iPhone 16e Why does Apple think anyone will buy the iPhone 16e?

[espreso]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800
Maybe it's even worth giving up Apple Intellect 😅
Really Apple, it seems like you want this to remain a niche phone like the SE 3 (I'm not sure the amount Apple paid the programmers to write this HTML was worth it to them)
What do you think about this?

 

[russell_314]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800
Maybe it's even worth giving up Apple Intellect 😅
Really Apple, it seems like you want this to remain a niche phone like the SE 3 (I'm not sure the amount Apple paid the programmers to write this HTML was worth it to them)
What do you think about this?

It’s $200 cheaper than the regular iPhone. One could argue that it should’ve been $300 or even $500 cheaper but a $200 price difference is going to cause someone to consider it.

This is targeted at users who just need an iPhone. It does everything the iPhone does but $200 cheaper. I’m not sure why that wouldn’t sell.

 

[doogm]

It's basically replacing the iPhone 14 at the same price with an arguably better device that will get iOS updates for longer. If you were someone who was at all interested in buying an iPhone 14 in order to save money (compared with the 15 and 16), you basically get a phone that, with the exception of the Dynamic Island, MagSafe, and the wide angle camera, is better in every other way than the 15 at $100 less.

Apple is obviously out of the SE business, but I can't believe that it's going to impact their business all that much at all.

 

[jz0309]

it's a "stripped down" iPhone 16 - it will sell like hotcakes.
Wait til the earnings announcement eo Apr, you'll see

 

[DukeSilver79]

Won't a lot of cell companies just throw this in for free with a 2 year contract? That's my guess.

Look at it this way. My wife has an iPhone 8 and doesn't care about the latest or greatest. If I upgrade for her, it might just be a 15 pro with a new battery or something. I don't think a lot of people will do that. They want something new and easy. They'll get the "cheap(er)" phone. They won't bother comparing processors or whatever.

 

[BigBlur]

Flaws? What flaws? Not everyone needs the latest and greatest or the best. Why would someone pay to upgrade something if they're not going to make use of it? Some people couldn't care less about the camera or the other bells and whistles and just want a simple smartphone. Apple knows what they are doing; they're not dumb.

By your logic, why should we stop at the iPhone 16?
We might as well pay $100 more for the 16 Plus!
Well, if we're going to get that, we might as well pay $100 more to get the 16 Pro!
Wait, the 16 Pro Max is only $200 more, we better get that instead!
Gosh, now at this point it's only $200 to get 512GB of storage!
Actually, let's drop another $200 to get 1TB of storage!
Now we're paying $1600 for a phone when the $600 one was perfectly fine.

Point is...most people buy what they need, not what looks good on paper.

 

[Iwavvns]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800
Maybe it's even worth giving up Apple Intellect 😅
Really Apple, it seems like you want this to remain a niche phone like the SE 3 (I'm not sure the amount Apple paid the programmers to write this HTML was worth it to them)
What do you think about this?

I would even be interested in buying an iPhone 15 for only $100 more than the 16e. I think Apple is banking too much on Apple Intelligence.

 

[Andeddu]

The 16e is the 16 with no Dynamic Island or double lens camera module.

It’s not great value for money however it’s not terrible value either. It’ll probably be a solid seller but won’t do amazing numbers. I am a little underwhelmed for the price, tbh. I’d expect Dynamic Island for a $600 phone.

 

[Channan]

I think the 16e is being criticized so heavily because people were expecting a new SE and are still looking at it as such, but that’s not really what this is. Apple needed a new device with USB-C to replace the 14, so they made a new device that’s kind of a mix between the SE and 14 so they could continue selling a cheaper phone in markets where Lightning is no longer allowed.

Honestly, for all you’re getting with the 16e, $599 isn’t a bad price. It’s just not as good of a deal as everyone was expecting/hoping for. I think $499 would have been too good of a price and would have taken away too many sales of the 16. For $599 though, it should have at least had MagSafe.

 

[cuzo]

It’s $200 cheaper than the regular iPhone. One could argue that it should’ve been $300 or even $500 cheaper but a $200 price difference is going to cause someone to consider it.

This is targeted at users who just need an iPhone. It does everything the iPhone does but $200 cheaper. I’m not sure why that wouldn’t sell.

magsafe is huge though... I mean when people realize they can't mount to a car mount like their friends some will return it.

 

[sw1tcher]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800

People like you who'd pay $200 more for an iPhone 16 vs a "flawed" iPhone 16e = Apple wins

People who want to save $200 vs the iPhone 16 = Apple wins

Yeah, Apple have no idea what they're doing. 😂

 

[1rottenapple]

It’s $200 cheaper than the regular iPhone. One could argue that it should’ve been $300 or even $500 cheaper but a $200 price difference is going to cause someone to consider it.

This is targeted at users who just need an iPhone. It does everything the iPhone does but $200 cheaper. I’m not sure why that wouldn’t sell.

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800
Maybe it's even worth giving up Apple Intellect 😅
Really Apple, it seems like you want this to remain a niche phone like the SE 3 (I'm not sure the amount Apple paid the programmers to write this HTML was worth it to them)
What do you think about this?

Because Apple has shieeet ton of resources and marketing scientists and probably phd social scientists who have spent millions and now they can sell this phone without affecting their bottom line. I’m sure the 16e will sell tons of unit. And I’m sure when 17 model year comes they’ll keep selling the 16e and 17e along side squeezing profits making the share holders happy.

 

[winxmac]

Remember when iPhone XR got bashed by tech reviewers and YouTube content creators?

I don't know why the iPhone 16e announcement/launch was rushed when it should have been revealed in March or April 2025 but despite the starting price of USD 599, it will definitely follow in the foot steps of iPhone XR, iPhone 11 as the best selling iPhone of 2025.

Also, remember the W1 chip which got replaced with H1 then H2 chip? That seems to be a possibility with the C1 chip, although they cannot rename it as M1 since that has been used by MacBooks and iPads and M7 was first used in iPhone 5s as motion co-processor.

 

[drugdoubles]

magsafe is huge though... I mean when people realize they can't mount to a car mount like their friends some will return it.

Then those people better buy a new pro max lol this is really what Apple wants. Already so expensive for a new SE, why not pay more for regular or pro?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

magsafe is huge though... I mean when people realize they can't mount to a car mount like their friends some will return it.

MagSafe the standard doesn’t matter, the average consumer that’s going to purchase this phone do not care about charging speed or if they are actually using the MagSafe protocol or not.
MagSafe the convenience feature can be added back with a case, or a $5 magnet sticker on Amazon.
Several of my MagSafe accessories were homemade, it is literally just a magnet at the end of the day.
MagSafe the protocol should absolutely be here, but even though it’s not it will never be considered a dealbreaker to the audience of this phone.

 

[drugdoubles]

It’s $200 cheaper than the regular iPhone. One could argue that it should’ve been $300 or even $500 cheaper but a $200 price difference is going to cause someone to consider it.

This is targeted at users who just need an iPhone. It does everything the iPhone does but $200 cheaper. I’m not sure why that wouldn’t sell.

It is not cheap but I also think it should sell well. Actually most people don’t care about camera or having a lot of functions. It looks and sounds much better than the small phone SE.

 

[rmn1644]

$599 is list. These things might sell quite a bit cheaper, esp when the i17's arrive.

If you saw a $599 iPhone on sale at Amazon, Verizon, Costco, etc for $499 how would you feel then? They'll sell like hotcakes!

 

[Allen_Wentz]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?
If it had cost $500 I think it would have been a hit, and people would have lined up to buy it, but at $600 I'd save a little more and buy an iPhone 16 for $800
Maybe it's even worth giving up Apple Intellect 😅
Really Apple, it seems like you want this to remain a niche phone like the SE 3 (I'm not sure the amount Apple paid the programmers to write this HTML was worth it to them)
What do you think about this?

I think Apple does market research and that the new phone will sell reasonably at its price point.

 

[menist]

Personally, I rather buy a 16e for under $700 after tax, than buy a regular 16 for $900 after tax. If I were to spend close to 1k, I rather go Pro.

 

[frogleader12]

The iphone 16e is basically just the XR but buffed.

the XR was like 25% less than the normal and this one is also 25% less than the normal


they both have 1 less camera (well the 16e's camera is much better)

its basically the XR 2

 

[Shanghaichica]

Well some people will buy it. My mum is due an upgrade. She has one of the older SE phones and she will upgrade to this. She wouldn’t get a pro.

 

[taliz]

People think of the 16e as the new SE. That's wrong.
It's the XR 2.0.
The XR was the cheaper alternative to the XS.
Just like the 16e it also got the latest chip, Intel modem, single camera, 6,1" with notch etc but was notably cheaper than the XS.
With the 16e we get a lot of advancements since the XR, but at an even lower price than in 2018.
So trust me this will sell, and especially to companies who give them to employees. They will see it as a huge upgrade over the SE.

 

[Moukee]

When Apple just launched the iPhone 16e, what was she thinking? Would people prefer all these flaws for $200?

If the "flaws" of the 16e make people purchase an iPhone 16 for $200 more instead, Apple did a great job.

I see quite a few complaints on this forum about the non-top model lacking feature X with comments stating "how bad of Apple that the Air doesn't have feature X, I have to get the Pro then".

Their upselling strategy seems to be working very well indeed. I'm sure they did the math on how many potential customers they actually lose vs. how many end up spending more for a higher-end model.

I think what will happen is that most people who waited for this long-rumored device to upgrade from whatever their current iPhone is will now upgrade to a regular 16 if they're disappointed by the 16e. And people who never considered an iPhone because it was too expensive (with the old SE design being unappealing to most) now have $200 less to think about. These people probably don't care much about stuff like MagSafe, partly because they don't own anything compatible with the MagSafe ecosystem anyway.

 

[taliz]

If the "flaws" of the 16e make people purchase an iPhone 16 for $200 more instead, Apple did a great job.

These people probably don't care much about stuff like MagSafe, partly because they don't own anything compatible with the MagSafe ecosystem anyway.

This.

Most get a case regardless, and then you can simply get a case that adds MagSafe. Voila, problem solved.

 

[Kigeshi]

iPhone 16e seems to be Apple's attempt to offer a mid-range device with high-end features, leveraging AI and new hardware while rebranding to avoid the budget stigma. Potential drawbacks include the higher starting price compared to SE models, which might alienate some budget-conscious consumers.