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iPhone 16e Has Apparently 'Failed' Just Like iPhone Air

dandyryan said:
theres nothing exciting about the 16e. at least the SE was a sub $500 loss leader AND a cheapy home button classic. 16e is pure loss leader. the arbitrary nerf with no magsafe. ugly!

the air wasnt designed to be a loss leader though lmao that thing truly FLOPPED like katy perry's last 3 albums. the girls want 2+ cameras hunniii! its giving 16e Plus for $999! sad!
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You really think that Apple has ever sold at anything below cost? I doubt it.

Loss leader doesn't exist for them.
 
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I’m skeptical of this. Both 16e and 17 Air have had a lot of positive feedback from people who have actually used them. I would certainly consider them if I were upgrading at this time. And we have sold quite a few of 16e.
 
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akbarali.ch said:
It will keep failing, they are not getting, one of the most important feature for any phone is display size. Instead of larger screen in Air they put smaller one. though, its not small by a mile, but its smaller. that enough to prove that theres something bigger and better. what a let down. Smaller display phones are done, its distant past, its history. so much you do on the phone, that even small increment in display is a big feature.
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Air has a bigger screen. What are you talking about.
 
Nonsense. This phone was selling well until the release of the 17. With the 17’s upgrades, none of the 16s are selling well.

The base 17 is such a good value proposition, choosing any other phone over it is a challenge.
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple's entry-level iPhone 16e model is selling poorly, just like the iPhone Air, according to an Asia-based leaker.

iPhone-16e-Feature.jpg

The Weibo user known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the iPhone 16e is not selling well and the attempt at delivering a popular, low-cost iPhone has "failed." That being said, both models are expected to see successors. The iPhone 17e is expected to debut in the spring of 2026, while the iPhone Air 2 is likely to arrive at a later date owing to a delay. Meanwhile, demand for the iPhone 17 lineup continues to surge, with production orders increasing.

The iPhone 16e was introduced earlier this year, offering the A18 chip, an OLED display, the C1 modem, a 48-megapixel camera, and more, for $599. There have been few reports about its sales performance until now.

On the other hand, the iPhone Air is widely reported to have seen low demand. All production is expected to stop by the end of this month. There were plans for a second-generation iPhone Air that would be released alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in September 2026, but The Information says Apple has decided to delay the fall 2026 launch.

The iPhone 17e is expected to feature the A19 chip and potentially the Dynamic Island. The iPhone Air 2 is rumored to offer an additional rear camera, a larger battery, and a vapor-chamber for cooling. Apple is seemingly hoping that these enhancements will help lift sales.

Article Link: iPhone 16e Has Apparently 'Failed' Just Like iPhone Air
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need more Death Knell... https://www.macobserver.com/news/apple-death-knell-71-apple-is-doomed/
 
Sykora171 said:
They will do anything but make another Mini.

I know folks joke, but I still think it's the perfect sized phone (other than the 1st gen SE/5 form factor...I know that may be a hot take).

The mini still has a good following. Not saying it would sell as much as a Pro, but I think they would sell more than they would Airs and 16e type phones. (no one cares, but..) I still use my 13 Mini daily and likely will until it's not supported by SW anymore.
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They should push hard the other way and make a pocket iphone. About half the size of a regular iphone in a square aspect. Then sell lanyards and people can have a modern day pocket watch.
 
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digimc said:
I will say in my opinion one of the biggest issues with the 16e is when it’s released. Releasing it in February or March like they did this past year after the regular lineup has already come out is pointless

People that want to upgrade or are interested in the new iPhone lineup are going to pick a phone they like and can afford in September when the new lineup is released. They aren’t waiting till 4 or 5 months later for a budget phone.

Most people have made their iPhone purchase decisions by Christmas and after that there is very limited demand outside of businesses buying them for their employees. Even people who do have an off schedule upgrade pattern are not enough to go for a phone like this
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Very good point well made
 
I think the iPhone 17e may be priced lower than the iPhone 16e, given it uses components widely available to the Apple supply chain. They could use the same touchscreen displays with the Dynamic Island as the iPhone 16, and could use the A19 SoC with 8 GB of RAM and the upcoming C2 radio modem chip and N1 I/O chip. I wouldn't surprised Apple prices it at US$499 for the 256 GB version and US$649 for the 512 GB version. At those lower prices, the iPhone 17e will be _flying_ off retailer shelves.
 
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The limitations were too extreme, and the price too high. The 16e is an amazing phone for kids first iPhone, grandparents, people on a budget.. for $399. The Air is an amazingly thin device, with a pro level display and performance for $799. The Air not having dedicated speaker, and at least a wide camera really hurt it. Then coming out with comparisons of the amazing Pro, people talked poorly about it before they even go their hands on it, and tried it out.
 
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I'm also interested in what determines "failure". Enthusiasts aside (and I know most of us here are), it sure seems to me that Apple's expectation is "success means every single iPhone user gets a new device every year". That's just not a realistic expectation.... and therefore every device is a "failure".
 
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eRaz0r84 said:
The 5c was perfect, especially price wise. if only the poly carbonate casing wouldn't have been the issue, which made it look extremely cheap and fragile. but same price range, with aluminium frame - done.

cheap phone dont have to be look cheap.
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I had a 5c. It served me well. My wife had a 5s. The biggest difference was the processor. The c had 32bit and the s had 64bit. (Or 16 vs 32. I don’t remember.) After a couple of years, the c was no longer supported by developers.

My wife has a 16e bought before iOS 26. I like its weight, battery life, and the fact that it lies flat. And that it has iOS 18. ;)
 
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Tunster said:
Because that’s the truth. They screwed over a dedicated user base by squeezing the budget phone closer to the base phone.

A mini phone would have been more popular than the Air at this point.

I personally went to the other extreme (SE3 to Pro Max) for battery life. But there’s no excuse anymore not to be able to produce a new smaller body at a lower cost.
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I think the mini ultimately faced the problems of being a nonstarter for certain people who would like it but weren't willing to have a less full-featured experience, and being positioned as a budget phone when it doesn't have a major component the majority of people want (which is larger screens, as much as it pains me.)

Apple clearly doesn't think an iPhone Pro mini would have a large enough addressable market for them, but that's the target segment they haven't tried thus far.
JanoschR said:
It's obviously not designed and priced to be a hit product. so, what's the problem?
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Yeah, to some degree if people are buying the more expensive phone versus the budget option, as opposed to leaving the ecosystem in general, it's worth well more than its raw sales in terms of price anchoring.
 
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Chidoro said:
Nonsense. This phone was selling well until the release of the 17. With the 17’s upgrades, none of the 16s are selling well.

The base 17 is such a good value proposition, choosing any other phone over it is a challenge.
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Yeah this is the other side of it. Apple's budget lineup has been following the trend of "great deal when it first comes out, and then a less-good deal as it gets lapped by more rapidly-upgraded products" pretty consistently for a while. The 16e in the updated landscape of the 17 makes much less sense than when it first came out, the same way a Watch SE will feel if you get it two years after.
 
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Was not aware of this iPhone model at all. Looking at specs though, I am surprised at this failure since it is priced friendlier than other models. Not cheap by any means but if one is dying to have an AI-equipped iPhone, why not 16e? In comparison Air still looks like a total apple-scented brain fart. Own 16 pro max myself and wish haven't spent so much on it.
 
Abazigal said:
So people prefer Apple's more expensive iPhones over their cheaper models?

Seems like a happy problem to have.
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Sounds like a nice problem to have. But maybe the intention was to expand market share overall. If that did not work, you could call it a failure.
 
If true, the 16e seems easier to diagnose than the Air. For $100 more you can get the base 16 with more color options, two cameras, and MagSafe. The price gap was $200 when the 16e launched.
 
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