When Apple announced the iPhone 16e back in February, many of us were puzzled and thought, “who would buy this?” It has a single camera, which is an okay camera but not great. It doesn’t have MagSafe, it has the older notch display, among many other things. It’s also pretty pricey for what it offers, costing $599. But there’s one thing we all forgot – not everyone wants or needs all of these bells and whistles.
Even for myself, as someone that was really on-board with Apple’s other cheaper iPhones like the SE, I was struggling with figuring out who this phone was for.
When it came to the iPhone SE models, it was pretty simple. Those that still wanted Touch ID, could buy the iPhone SE, since the newer iPhones ditched it for Face ID. It was also cheaper, at under $500. But the iPhone 16e is basically the design of the iPhone 14, and now $100 more expensive at $599.
So, how do we know that the iPhone 16e is selling so well? We don’t have concrete numbers, but Counterpoint’s smartphone shipments for Q1 give us a good idea of things. For Q1, Apple managed to take the top spot and also ship 4% more units in the quarter, versus Q1 2024. That’s important because Q1 is typically owned by Android. With the Galaxy S series launching, the OnePlus flagships, and all of the other flagships launched at Mobile World Congress. This is likely all due to the iPhone 16e, since Apple did not launch a new color of any other iPhone 16 model.

Why are people buying the iPhone 16e?
The main reason why people are buying the iPhone 16e is because of the price, and the name. It has “16” in it, so many believe it’s new, which is true. And it’s also cheaper than the other iPhone 16 models. A lot of the features that set the iPhone 16e apart from the other iPhone 16 models, many people see as bells and whistles that aren’t necessary. Like a telephoto and ultrawide camera, or the dynamic island, or MagSafe, just to name a few. So, they opt for the $599 iPhone over the $799 iPhone.
That’s something that we reviewers, and those in the smartphone space, have to remember. We are the minority when it comes to smartphone buyers. Most people just want something that works, and they’ll keep it until it no longer works, repeating the process.
So what do these users want? They want a phone that is not slow, and one that doesn’t need to be charged during the day. They want to be able to just put their phone on the charger at night and have 100% when they wake up. That’s exactly what Apple delivered. In fact, Google delivered the same thing with the Pixel 9a – at least flagship performance when it comes to Tensor.
Both Google and Apple are doing something that other OEMs are not. That is providing flagship performance in a budget phone. Say what you will about Google and its Tensor chipsets, but that is “flagship power” for Pixel. Now with the iPhone 16e, Apple put in the A18 chipset, which is the same chipset as its $799 iPhone 16. However, it is missing a graphics core, which is not the end of the world, and I bet if you put these side-by-side, you wouldn’t even notice a difference.
Flagship performance also means support for years to come
With Apple sticking the A18 inside the iPhone 16e, that means that it supports all the features of the rest of the iPhone 16 series – including Apple Intelligence. And it will also continue to get updates for 5, 6 maybe even 7 years. Apple doesn’t “guarantee” a certain number of years for updates, but it’s generally between 5 and 7 years, sometimes 8.
This means that someone can buy the iPhone 16e today, and use it for years and years from now. Without missing out on any features. That also helps to improve the price/value ratio for the iPhone 16e.
The best battery performance in an iPhone
The other major factor for buying the iPhone 16e is going to be battery life. Apple has said that this has the best battery life ever in a 6.1-inch iPhone, and real-world tests have proven that. Part of that is due to the 4,005mAh capacity battery, which is the largest ever in any non-Pro Max iPhone. Even the iPhone 16 Pro, which is a 6.3-inch phone,e has a smaller battery. Pair that larger battery with the new C1 modem that is supposed to be very power efficient, and it’s a masterclass in battery performance.
In battery tests, the iPhone 16e beat every other iPhone except for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This is a big reason why so many people buy the “Pro Max” model, is for that bigger battery and better battery life. Along with that larger display. And now, there’s another option for long battery life, with a smaller display for those who want that.
Consumers love the iPhone 16e
Despite what reviewers said, consumers are loving the iPhone 16e. The market reception to this phone has been out of this world for Apple. Most importantly for Apple, is they were able to get people to upgrade from several years old iPhones to the iPhone 16e. That’s getting more people onto the Apple Intelligence platform, and also selling more iPhones.
Consumers have been praising the performance and smoothness of iOS 18 on the iPhone 16e. That’s thanks to the A18 chipset, which is an incredibly powerful chipset, and pretty surprising to see in a device that is this cheap.
Many are recommending the iPhone 16e as the “iPhone for those that don’t need a Pro model”. And that does sound very accurate. If you’re deciding between the iPhone 16 and 16e, I’m not sure why you would go for the iPhone 16.

What’s missing and why most don’t care
At first glance, the features that are missing here are pretty glaring. But for most people, they don’t matter. Showing that Apple was really meticulous in including the essentials, possibly what the “e” stands for in iPhone 16e.
Apple decided not to include MagSafe charging, this is likely to save on costs and because it only charges at 7.5W over wireless. It also decided to stick with one camera – which is actually the ultrawide from the iPhone 16, but it is just a wide camera. It is able to sensor-crop, giving you a 2x option as well. Apple also ditched the UWB chip. This is used for precision finding of things like AirTags and Find My. This is a pretty niche feature, and people using this feature likely already have an iPhone Pro model.
Of course, there’s the 60Hz argument. While 120Hz or even just 90Hz would be great to see on a $600 phone, that wasn’t gonna happen. Not when it’s $800 phone that doesn’t have a higher refresh rate. And a lot of people that would be in the market to buy the iPhone 16e, can’t tell the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz. In fact, many don’t even know what that means. Aditionally, Apple’s displays are already so buttery smooth that 60Hz looks and feels incredible on its phones.
Apple launched the iPhone 16e at the perfect time
Now, looking back at the launch of the iPhone 16e, it’s quite clear that Apple launched this at the perfect time. It launched in February, meaning that it launched almost two months before President Trump announced his tariffs. So Apple was able to manufacture and get iPhone 16e units all around the world without incurring tariffs. It also represents a cheaper iPhone at a time where we are expecting phones across the industry to increase their price. Making the iPhone 16e much more competitive.
Once again, we’re playing checkers and Apple is playing 3D Chess.
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Source: ndroidheadlines.com