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

[TKSX]

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 this phone will sell very well.

The phone is intended for people who wants a standard phone but don't care about the extra items such as camera lens and magsafe quick charging. At the end of the day, some just wants a reliable phone to make phone calls and that's all they use it for and that's all they care about.

Of course, some might use this as a 2nd phone to do other things such as flying drones. My father brought two 2nd gen SE to fulfill his drone flying ambitions and he lend one to me to "test drive" iOS. Shortly after using it, I traded in my P20 pro and got a 12 Pro. I returned the SE to him with a new case and a screen protector to show how the SE had become my daily driver. 4 years flew by and I am now in the market for a phone to use for piloting my drone (which he gave it to me because he brought a new unit). The 16E is a good fit for this purpose as I can leave all the other things on my primary phone.

Pricing is a bit of a let down but apple might be poising themselves for potential tariffs and import regulations.

 

[Saturn007]

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.

Or, they'll hold off and won’t bother upgrading at all! 😁

I think it’s too expensive for a single camera some 10 years after Apple last offered only single camera iPhones. I do think it’s an interesting iPhone to consider for those upgrading from older models.

Fact check! The iPhone SE 3rd generation is only 3 years old — and, last time I used mine, it still had only *one* camera! 😂

 

[FeliApple]

Fact check! The iPhone SE 3rd generation is only 3 years old — and, last time I used mine, it still had only *one* camera! 😂

Last offered *only* single camera phones; so, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as the 7 Plus had a dual camera.

 

[espreso]

This is a regular iPhone 16
No Magsafe
With one camera
Better battery
Less fast modem (that's what it said here on the site)
With a notch in the screen
Relatively thick bezels
No uwb
WiFi 6 (not 6e) which is really relatively outdated
I don't think it would be worth the $200 to people

 

[jeremydc]

SEs have been plagued by battery issues. While this isn’t an SE per se, will be interesting to see how it holds up after a year.

 

[crzdcolombian]

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?

the 16 is a pro phone already. I usually just buy the new version and give the old phone to my dad then that goes to my mom then to my nephews.

It's a 4 year cycle. Honestly waiting to see what the trade in are maybe upgrade the 13 and 14 to a 16e. Have everyone with USB C. Or maybe just wait till the 17.

I would have like it to be $500 or less like most people but apple likes and can get their profit margin. Luckily with Sams Club/Costco and other carrier promos the phones will be much cheaper. I think Sams club T-mobile promo gave me $300(105 right away the rest over 2 years) for an iPhone 12, $75 special T-mobile credit and then $75 gift card to Sams club.

I usually get these types of deals. If I can upgrade the 2 lower end phones for under $100-150 I will def be doing it.

 

[Rogifan]

This phone is really confusing. I still don’t know who it’s for. I think the good —> better —> best concept is good but it doesn’t work when there’s so much overlap between each. The ‘good’ phone has better battery life than the ‘better’ phone and almost as good as the ‘best’ phone. What Apple should do is have budget phone —> phone for most people —> phone for professionals. And maybe the price gap is bigger between them but who cares? It would be clear who the phone is for. Right now it feels like the 16e was designed to raise the entry price for iPhone. Or because Apple mistakenly thinks every iPhone has to support Apple Intelligence. Just a weird product.

 

[Downundermac]

Depends 100% on user needs. In my opinion Apple should ditch the standard iPhone models, rename the Pro model (which sounds lame anyway) to simply iPhone and make it slightly cheaper, as well as the new 16e a little cheaper. Perhaps they could slot the rumoured slim & fashiony iPhone in between the E and the Pro. That would be a better line up than trying to sell an overpriced pro, a standard iPhone that is currently hobbled features wise, and the far overpriced E. As for me, I am solo building contractor and find the iPhone Pro a rock solid device - it’s an indispensable part of my toolkit (durable, great battery life, great cameras and a bright high quality display). Currently running a standard size pro but will be going up to pro max when the 17 is released. Can’t be bothered lugging around the MacBook which now just gets used for invoicing and accounting, so I really like using a big grunty phone as it does a lot. My wife is about to replace her iPhone SE2 and I keep saying just buy an IP Pro as she keeps borrowing mine to take photos and I know she will be underwhelmed with an E or a standard iPhone.

 

[FeliApple]

SEs have been plagued by battery issues. While this isn’t an SE per se, will be interesting to see how it holds up after a year.

According to specs battery life should be insanely good.

People have shown themselves to be capable of obliterating the battery life of pretty much anything with their heavy usage, though, so in general, users aren’t that reliable when it comes to determining battery life - they’ll kill anything and everything fairly quickly.

That’s why on the iOS 18 battery thread people keep reporting the same SOT numbers on a 16 Pro Max to those reported by regular iPhone 6s users back on iOS 9. Their usage is way too heavy and eats up all progress.

They report 8 hours, in many cases. Apple rates it for 33, it’s absurd. At minimum they should be getting twice that.

 

[turbineseaplane]

You can Google opinions about MacBook Air and Apple TV from few years back - they are the same as the ones about AVP. There is no indication that AVP won't be a huge hit in few years.

There are quite a few differences, but we've covered the AVP debates well in other threads so I'll refrain from a re-hash in here 👍

 

[Rogifan]

It’s going to deliver 95% of the experience of the regular 16 at 75% the price. Seems fine to me.

Why do we need a device that’s 95% of the 16? Just get a 16 then. Or a used 15 if you don’t care about Apple Intelligence.

 

[Rogifan]

You'd be surprised what a big difference $200 makes to some people. You don't see it here on these forums because most users here probably have more disposable income than the average.... But out there in the general public, there is a big portion of people who are already stretching themselves just to get a new iphone and saving even $50 bucks would be huge.... Now one could argue that perhaps these people shouldn't be buying a new phone then. but we all know that's not how consumerism works..... Anyway all this to say that this phone will sell like hotcakes and you're wrong. I could assure you Apple did their research and has tons of data, they didn't just pluck a price out of the air.

The 16e is $170 more expensive than the SE that was removed from the lineup. So if someone is budget conscious and just wants the cheapest iPhone it’s now $170 more expensive. People are just assuming the 16e will get all these discounts but we don’t know that.

 

[cuzo]

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

Apple iPhone 16e vs Apple iPhone 15 - specs comparison - PhoneArena

Compare Apple iPhone 16e vs Apple iPhone 15 with our phone comparison tool and get side-by-side specifications.

www.phonearena.com

1200 nit peak brightness, the 15 is 2000 nit peak brightness, also no MVWAVE

This is pretty bare as expected from apple.

That screen is going to matter in the sun.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

This entire thread could have been written by a clever bot that MR created to farm engagement. 🤖

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I am considering buying the Iphone 16e. Just need to know if it has Satellite SOS and how the camera compares to the iphone 13 base model.

Yes it does.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

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?

A lot of iPhones get moved today on 36 month plans with bundled airtime. If some teen wants an iPhone their parents are going to get them the cheapest available, they're not going to care about how great the iPhone 16 is in comparison because they're not going to pay extra. Also many are going to go this route because they cannot afford the upfront cost to buy the phone outright.

 

[frogleader12]

Apple iPhone 16e vs Apple iPhone 15 - specs comparison - PhoneArena

Compare Apple iPhone 16e vs Apple iPhone 15 with our phone comparison tool and get side-by-side specifications.

www.phonearena.com

1200 nit peak brightness, the 15 is 2000 nit peak brightness, also no MVWAVE

This is pretty bare as expected from apple.

That screen is going to matter in the sun.

i mean the xr was a ips lcd display so like same diference

 

[JustinKent]

As a parent, this seems like a good upgrade path from the kids’ current iPhones 8, which would move them into usb-c + future-proof with Apple Intelligence… and the $200 savings multiplied by 2, now I save $400.

Anybody having to bulk purchase is gonna be thinking about this phone.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Vision Pro is a disaster

No, it is not. AVP is spectacular tech demo hardware that sold more than 100k units at $3,500 each. AVP demonstrates and supports important new tech.

 

[Chuckeee]

Just being a new Apple iPhone and being $X dollars cheaper than the next cheapest NEW iPhone is enough to insure at least some level of success. Specific capabilities are not that important to many consumers, as long as it the least expensive, it is an APPLE IPHONE and it is new (vs refurbished or used).

Many consumers are really that shallow.

 

[1rottenapple]

The MagSafe is a big bummer. I like my MagSafe wallet and mount. I didn’t foresee them taking that away.

 

[NeonNights]

The MagSafe is a big bummer. I like my MagSafe wallet and mount. I didn’t foresee them taking that away.

It does seem odd to withdraw MagSafe. I bought my parents iPhone 13s years ago and while neither use MagSafe it is strange the 16E also has one less camera. It feels like several steps backwards compared to an old iPhone 13. My parents aren't going to care about Apple Intelligence (heck, neither does my wife and daughter), so that's not a selling point for the 16E.

 

[Parowdy]

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?

A „little more“ to get the $800 iPhone?
That’s 1/3 more. Yes it’s 1/3 more features too but that is a big jump from 600 to 800 for many people.

 

[geta]

Although it is a little too big for my taste, I would consider it over other models, but not at €709, which is far away from being affordable as the SE line used to be. Maybe in few month when the new 17 series will come out the price will go down (which I doubt) and even then it will be too much for what you get. However, for €550 I would buy it.

 

[sifpilsen]

Just need to know if it has Satellite SOS

Yes it does have satellite SOS if your region is included for it.