TL;DR
- Apple has launched the iPhone 16E, which succeeds the iPhone SE (2022), aka the iPhone SE3, with a starting price of $599.
- The iPhone 16E features the Apple A18 processor, a front similar to the iPhone 14, an Action button, and the new Apple C1 modem.
- The company has also stopped selling the iPhone 14, making the iPhone 16E the cheapest iPhone available.
After practically years of rumors, Apple has finally launched the iPhone 16E, a successor to the iPhone SE 3 (also known as the iPhone SE 2022). The iPhone 6E also succeeds the iPhone 14 in Apple’s current lineup, marking it as the cheapest iPhone you can buy right now, and giving Apple a good competitor against value-oriented Android flagships.
The iPhone 16E features a familiar front reminiscent of the iPhone 14. The 16E features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, alongside Ceramic Shield for protection. You get a display notch that houses the TrueDepth camera system. There’s no Touch ID here, so long-time Touch ID fans no longer have a choice but to adopt Face ID in their next upgrade.
On the inside, the iPhone 16E features the Apple A18 processor, the same as on the iPhone 16. The A18 chip comes with a six core CPU, a four core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine for handling AI and machine learning tasks.
The iPhone 16E is also the first device to feature the Apple C1 modem, the first modem designed by Apple. The company says that this is the most power-efficient modem on an iPhone, and it also promises fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity.
Thankfully, all of these updates come alongside a USB-C port, as well as wireless charging capabilities. What makes the iPhone 16E even more interesting is that it comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Apple iPhone 16E pricing and availability
The iPhone 16E starts at $599 in the US for the 128GB carrier-locked variant, which you can also get on contract at $24.95 per month for 24 months. The phone is available in white and black, and other storage options include 256GB and 512GB. Thankfully, there’s no 64GB starting variant anymore, but that comes with higher pricing.
The iPhone 16E goes on pre-order at 8 a.m. ET on February 21, 2025, and will be available for open sale beginning February 28, 2025.
Why the Pixel 9a should be worried about the iPhone 16E?
Apple fans have long embraced the idea that the iPhone SE 3 (2022) is the cheapest iPhone they could buy at $429. However, the experience on the iPhone SE 3 wasn’t exactly modern, and the phone’s design mostly appealed only to Touch ID loyalists.
With the iPhone 16E, Apple is bringing an improved aesthetic to the table alongside AI-based features. It is replacing the iPhone 14, which was missing these features and had the older Lightning port. Consequently, the iPhone 16E vastly improves Apple’s competitiveness in 2025. Google will likely release the Pixel 9a at around the $500 price point, while the Pixel 9 starts at $699, and the iPhone 16E will give tough competition to the rather gimped Pixel 9a at least.
This is a developing story. Please check back later for more information…
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