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

[mrmod]

Which is the point. Imagine how much $$$ Apple makes from the ‘for $100 more…’ crowd.

and? The iphone 17 is a much better product and has higher resale value, which is why the 16e is failing.

 

[delsoul]

Many of us on the forum here called this months ago. The google pixel 9a was better priced, better specced, etc all the way around. A 16e is decent Apple product that, once again, was overpriced for what you get. Tim Cook’ed us all once again.

 

[now i see it]

if it had a regular LCD screen instead of a flickering OLED screen - they would have sold a lot more of them. I didn't buy it cuz..... OLED screen

 

[bushman4]

Air and 16e too much of a compromise for an iPhone

 

[Lioness~]

Can’t wait for the it’s because it’s not a mini comments

You got it 😁

No one bought it because they made another small phone, the SE2, and released it 6 months before the 12 mini. The 13 mini was released mid-pandemic when no one was leaving their houses.

And yet here we are 5 years later and people are still talking about it.

Tell me, were people still bemoaning FaceID 5 years after touchID was removed? No. Because people didn't care.

People do care about the mini line. And Apple listened, they made a thin and light phone for them - that's somehow both thicker and heavier than the mini. Apple decided to give Mini users nothing that they asked for, spent engineering cycles designing it, and then tried to sell it to mini users as though it was actually thinner or lighter than the mini. Frankly, the hubris of Apple is a bit insulting.

The original phablet that Samsung made, and Apple mocked, is about the same size as an iPhone 13 mini. Let that sink in. There are those of us who don't want a phablet, at all.

I would’ve bought an Air mini, but not the larger despite less weight. I wan’t small before less weight.
My mini 13 stays 😤

This post explains all these stories ... the 16e, the Air, the Mini phones.

We've got to get away from this belief that EVERY iPhone model needs to sell ZILLIONS of units.

It's nuts and totally unrealistic.

Absolutely, Apple can afford to have a variation of models that sells differently much.
They just need to get rid of Timmy’s short term greed.

In a broader and longer term, it is favouring Apple because those who buy an iPhone also invest in other things from Apple.

 

[Phillychenzo]

I would like to see Apple release a foldable phone. Or something more intriguing than a Pro model. I understand they have a foldable in the works, but believe it is a tablet style foldable. I am interested in the Motorola razr and Samsung zflip 7. I believe if Apple designed a clamshell foldable it would do well. The brick design is way too long in the tooth and I think team “iPhone mini” would be onboard with a clamshell as well. I hope they don’t fall behind in the class.

 

[HiVolt]

It's between $100-150 too expensive. that's why it's not selling.

 

[ultrafiel80]

My wife had the past 2 generations of SE (she likes the smaller sized phone), and I would have considered the 16e, but the price wasn't even comparable. Once the 17 models came out I just got her a standard 17 since it has much better value for the price (and we had a carrier upgrade program incentive with a trade-in of a qualifying old unused phone which made it a no-brainer).

I'd consider an SE in the future again if the price were better, but it's currently in a strange position. My wife is getting used to the larger phone so that's probably not an issue, but I bet she wouldn't mind going back to a smaller size if it was ever available.

 

[Abydos]

expensive ok, but the original iPhone would be $800 in current dollars, if you need another currency inflation adjustment have fun

 

[iZac]

Don’t worry, it’ll be $100 cheaper once the 17e comes out.

Just a year too late.

 

[geta]

It’s a great phone, but just like the 12/13 Mini, the price is too high.

 

[Mac Geezer]

I have it. It's the first iPhone I ever bought. I love it. I must not be part of any large market cohort.

 

[Happy_John]

I have it. It's the first iPhone I ever bought. I love it. I must not be part of any large market cohort.

You don't need to be. You're happy with your purchase, that's the only important takeaway here.

 

[coolfactor]

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.

Highly subjective perspective. That's okay, but it's not how everyone feels. Say hi to everyone else!

 

[bzgnyc2]

At this point the US market is mature (everyone has a phone) and >90% of people buy their phones under a financing or bundled plan option. The things that matter to the vast majority people are 1) what phones can I take home today and 2) how much will this cost per month after trade-in. If the store where they buy (e.g. a wireless store) doesn't carry the phone and/or the cost per month after trade-in is much higher then people seek another option.

On the other hand I believe comparisons with Google, etc phones don't apply to the vast majority of purchases. Last I saw <2% of people switch OS. Very few people are like I was going to go with an Apple phone but then went with an Android or vice-versa to save $100 or $200.

The people here might think about and shop phones differently but they are not representative of the vast majority of the 200M buyers in the US.

I am curious what the dynamics of the phone market in other countries means for people's purchasing decisions there.

 

[Populus]

if it had a regular LCD screen instead of a flickering OLED screen - they would have sold a lot more of them. I didn't buy it cuz..... OLED screen

Me too, if the SE 4, or 16e, had had an LCD screen, not only would they have sold the iPhone to PWM sensitive people, but also would have allowed the device to be much cheaper, in the range of the previous SE models. This has always been a price sensitive segment, and an LCD screen would have allowed them to achieve a more budget friendly iPhone.

 

[Mousse]

Priced too high and doesn’t offer enough, and other budget options are better and less money. Not sure what Apple was expecting here.

They're targeting the too poor to paint, too proud to whitewash crowd.

Obviously I'm not the target demographic, because I'm poor but not proud. I bought a poor man's phone, a sub-$200 android.😶‍🌫️

cheap phone dont have to be look cheap.

Cheap phone, expensive phone...they all look the same in an Otterbox.😉 Pretty or ugly or pretty ugly, people all look the same in the dark.😁

 

[indychris]

I will consider it a success as long as it pairs well with my Apple Car! That is coming out soon, right??!!

 

[JordiS]

I’m sensing a recurring theme here: either cost is not a problem for the consumer and they’ll go for the highest product in the lineup or the consumer is on a budget and then they’ll buy a previous generation iPhone with good specs. No room for middleground products at flagship prices.

 

[Unami]

It’s because both are bad deals, even when adjusted for Apple’s premium pricing.

The Air is a nice proof of concept and might some day evolve like the Macbook Air did. For now it’s an expensive niche product, that for most people trades too much usability for a little slimness — like the first Macbook Air did.

But the 16e either needs to become significantly cheaper (like iPad vs iPad air) or offer something different at that price point. Like being an Air. Or C. or XR.

 

[Spike1999]

Serves them right, they shouldn't have killed off SE line

 

[Spike1999]

With 17 out now, 16E makes even less sense.

 

[mzeb]

I do agree that $499 would probably be a better price for the 16e but then I also bought one at $599 so maybe Apple did get it right? Either way, it was the simpler design of the phone along with the fact that I really didn't need all the higher end features that moved me from the Pro line.

 

[j_in_tx]

No surprise there; these are corporate phones. Very few regular users are interested in these.

My company went from the SE 2022, which I still have, to the 16e. That's the only phone they offer.

I have the 16e. This is the ideal base iPhone. I see nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't mind additional stuff. I took advantage of the totalwireless deal earlier this year which truly makes this model feel like a base phone and for companies to lure people with great deal advertising. Without a deal, I might have just chosen the base 16 or possibly a pro. Ideally, Apple should just have 2 models period: 16e (cheapest possible), Pro (best possible).

 

[UltimaKilo]

and? The iphone 17 is a much better product and has higher resale value, which is why the 16e is failing.

No, it that the naming scheme is strange and the price point is now low enough to appeal to emerging markets.