iPhone 16e is official!

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › iPhone 16e is official!

henrytai

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#318786 20-Feb-2025 19:58

The iPhone SE has been rebranded as the iPhone 16e. Although the pricing is slightly higher than I anticipated, it’s still an excellent iPhone overall. RIP home button.

Apple's first cellular chip - C1
A18 chip with 4-core GPU
48MP Fusion camera
Lacks MagSafe compatibility
Lacks Ultra Wideband chip
USB‑C

Pre-order starting at 2:00 am NZDT on 22 February.
Available starting 28.2.
From NZ$1,199

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-16e

https://www.apple.com/nz/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-16-pro,iphone-16,iphone-16e

What does the "e" stand for? :)

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#3345045 20-Feb-2025 20:05

I wonder how the modem is compared to the Qualcomm gold standard. particularly at edge of reception like we get often here in NZ

mattwnz

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#3345097 20-Feb-2025 20:54

The main reason the price is high in NZ is likely NZs weak NZ dollar. Plus anyone would probably want at least a 256 GB model these days to future proof it so that increases the price a bit. But the specs for this price aren’t great considering it is a 60hz screen , no AWD, and just 1 camera, and a notch. IMO they would have been better to make it into the iPhone mini form factor as many buyers of the SE purchased it because it was a smaller iPhone. The reason to get the iPhone 16 has been diminished as the iPhone 16 actually had worse battery life than this E model.

henrytai

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#3345099 20-Feb-2025 21:44

mattwnz:

The main reason the price is high in NZ is likely NZs weak NZ dollar. Plus anyone would probably want at least a 256 GB model these days to future proof it so that increases the price a bit. But the specs for this price aren’t great considering it is a 60hz screen , no AWD, and just 1 camera, and a notch. IMO they would have been better to make it into the iPhone mini form factor as many buyers of the SE purchased it because it was a smaller iPhone. The reason to get the iPhone 16 has been diminished as the iPhone 16 actually had worse battery life than this E model.

That’s true about the weak NZ dollar at the moment. At least the 64GB option has been removed. The mini sales weren’t great apparently, so they replaced it with the Plus model.

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wellygary

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#3345103 20-Feb-2025 22:26

It’s not really the NZDs fault, even the US reviews comment on the price rise from $429 ( $479for 128GB) to $599 USD

mattwnz

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#3345153 20-Feb-2025 22:44

henrytai:

mattwnz:

The main reason the price is high in NZ is likely NZs weak NZ dollar. Plus anyone would probably want at least a 256 GB model these days to future proof it so that increases the price a bit. But the specs for this price aren’t great considering it is a 60hz screen , no AWD, and just 1 camera, and a notch. IMO they would have been better to make it into the iPhone mini form factor as many buyers of the SE purchased it because it was a smaller iPhone. The reason to get the iPhone 16 has been diminished as the iPhone 16 actually had worse battery life than this E model.

That’s true about the weak NZ dollar at the moment. At least the 64GB option has been removed. The mini sales weren’t great apparently, so they replaced it with the Plus model.

imo the mini was too expensive, when buyers also had the SE to choose from. But if the SE essentially became the mini, it could be more popular. Now Apple don’t have any small phones at all. A lot of people find the 16 form factor too large. Older people in particular like the current SE form factor. Apple are likely releasing a thinner iPhone air later in the year, but that is likely going to replace the iPhone plus, so may have a large screen size. IMO the SE size was a great size. IMO they should have ditched face ID an SE mini , had a hole punch instead for a front camera, and had a side touch ID button like they now have on some cheaper ipads.

Handle9

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#3345169 21-Feb-2025 04:49

Small phones are something people say they want but don't buy. The market has well and truly spoken, it's a category that doesn't exist anymore for a reason.

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Benjip

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#3345183 21-Feb-2025 08:10

Hate everything about this, especially that it's probably the canary in the coal mine in terms of pricing — I'm nervous about what the 17 range will go for later this year (both in the US and NZ)!

The exclusion of MagSafe just seems petty (and a strange one since Apple makes $$ from the MagSafe ecosystem), unless it was interfering with the C1 chip somehow and couldn't be fixed in time?

Will be interesting to see if we end up with another "Antenna Gate" scandal when the C1 chip is unleashed on the international public too.

MaxineN

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#3345186 21-Feb-2025 08:14

Benjip:

Hate everything about this, especially that it's probably the canary in the coal mine in terms of pricing — I'm nervous about what the 17 range will go for later this year (both in the US and NZ)!

The exclusion of MagSafe just seems petty (and a strange one since Apple makes $$ from the MagSafe ecosystem), unless it was interfering with the C1 chip somehow and couldn't be fixed in time?

Will be interesting to see if we end up with another "Antenna Gate" scandal when the C1 chip is unleashed on the international public too.

It is such a terrible value proposition.

I am very interested in the in built modem though...

Shame it's lacking 6e... no UWB, and no DC-HSPDA? I know it's 2025 and 3G is meant to die this year but that's a bizarre omittance considering there are a lot of 3G networks still out there on the planet.

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Tinkerisk

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#3345189 21-Feb-2025 08:36

I have an SE/2022 with 128MB, which means that the follow-up model of the 16e will be of interest to me at the earliest. 😎

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lxsw20

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#3345204 21-Feb-2025 09:34

This phone is perfect for corporates that have to supply a phone and people like my Dad who got my hand me down iPhone 6. I'd say there is a decent market for it.

Pricing is similar to what I paid for an iPhone 4 in what....2011?

Handsomedan

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#3345216 21-Feb-2025 10:20

lxsw20:

This phone is perfect for corporates that have to supply a phone and people like my Dad who got my hand me down iPhone 6. I'd say there is a decent market for it.

Pricing is similar to what I paid for an iPhone 4 in what....2011?

Yeah, as this is the cheapest iPhone available, it'll likely be the right kind of iPhone for my wife, who doesn't need the latest features or a beefy camera array.
She's still rocking my old iPhone X and she's fairly happy with it apart from the battery (which we'll get replaced at some point).

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#3345218 21-Feb-2025 10:31

lxsw20:

This phone is perfect for corporates that have to supply a phone

Although it remains to be seen how they react to a 50 percent price hike over the SE.

mattwnz

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#3345288 21-Feb-2025 13:59

Benjip:

Hate everything about this, especially that it's probably the canary in the coal mine in terms of pricing — I'm nervous about what the 17 range will go for later this year (both in the US and NZ)!

The exclusion of MagSafe just seems petty (and a strange one since Apple makes $$ from the MagSafe ecosystem), unless it was interfering with the C1 chip somehow and couldn't be fixed in time?

Will be interesting to see if we end up with another "Antenna Gate" scandal when the C1 chip is unleashed on the international public too.

you can get cases with MagSafe built in. But the 6e is limited to slow charging

Senecio

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#3345300 21-Feb-2025 14:41

I still feel like the best “cheap” iPhone is a prior year model. With Apple’s long support horizons there no issue with picking up a 15 or even a 14 now. I myself am still rocking an iPhone 13 and would likely replace it with a 15 in a couple of years time.

henrytai

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#3345481 21-Feb-2025 21:04

Senecio:

I still feel like the best “cheap” iPhone is a prior year model. With Apple’s long support horizons there no issue with picking up a 15 or even a 14 now. I myself am still rocking an iPhone 13 and would likely replace it with a 15 in a couple of years time.

The iPhone 15 is likely to be replaced by the iPhone 16. If that happens, the starting price for the 16 will be around $1399, which makes the 16e less attractive.

I cannot recommend the 15 over the 16e. 8GB RAM alone is wroth it IMO, and the 16e is cheaper.

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