. country iPhone 16e will be 800€.
There's a deal in my country where you can get Samsung Galaxy S25 for 700€ + Samsung's Earbuds as well for free if you buy right now and you can also get better intelligence than Apple AI + 256GB and 12GB of RAM and 120hz display.
Google Pixel 8A is going for 400€ too + there are many other phones out there.
INFINIX Hot 50i 4 is 100€ and it also has an AI and 120hz display.

I am honestly very disappointed.

 

[picpicmac]

Finally a phone that is safe for those who have pacemakers... and the whiners in the forums come out in drove to condemn it.

 

[chars1ub0w]

Finally a phone that is safe for those who have pacemakers... and the whiners in the forums come out in drove to condemn it.

Medtronic says MagSafe is safe.

Medtronic Statement - Magnets in iPhone 12/Heart Rhythm Journal

Medtronic has analyzed iPhone technology and found that it presents no increased risk of interference with Medtronic implantable cardiac rhythm devices, such as pacemakers, implantable...

news.medtronic.com

This published study did a test.
"Results: We discovered that the magnets inside iPhone 12 trigger the magnetic mode in the 12 tested devices up to a distance of 1 cm."

iPhone 12 MagSafe technology and cardiac implantable devices: Assessment of the actual risk - PMC

Pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are equipped with a magnetic sensor activated by external application of magnets to easily manage some functions of these devices. If activated inadvertently or outside a controlled ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[picpicmac]

Medtronic says MagSafe is safe.

You know you could have easily also found links that warns people with pacemakers to keep devices with magnets some distance from their heart.

 

[chars1ub0w]

You know you could have easily also found links that warns people with pacemakers to keep devices with magnets some distance from their heart.

Better to have actual data, no? I cited a published study where they actually tested and found 1cm was the result.
Suppose MagSafe wasn't safe, wouldn't there have been many cases and lots of news by now?

 

[brofkand]

In case I'm not the only one who cares about this - that PROBABLY means, by extension, that it doesn't support "Standby Mode Always-On Display" and possibly Standby Mode at all. Was hoping for this, if it wasn't clear lol.

My iPhone SE doesn't have MagSafe, but it supports standby mode.

 

[meDANOcine]

Is the omission of MagSafe related to the Apple modem? It has been well-documented that Apple struggled to build a modem. Maybe the magnetic interference was part of the problem?

 

[witchcult]

LOL