Apple Sherlocks the iPhone 16

On one hand, I like the move away from the 'SE' branding. 'SE', of course, stood for 'Special Edition'. And once you're on the verge of releasing a fourth iteration of such a device, it feels decidedly less special. This new name also cleans up the always awkward '____ generation' branding, which no other iPhone model carried. On the other hand, the new 'iPhone 16e' device is a rather confusing product.

Actually, that's not fair. The iPhone 16e makes almost total sense on paper. It brings the 'iPhone SE (3rd generation)' into the modern smartphone age. The A15 ("Bionic" – lol) chip is now an A18. The 12 megapixel camera is now a 48 megapixel one. The Lightning port is now USB-C – which means the device is now street-legal in Europe. The 5G modem is now a "superfast" one (more on this in a bit). Not specifically touted by Apple, but the RAM has been upgraded from 4GB to 8GB. This may end up the most notable change and it notably will allow the device to run Apple Intelligence. Not exactly a selling point – not yet, at least – but a nice future-proofing, perhaps. And, most prominently, the 4.7" "Retina" display is now a 6.1" "Super Retina XDR" display (more on this too, shortly). And you have have any color you like, so long as it's black (or white).

So yeah, it's a nice device. The problem is the iPhone 16. You know, the "regular" version of the iPhone. It's hard to imagine who buys this device now when this cheaper model matches it in most specs.

Yes, the iPhone 16 features the luxurious vacation spot for your eyes known as 'Dynamic Island'. And yes, the camera system is a bit more robust.¹ And it has one more GPU core – something you'll likely never notice. And yes, it features MagSafe – which some people do seem to care about – and a few other smaller differentiating features.² But the real difference may simply come down to color options.

And for that, you'll pay an extra $200.

In their launch video – the device got a 13-minute video on Apple's site in lieu of an event, and the video was MC'd by Tim Cook! – you can gather Apple's talking points here. The iPhone 16 comes in two different sizes, after all. I can see why people would buy an iPhone 16 Plus,³ but again, I'm talking about the iPhone 16 (regular) here. The device which features pretty much the same screen as this new iPhone.⁴ So perhaps a key differentiator is the Camera Control button – but as Apple touts in the video, they've made it so that the included Action button can do the same things, including Visual Intelligence. So maybe it's the 'C1' chip, Apple's first modem built in-house. To be clear, this is a big deal – and will likely end up as the most important part, quite literally, of this entire device – but not to purchasers. And let's all hope there are no issues moving away from Qualcomm – something this device will be seemingly testing on-the-fly, to get ready for bigger roll-outs out come.

I mean, is it too cynical to wonder if this entire device doesn't exist just to test the C1 chip at some level of scale? If it works, it will be a huge boon for Apple in that they'll be able to free themselves of the handcuffs to Qualcomm and it may just allow for a more efficient iPhone with a battery life boost to boot (more on this in a bit). We'll see.

The thing that perhaps makes the most sense is that the iPhone 17, undoubtedly launching in six months, will alleviate the differentiation issues, since presumably Apple won't be launching an 'iPhone 17e' at the same time.⁵ But the question there is if they'll simply move the iPhone 16 down the price curve, as they normally do, bringing it even closer in price to the iPhone 16e and even further blurring the line between the two. Unless they drop the price of the iPhone 16e then as well. Which is possible, but would be a bit weird so soon after launch.

Then again, maybe the strangest part of the iPhone 16e replacing the SE is just how much more expensive it is: $599 versus $429. That's... a big jump in price. Apple's "most affordable" iPhone is now decidedly less affordable. That's strange, especially given the push they're trying to make in more emerging markets (especially as China becomes a bigger issue, sales-wise). Nearly a year ago I tried to make the case for an 'iPhone E' – for "Emerging" as in the target market. Apple sort of did the opposite here. This 'e' stands for something else. Apple might try to paint it as "economical" but it's not compared to what it replaces. "Extremely not cheap" perhaps?

Speaking of extremes, all modern models of the iPhone are now massive. We're truly beyond the era of the 'mini'. It's six-inches-plus or Android for you. Sorry. People online are going to complain about this, but it's also Apple just reading the writing on sales charts, one assumes.

Also gone: Touch ID. RIP Home Button. You will now face it. Literally. Hopefully Apple figures out a way to bring back some sort of Touch ID baked into (behind) the screen eventually, but today is not that day. Goodnight, sweet prints.⁶

Aside from paying an extra $200 to get an iPhone 16 versus this iPhone 16e, I've perhaps buried the lede: this new device features 3 to 4 more hours of video playback and 10 more hours of audio playback. Apple doesn't state it, but presumably it means that regular usage will last far longer here as well. All presumably thanks to that C1 chip (both its size and efficiency). Of all the selling points of a phone, this must be near the top for many people. And you're getting it here in a slightly smaller package!

Have I mentioned it's $200 cheaper? (The Apple-made C1 chip undoubtedly helps to enable that aspect as well. Bye bye per-device royalties...)

So yeah, it's all a bit awkward. But Apple often does awkward things from a product/branding perspective. We're a long way from the entire product line fitting on a table. I think the iPhone 16e sounds like a great device. And the C1 chip could matter quite a lot moving forward. I'm just not sure why the iPhone 16 still exists.⁷

¹ But if you really care about this, aren't you going to go with an iPhone 'Pro' model anyway?

² Though the iPhone 16e does feature wireless charging, just oddly not MagSafe for whatever reason (costs? space?). Also, without it, the wireless charging will be quite a bit slower.

³ A product line which also may be going away soon if the rumors related to the 'iPhone Air' are to be believed. Supposedly the 'Plus' line hasn't been a big seller, maybe the iPhone 16e will provide one last boost for the big guy?

⁴ Technically, the screen doesn't get as bright, it seems -- one of the many strange differences here.

⁵ And it's worth wondering what they do here on a go-forward basis. The 'SE' has been a sort of every other year thing (or longer), so is the next 'e' device the 'iPhone 18e' in winter/spring 2027?

⁶ Yep, I came up with this on the fly. Get the Pulitzer ready...

⁷ But really, why is the iPhone 15 still for sale?! It's $100 more expensive with a slower processor and several other downgrades from the iPhone 16e!