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

[bluecoast]

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.

It’s a very good point you make about the regular iPhone, as it’s feeling squeezed more than ever - if the iPhone air rumours are to be believed.

This year the air seems to be down to replace the plus, but potentially next year it could replace the regular iPhone (or become it).

That will leave room for the iPhone 17e/18e (whatever the next model will be) to get the Dynamic Island and keep its current chassis size.

Depending on the specs and price it may be that this iPhone air - literally or effectively - replaces the regular pro too.

And for fans of the pro max like you, it leaves room for that model to go fully ultra and get closer to a starting price of $1500 than not.

 

[geta]

When my iPhone 12 breaks, the iPhone 16e will be my next iPhone. Although I love lightning, since my Steelseries Nimbus and AirPods use them, I understand at some point I have to give it up. $200 might not seem like a lot to you, but in broke countries like India,Bangladesh,Malaysia,Vietnam people will get the device since its more affordable

€709 is not exactly affordable…

 

[Mariogolf]

The iPhone 16e might be the phone for me, but I’ll wait for a discount before buying it.

No ultra-wide camera? I don’t care—I’ve only used it twice.

No Dynamic Island? I don’t care—it’s not that useful and takes up more screen space than the notch.

Only 4 GPU cores? I don’t care—I don’t game much anyway.

8 GB of RAM? I do care—it’s more future-proof.

Better battery life? I definitely care—it’s comparable to the 16 Plus, which costs 50% more than the 16e.

I’d be switching from the iPhone 13 mini, which has terrible battery life. I almost switched to the Plus, but it’s just too big for me. Now, the 16e seems like a solid option.

I use my phone as a tool—for calling, texting, email, calendar, reminders, YouTube, navigation, home automation, document scanning, and work-related tasks. I also take family photos, listen to music and podcasts, and use ChatGPT frequently to help with work.

I don’t need the latest and greatest—the 16e would be more than enough for my needs.

 

[DmPsTrFyR]

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 bought it. I don’t need nor care about the features the 16 has over the 16E and $200 cheaper is $200 I don’t have to spend for stuff I don’t care about.

 

[cjrrsr]

Already did to replace my SE2020.

 

[MPclk2006]

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?

If they had released this before Xmas or for Xmas I would have bought 2 of them as I just got 2 iPhone 16s for my 2 teenagers.

 

[Populus]

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. 😂

Exactly, if Apple is good at anything, is at upselling and tempting the customer to pay more.

We can see it on the iPad lineup, on the Mac upgrades (storage and RAM), and now they’ve just built a new, lower step in the iPhone ladder.

Because people who paid $450 for an old iPhone SE with a very old design, were never going to pay double for a flagship iPhone. Now, with the iPhone 16e being closer in price and design to the iPhone 16, they are tempting people to pay “a bit more” for the real deal. And this will be accentuated in September with the new iPhone 17. Many customers will go from “nah, the iPhone 17 is just too expensive at $800, I’ll go Android”, to “hey, that iPhone 16e looks interesting for $600, maybe I’ll… oh wait, for just a bit more I have the iPhone 17!”

 

[JM]

A few disjointed thoughts:

- removed coils resulted in bigger battery, surely (win)

- perfect for company issued phones (love that point people are making. The SE’s were a tiny joke for the sales team out there working everyday at my company. The larger screen will be welcomed)

- Larger Screen will be very welcomed by the general public.

- love the design (single camera that pulls double duty, and doesn’t poke out super far.)

-only complaint is across the board, not just the E: I wish every phone had Promotion. It’s very bothersome to go backwards to 60Hz refresh. If it weren’t for the refresh rate I’d consider getting the E.

 

[roygnelson]

The iPhone 16e might be the phone for me, but I’ll wait for a discount before buying it.

No ultra-wide camera? I don’t care—I’ve only used it twice.

No Dynamic Island? I don’t care—it’s not that useful and takes up more screen space than the notch.

Only 4 GPU cores? I don’t care—I don’t game much anyway.

8 GB of RAM? I do care—it’s more future-proof.

Better battery life? I definitely care—it’s comparable to the 16 Plus, which costs 50% more than the 16e.

I’d be switching from the iPhone 13 mini, which has terrible battery life. I almost switched to the Plus, but it’s just too big for me. Now, the 16e seems like a solid option.

I use my phone as a tool—for calling, texting, email, calendar, reminders, YouTube, navigation, home automation, document scanning, and work-related tasks. I also take family photos, listen to music and podcasts, and use ChatGPT frequently to help with work.

I don’t need the latest and greatest—the 16e would be more than enough for my needs.

I’ll be upgrading for free on T-Mobile with 24 monthly credits from 14’s for my wife and I. Why not?

 

[nathansz]

Can someone explain why I need a MagSafe car mount?

I don't drive so I have no idea!

 

[nathansz]

yea I feel people wanted a smaller 16 with all the same stuff for $499

I would take a smaller 16 with less stuff (particularly cameras) for the same price as the 16

 

[klasma]

A few disjointed thoughts:

- removed coils resulted in bigger battery, surely (win)

The coils aren’t removed, only the magnets. Looking at the exploded view in the announcement video, I doubt that it made a significant difference for the battery.

 

[currocj]

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.

Without useful MagSafe

 

[currocj]

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

Minus ultra wideband chip minus MagSafe minus extra camera (no 0.5x), and hits keep coming!

 

[fuchsdh]

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?

Leaving aside everything everyone else has said... why would Apple care if people elect to spend more to buy an iPhone 16? You're giving them more money!

Some features are going to be "I want this" for some people and they won't be happy with the tradeoffs the 16e makes, but that's been the case for every budget phone Apple has made. Personally, MagSafe is not such an important part of my wireless charging I'd care, and with my iPhone I use the wide angle but miss the 2x telephoto far more.

 

[splifingate]

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?

Bless your Heart; but, do re-visit this thread (and your assertions) in five-years-time.

Educational, to say the least

 

[Wanted797]

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 going to sell well.

It’s the perfect device for my wife who has a iPhone 12. She never uses magsafe. Never seen Dynamic Island nor would she care for it.

 

[Momof2.1107]

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.

I am thinking of doing this for my son’s first phone. He already has an iPad and iCloud account. This would last him for a couple years.

 

[rui no onna]

Carriers in the U.S. are already offering the 16e at "discount" (with minimum plan) prices. AT&T, for example, offers a 128GB 16e for $215.64 ($5.99/month for 36 months) with a $60.99+ plan.

It still doesn't seem worth. I can get the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro for $0-10/mo with the same 36 months bill credit/lock in on AT&T.

 

[ennisw]

I was holding a X🅂 and waiting for SE 4 (or this 16e). To be honest, if this device was launched last spring, at this price, I'll buy it, maxed out 512GB, and keep it for another five to six years. But I switched to a 16 in last September.

 

[Chuckeee]

A general comment on helping those without extensive technical background, buying an updated iPhone. Not specifically directed towards the iPhone 16e

I understand, helping someone without a deep technical background (child, parent, spouse). What I do find confounding is recommending a new device at its initial release. Seems to me you would always want to wait a few months past initial release just to ensure there isn’t some sort of bug with this new device. This is especially true if you are help buying a device for someone without a deep technical understanding.

 

[rui no onna]

This is for people who just want the latest ‘basic’ iPhone, because their old SE or wherever, broke or got too slow.

They’re not going to upgrade their phone after a year or two. More like 4-5.

I only paid $300 for my 128GB iPhone SE3 at launch though. Walmart deal with 24-month carrier installment, outright discount, no monthly credits so no prepayment penalty. Plus it was available for $100-250 from prepaid carriers.

The current 16e deals requiring 36-month carrier lock-in don't look attractive at all.

They probably don’t know - or care - about MagSafe. They just want to point and click and get a great photo or video without fussing around with any settings. And that’s ok.

This one's actually fixable with 3rd party cases. We use MagSafe cases on our SE3s. Make charging a lot more convenient.

People are focussing on the box price but if you listen to the product intro video that apple did, it’s meant to be sold via carriers.

And there’s some pretty good carrier deals out there, ditto apple’s own per month 0% deal.

So if you pay for this phone over 2 years with 0% interest or with carrier subsidies, it looks pretty good.

The carriers already offer the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models for pretty much the same monthly price or just a wee bit more than the 16e. I'm waiting to see this on Tracfone brand prepaid (60 day unlock) for a sizable discount sans lock-in.

 

[v0lume4]

I recently learned that the SE, over the past year, made up for only 5% of US iPhone sales and only 1% percent of global iPhone sales. Once I read that, Apple’s approach began to make more sense to me.

I absolutely think the phone is priced $100 too high, and I hate to see Apple abandon the budget market. But now that I see Apple is “abandoning” only 1% of sales, then all they have to do is match that 1% with a now higher ASP and they’ve won. Anything more than 1% is just gravy.

I say that as an owner and lover of the SE3. I hate to see the line go away. I hope it returns in the future.

 

[roygnelson]

There’s a lot of hate being directed at the 16e. I have a 14. T-Mobile will give me a 16e for free for a two year commitment. I’ve never used MagSafe nor do I see a need for it. Where are the downsides?

 

[geta]

There’s a lot of hate being directed at the 16e. I have a 14. T-Mobile will give me a 16e for free for a two year commitment. I’ve never used MagSafe nor do I see a need for it. Where are the downsides?

Except it’s price, there are no downsides.