iPhone 16e Is the 16e really priced that bad?

[webkit]

A Nissan driver can drive on the same roads, use the same parking lots, listen to the same radio stations, use the same toll interfaces and fill up or charge at the same stations as a BMW.

Apple is excluding a significant number of people from the ecosystem by not offering a reasonably-priced iPhone which is simply uncool.

So? A 16e user can make and receive same types of calls and texts, use same types of apps, take pictures and videos, etc. like other iPhone users can. The difference, much like with cars as well as many other products, is the levels of performance, features, etc.

The 16e, 16, 16 Pro, etc. have various similarities but also several differences which is why they have different price points. Again, much like cars...but you shouldn't go into a BMW showroom looking for Nissan starting prices just as you shouldn't go into an Apple Store looking for Motorola starting pricing.

 

[Unami]

Sure, if you compare it to the old SE, it's only a little more overpriced, but at €709 it's still an eyewatering price for something that cries "mediocrity".

One "loss" you forgot is different colors.

The thing is that this is imo just geared to exploit people. If you appreciate things like a better camera, the bland colors and design choices are here to push you up apple's price ladder towards the regular iPhone. If you don't care about that and need just a smmartphone for everyday smartphone duties like talking, writing messages, taking the occasional photo of the grandkids and online banking, you could pay those €710 through the nose or buy a compareable android phone that does everything you need and more for less than a third of the price.

We'll see how it plays out in the end, but as someone who already had 2 SE models, to me this is the by far least attractive one of the bunch, and that comes mostly down to pricing. And maybe a little to design. The 5s and the 7, where the SEs got their design from, were pretty pretty imo, the 14 not so much. I don't see the point of paying premium for a phone with a not so good camera, that's just as big as the regular ones (a disadvantage in my book) and looks boring or even a little ugly on top of it. Imho they should have made it cheaper, not more expensive.

Granted, I'm a techie, I'll hold on to my used 13mini long enough to get a used 17 or 18 air or even a foldable, so I might not be in the target audience. I also don't care about the camera for example because even the cameras of the pro are not that good. Still puny phone cameras, one just even worse in every measure. But it makes the 16e unattractive.

I know a lot of people who had an SE as a sort of budget iphone that worked with their mac/watch/ipad/homepod/carplay or got it from their company or got one for their kids. For me personally and maybe for other people as well, €709 is above the pain threshhold. Like the old SE might have been the entry-point to the apple ecosystem, this might be the exit wound.

 

[AlixSPQR]

If you are using pricing other than Apple retail, are there not potentially other vendors with lower prices for the 16e too?

Not by much, yet, since the model is new, the cheapest I found was this model:

https://www.computersalg.se/i/24044239/apple-iphone-16e-5g-smartphone-dual-sim-internminne-128-gb-oled-sk%C3%A4rm-6-1-2532-x-1170-pixlar-rear-camera-48-mp-front-camera

8,151/10,1050=0,8110. Too pricey, still. You might find it a bargain, though, I don't know.

 

[cdsapplefan]

In Apple Store, you need to trade in a 16 pro max to exchange a 16e, your math is really good

We’ll yall keep complaining on how expensive the 16e is and it’s really not expensive at all. Trade in your old phone and get a 16e at a reduced price and a no interest apple or carrier finance plan and the phone is only $10/month or $5/month, maybe max $20/month. Sell something in your house that you never use on OfferUp and put that towards the 16e and it will be free.

Apple 🍎 wants you to get the 16 base for $200 more.

 

[cdsapplefan]

I doubt if i trade-in an old iPhone 5 I will get discount for 16e, let alone “basically free”…

Well sell something in your house that you rarely use on OfferUp and put that towards the 16e and it will reduce the price if you feel $599 is too expensive for you. The 16e is priced just right.

Apple wants you to pay $200 for the 16 base with MagSafe.

 

[tbgb50]

Apple might have done themselves a favor if they simply announced the SE was discontinued three months ago. All of the price comparison complaints are based on the expectation of another sub-$500 device. That ship has sailed.

I never owned an SE and was not looking for a new version - just a upgrade from my iPhone 12. I try not to pay for things
I won't use - so when I compared the 16e to the 16, I didn't find anything worth the extra $200. The camera in particular is of no particular interest and I didn't use magsafe on the 12. I would not have gotten value out of a 16 but I do out of the 16e.

Could I get an Android phone with more feature for less money? Sure. But I'd give up the seamless integration with my other devices. Most are too large for my taste, as well.

 

[geta]

Well sell something in your house that you rarely use on OfferUp and put that towards the 16e and it will reduce the price if you feel $599 is too expensive for you. The 16e is priced just right.

Apple wants you to pay $200 for the 16 base with MagSafe.

Where I live 16e costs €700… and although I can afford one, it's a bit overpriced for what it is even if it’s a great phone. 🤷‍♂️

As for selling something I don’t need in my house, I got one unused kidney in good condition… 🤣

 

[Lift Bar]

I think many here are overreacting to the price, which is typical MR. I don't find the price egregious.

Apple’s storage pricing is absolutely absurd. Aside from that (and maybe the Mac Pro wheels or whatever), I don’t think Apple products are generally overpriced. But the way they gouge on storage is so offensive that the only answer is to shut my eyes and try not to think about it.

 

[rungxanh2901]

One word: YES

 

[drugdoubles]

I'm referring mainly to the U.S. and UK where it's consistently $200 / £200 less than the 16. I've heard about the pricing in the EU and other countries where it's much higher and agree that's absurd.

I'm really not trying to troll here. But maybe it was just an expectation issue?

A week ago, the 128gb SE3 was selling for $479. From a cost standpoint, the 16e is an upgrade over the SE3 in every area.

A week ago, the standard 14 was selling for $599. And if you compare the two, here are the losses/gains with the 16e vs. the 14:

• Loss: Magsafe
• Loss: Ultra-wide camera / dual camera setup
• Loss: UWB chip
• Gain: Much better / newest processor
• Gain: More RAM (8gb vs 6gb)
• Gain: Much better battery life
• Gain/Loss? Action button vs. mute switch
• Gain/Loss? X65 modem in the 14 vs. the C1 Modem in the 16e
• Gain/Loss? Apple Intelligence - not a fan myself, but if it does become something useful, the 16e will be able to do it...

I keep hearing people talk about how Magsafe is cheap and easy to add, a UWB chip is cheap and easy to add, etc. etc (I'm not a fan of those being left out either). But by that logic, the fact that they left those out means they aren't actually saving much at all in cost relative to the 14. But one still expects the 16e to be cheaper than the 14 was with all of the newer stuff as well?

It's a 25% price increase over the 128gb SE3, and I don't see how one could argue that it's not 25% better. And it's priced the same as the standard 14, which given cost gains/losses above, I don't see how one could argue it shouldn't be - or at least close.

When I take all of that into account, and the fact that it was just a week ago that Apple had that pricing for the SE3 and 14, I just don't think $600 is that bad of a deal. I know this is a hot topic, and I'm really not trying to troll here. I'm a numbers guy and this is just how my brain analyzes it.

Sidenote: I know the other argument is that a used 15 Pro makes more sense if it's in the same price range. I think that's a valid argument, IF you can find a good one. But the 15 Pro isn't being sold in any official retail capacity any more, so I don't think that should factor into the discussion on how the 16e is being priced in its official retail capacity.

The answer is yes

 

[Parowdy]

don't know what you try express at all, sound like 16e is perfect for you

Are you hgh my guy? Name checks out.

 

[Juanchi007]

I just wonder what the price cut will be in September. They’ll probably get rid of the 15 completely, and the 16 will drop to $699. Will the 16e also drop a hundred dollars to the much more competitive $499? Or maybe a bit less, to $549?

We’ll find out soon enough, and that’ll give us better guidance for the future since it’s rumored the e lineup will be a yearly thing.

 

[webkit]

Apple might have done themselves a favor if they simply announced the SE was discontinued three months ago. All of the price comparison complaints are based on the expectation of another sub-$500 device. That ship has sailed.

Some people were going to complain no matter what. If Apple had announced the discontinuation of the SE three months ago, people would immediately start complaining that Apple was no longer going to be offering a "low priced" phone and then continue complaining after the 16e was launched.

 

[webkit]

Apple’s storage pricing is absolutely absurd.

Apple isn't the only one with "absurd" storage prices e.g., to go from 128GB to 256GB on Pixel 9 and 9 Pro is $100 just like it is for iPhone 16 and 16 Pro.

 

[TgeekB]

I doubt if i trade-in an old iPhone 5 I will get discount for 16e, let alone “basically free”…

And I wouldn’t expect to.

 

[TgeekB]

Apple’s storage pricing is absolutely absurd. Aside from that (and maybe the Mac Pro wheels or whatever), I don’t think Apple products are generally overpriced. But the way they gouge on storage is so offensive that the only answer is to shut my eyes and try not to think about it.

How so? To go from 128gb to 256 is only $100 and all most people need. No different than competitors.

 

[Circa1984]

For me, it doesn’t matter how much £599 can be “justified”. It’s about the removal of the £429 iPhone.

If not for the iPhone SE, I would never have stepped a foot in the Apple ecosystem. Back then, the iPhone SE was as much as I could afford. Today? I have an iPad Pro, Ultra 2 watch, MacBook Pro, and I’ve ordered a Mac Studio with 128GB RAM.

That one single “affordable” iPhone has netted Apple several thousands of pounds from me - more with Apple Care and other purchases.

If there had only ever been a £599 iPhone and nothing cheaper, Apple would have got nothing out of me and I’d still be using Windows and Android.

So it’s not about what the 16e is worth, it’s about the removal of an affordable iPhone from their product range.

But that’s just my gripe. I get it that others don’t see that.

You have a good point - the cheaper Apple products can be the ‘gateway drug’ to Apple’s ecosystem.

But I do not think Apple can meet the £429 price point with a quality product that even the price conscious SE customer would want. The £170 difference is on a product released 3 years ago, in which time inflation has ballooned. It also includes far superior tech; CPU; OLED display, memory; connectivity that the new generation of phone buyers have come to expect.

 

[JSRinUK]

You have a good point - the cheaper Apple products can be the ‘gateway drug’ to Apple’s ecosystem.

But I do not think Apple can meet the £429 price point with a quality product that even the price conscious SE customer would want. The £170 difference is on a product released 3 years ago, in which time inflation has ballooned. It also includes far superior tech; CPU; OLED display, memory; connectivity that the new generation of phone buyers have come to expect.

You’re probably right. I do find it a little odd, though, that Apple can do an 11in iPad for £329, but they can’t regurgitate a previous model of the iPhone and sell it for under £500 (even if £429 isn’t possible, £499 would catch more a lot more people than £599).

But Apple will be Apple. I’m sure they know what they’re doing.

 

[RRC]

Let’s be honest, even if Apple released a phone for $100 forums and social media would have still found plenty of reason why it was rubbish, cheapening the brand and/ or somehow still expensive for some!

 

[The Game 161]

Should’ve been 499 at most

 

[nnoble]

After trading in a base model 11 pro I paid £489. I see the 16E more as an exit level phone rather than entry level since I no longer see the point in paying for features I no longer need or never had a need for. I was resigned to the purchase but after a week, I admit to being content bordering on happy.

 

[jntdroid]

Should’ve been 499 at most

So $20 more than the 128gb SE3?

 

[throAU]

The price isn’t bad for what you get but the feature omission of MagSafe is inexcusable. Apple had the opportunity to have MagSafe accessories work across the entire lineup for a few pennies in bom cost.

They didn’t because they were worried about the E cannibalising 16 sales. Which sucks. I guarantee there will be parents/grandparents buying MagSafe charger stands for their kids (or selves) as presents etc. only to find they don’t work properly. It’s confusion in the product lineup that didn’t need to exist!

Subsidise it by slapping $5 on the cost of the pro phones if you have to, to sanitise the lineup (they don’t, but it would be worth if if they had to!).

Apple under jobs would have included it and put out the best product they could for the price (including their markup of course).

Today’s Apple didn’t, and customers really shouldn’t give them a pass on this. It’s an attitude shift from “how can we make this product the best for our sale price” to “how can we gimp this device” without even saving any money on it. The MagSafe accessories they’d sell would easily make it worth it!

Businesses will love the 16e I guess. It’s a cheaper iphone with the current SOC and expected long support. But for consumers it just sucks that Apple gimped it to save basically nothing while forcing the customer who wants fast charge (annd knows about the limitations) into the next tier.

A lot of less informed customers will have a negative experience when they discover or encounter the omission post purchase. Apple are supposedly all about a positive customer experience. It’s why they’re a premium brand.

 

[TgeekB]

The price isn’t bad for what you get but the feature omission of MagSafe is inexcusable. Apple had the opportunity to have MagSafe accessories work across the entire lineup for a few pennies in bom cost.

They didn’t because they were worried about the E cannibalising 16 sales. Which sucks. I guarantee there will be parents/grandparents buying MagSafe charger stands for their kids (or selves) as presents etc. only to find they don’t work properly. It’s confusion in the product lineup that didn’t need to exist!

Subsidise it by slapping $5 on the cost of the pro phones if you have to, to sanitise the lineup (they don’t, but it would be worth if if they had to!).

Apple under jobs would have included it and put out the best product they could for the price (including their markup of course).

Today’s Apple didn’t, and customers really shouldn’t give them a pass on this. It’s an attitude shift from “how can we make this product the best for our sale price” to “how can we gimp this device” without even saving any money on it.

Businesses will love the 16e I guess. It’s a cheaper iphone with the current SOC and expected long support. But for consumers it just sucks that Apple gimped it to save a couple of dollars while forcing the customer who wants fast charge (annd knows about the limitations) into the next tier.

A lot of less informed customers will have a negative experience when they discover or encounter the omission post purchase. Apple are supposedly all about a positive customer experience. It’s why they’re a premium brand.

Hogwash. I love all the “Jobs would have” remarks from people who have no idea what he would have done at this point of the iPhone’s life. He passed away 14 years ago which is a lifetime in technology years. We do not know what would have occurred.
MagSafe can be obtained with a case. Maybe not perfect but this is the low end price point phone. You cannot expect everything. The phone itself, from what I’m hearing from actual owners, is quite nice. It takes excellent pictures, has great battery life and performs as expected. There is a reason they are doing this and it’s to change up their lineup going into foldables. There are plenty of cheap Android devices for those who care little about security or efficiency. Apple hasn’t turned away from a positive customer experience with one phone, they are enhancing it. Why don’t we sit back and see what occurs before making outrageous claims.

 

[throAU]

Hogwash. I love all the “Jobs would have” remarks from people who have no idea what he would have done at this point of the iPhone’s life. He passed away 14 years ago which is a lifetime in technology years. We do not know what would have occurred.
MagSafe can be obtained with a case. Maybe not perfect but this is the low end price point phone. You cannot expect everything. The phone itself, from what I’m hearing from actual owners, is quite nice. It takes excellent pictures, has great battery life and performs as expected. There is a reason they are doing this and it’s to change up their lineup going into foldables. There are plenty of cheap Android devices for those who care little about security or efficiency. Apple hasn’t turned away from a positive customer experience with one phone, they are enhancing it. Why don’t we sit back and see what occurs before making outrageous claims.

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