When rumors started coming in about a new mid-range iPhone in the making everyone was super excited. And then when these rumors began to provide more information the internet was buzzing with excitement for this supposed iPhone 16e. But now that Apple has officially announced the phone it seems all of that excitement has come crashing down. Hard.What got users so excited about the iPhone 16e is very simple: a more affordable iPhone model in a generation of mediocre options. It’s no secret that the iPhone 16 launch was received quite poorly. The only selling points Apple had in September of last year were a camera control button and AI features that weren’t ready yet.
Apple Intelligence still remains clunky, awkward and downright broken and consequently the iPhone 16 seems like poor value for money. Which is why a new variant of the lineup that would continue the pricing of the iPhone SE series had people breathing a sigh of relief. Many in fact were considering upgrading to the iPhone 16e instead of its flagship counterparts.
But then Apple revealed the pricing.
Welp… That just won’t fly, Apple. | Image credit — Apple
Starting at $599 the iPhone 16e takes a massive leap upward in cost compared to its predecessors. The last iPhone SE started at $429 and consumers were expecting a $500 price tag at the most. Now online forums are filled with angry comments and long posts about how the entire iPhone 16 series is awful.
I don’t like to paint everything black and white — funnily enough the only color options on iPhone 16e — but these enraged users do have a point. Several in fact.
The iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe, only has a 60 Hz refresh rate, has a giant notch that not many are a fan of and only comes with a single camera. Yes it has 8 GB of RAM and supports the aforementioned incomplete Apple Intelligence. It also uses the A18 chipsets — albeit worse ones — like the iPhone 16 series.
But for all that it sacrifices it just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the starting price of $600. Especially not with so many excellent Chinese options floating around. The Google Pixel 9a is also right around the corner and Samsung shouldn’t be too far off from announcing the Galaxy S25 FE.
Long story short Apple has kind of really blown an excellent opportunity to convert more people to iOS. And it’s quite the whiplash seeing public opinion about the iPhone 16e change so dramatically overnight.
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