Apple has a new affordable iPhone option to replace its 2022 iPhone SE: the iPhone 16e.
Apple announced the new 6.1-inch phone on Wednesday in a press release, touting its upgraded features and compatibility with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of AI features that enable users to do a host of tasks, including removing distracting objects from photos, cleaning up writing in emails, and generating custom emojis.
The iPhone 16e provides Apple Intelligence capabilities at the lowest price on the market. So far, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 16 lineup have Apple Intelligence, but these phones range in price from $799 to $1,599, compared to the iPhone 16e’s starting price point of $599.
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“We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the [iPhone 16] lineup as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, stated in the press release.
Apple iPhone 16e. Credit: Apple
The iPhone 16e also corrects one of the biggest weaknesses of the iPhone SE: poor battery life. Compared to the SE, the 16e has 12 more hours of battery life for a total of 26 hours of video playback. Apple says in the press release that the 16e has “the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone,” lasting 6 hours longer than the iPhone 11.
The home button and touch ID on the iPhone SE are gone too — the 16e is a more modern-looking iPhone. It also has a bigger display at 6.1 inches, compared to the SE’s 4.7 inches, and comes with the latest A18 chip used by the iPhone 16 instead of the A15 chip used in the SE for faster processing.
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All of those upgrades come at a price. The iPhone 16e is still $170 more than the $429 iPhone SE, raising the bar of what it means for a phone to be called “affordable.” Budget AI phones from competitors are sold at lower price points. For example, an unlocked Google Pixel 8a with AI retails for $399.
Preorders for the iPhone 16e start at 5 a.m. PT on February 21. The phone will be generally available on February 28 and comes in black and white with storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.
Apple CEO Tim Cook first teased the new iPhone on February 13, writing in a post on X, “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19.”
Apple discontinued the iPhone SE on Wednesday, as well as the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.
Apple no longer sells any iPhones with home buttons.
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