Apple completely changed its iPhone lineup with today’s launch of the iPhone 16e. Not only did the company kill the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE lineups, but it also made its cheapest iPhone offering much more expensive.
In addition, there are now only two iPhone series on offer instead of four: the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series. While this might seem like a good idea at first, it also makes the iPhone 15 completely useless. Sure, you can get an ultra-wide lens and the Dynamic Island cutout. Besides that, the iPhone 16e is far superior—and cheaper—than iPhone 15 models in every way.
First and foremost, the A18 chip doesn’t overheat like the A16 Pro. Even though Apple made it worse with the A17 Pro, the A18 is more power-efficient than the last two processors. The new iPhone 16e has 8GB of RAM, which enables Apple Intelligence features (and we don’t need to discuss that right now the platform doesn’t make much difference), and it also has a great 48MP sensor.
Finally, users also get the best battery life on any iPhone, USB-C port, and wireless charging. Of course, since Apple is Apple, there are a few downsides to this phone. For example, you won’t have faster 5G speeds as you would with the iPhone 15. In addition, there isn’t a second-generation ultrawide band chip that is responsible for making Precision Find (for items and people) one of the most enticing features available.
Still, regular customers will prefer the iPhone 16e, which offers the latest technologies at a cheaper price, to a 2023 iPhone without Apple Intelligence and other perks.
While discontinuing the iPhone SE for developing markets might be risky, I think the iPhone lineup could look even worse if the iPhone SE or the iPhone 14 were still around.
That said, this new iPhone makes us wonder if Apple will update this “e” lineup every year or if it’s a one-time thing that will make the iPhone lineup even more confusing when the iPhone 17 is available later this year.
