The $599 iPhone 16e is many issues, however do not you dare name it a budget phone. I hesitate to even name it “low-cost.” As a successor to the $429 iPhone SE, it is exhausting to not see the 16e as a disappointment. Certain, it is $200 lower than the vanilla iPhone 16 (which I argued was a great deal at launch), and the 16e additionally packs within the newest A18 chip with help for Apple Intelligence. However it’s not a small cellphone, and it pushes Apple’s cheaper iPhone possibility effectively past $500. That is one thing we’ll seemingly by no means see once more. (And it is doubtlessly horrible information for future iPhone pricing, as effectively.)
Given the sheer quantity of recent {hardware} within the iPhone 16e — together with a bigger 6.1-inch OLED display screen, Apple’s first in-house “C1” modem and that aforementioned A18 chip — it is simple to make excuses for the worth. The 16e is definitely far nearer in specs to the iPhone 16 than the third-gen SE was to the iPhone 13. However I might argue that Apple did not precisely want an OLED display screen for this mannequin, and there are seemingly different methods to chop down prices. (It is even stranger Apple kept out MagSafe and fast wireless charging, which might have been cheaper to implement, and arguably extra helpful, than a big OLED show.)
And whereas it is good to have the A18 chip (albeit with one much less GPU core) and full Apple Intelligence help, I agree with my colleague Igor Bonifacic that users aren’t exactly clamoring for these AI options. If we needed to blame one wrongdoer for the iPhone 16e’s pricing, although, it is seemingly Apple Intelligence. In any case, Apple remains to be combating to show it is not too far behind Microsoft, Google and OpenAI. In every other 12 months, Apple might need been in a position to justify throwing an older chip within the 16e, however that is not attainable when it is in the course of an AI hype battle.
Principally, I am simply unhappy that Apple is as soon as once more elevating the worth of admission to its walled backyard with out a lot justification. There’s one thing particular — noble, even — about sub-$500 smartphones. They are a reminder of a saner period of smartphones, when costs had been being pushed down by phones like the Moto G. Lately you are left with Android telephones just like the Pixel 8a (and potentially the upcoming Pixel 9a), in addition to the $400 Samsung Galaxy A35 and $499 Galaxy A55.
Now that the dream of a sub-$500 iPhone is effectively and really useless, it looks like Apple is simply setting the stage for future worth jumps. A $600 or $650 iPhone 17e will definitely appear to be a deal in comparison with a $850 or $900 iPhone 17. And simply await the inevitable $2,000 iPhone foldable, which may doubtlessly be specced past $3,000.
After all, you may be a wise Apple shopper and go for used or refurbished iPhones. I not too long ago picked up a refurbished iPhone 14 Plus as an early Moms’ Day reward for $420, and Amazon presently has listings for iPhone 14 Pros right under $500. These gadgets will not help Apple Intelligence, however I might argue sticking to the used market is just a extra helpful type of intelligence.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cellular/smartphones/a-599-iphone-16e-is-a-cruel-joke-200507275.html?src=rss
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