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You’re not wrong, but Apple is playing a different game. Android is a nonstarter for me; I’m not giving Google my data - hell, I run a network-wide ad blocker and VPN on my home server (I did mention up thread I’m not a normal user 🤣).

Now my kid is too young for a phone, but when he’s not, I’m absolutely getting him the cheapest iPhone because of the above concerns about Google. And if my retired dad asks me about a phone - well, he has an iMac and an iPad, I’m going to have to do the tech support on his phone - I’m going to tell him to get this. I don’t know Android, don’t want to learn it, and the phone will integrate spectacularly with his existing computing devices.

And I think that’s the market Apple’s going for here. Make it just cheap “enough” that parents don’t go: “oh that’s too much - just get the kid/elderly relative an Android.” Or “I have a MacBook Air but that iPhone is just too expensive”. Those people aren’t comparing tech specs, they just want a device that works with what they have.
This is the biggest reasons why I haven't gone with Google anything and avoid their services any chance I get. They are nice and they offer a lot, that's for sure, but I don't trust them one bit. As I mentioned in a post to someone else, they're constantly talking out of both sides of their mouth. They talk a big game about how safety and privacy minded they are, then turn around and sell users down the river at the snap of a finger. Google just can't be trusted one bit. I wonder if that's why they market their products low in comparison to others, they lose a hundred or two here and there, but make it up by far in the money they get from harvesting users data, etc.
 
I've said this in the other thread, but what I've been seeing at my kids' school and elsewhere is that the teens and tweens are not getting the SE 3, because it's too small. I've also seen this mentioned elsewhere as well, along with the complaints about its battery life. Instead, they've been going to the used market to get non-Pro iPhones that are a few years old (or more recently, sometimes Apple refurbs). What's interesting to me is that the 16e is priced almost exactly the same as same-storage-capacity iPhone 15 non-Pros on the high quality non-Apple used/refurb market here in Canada (Orchard).
That makes sense.

My kid is still in preschool, so I have (hopefully) 7-10 years before I need to worry about it. Maybe he’ll want the iPhone 25e 🤣
 
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In the fall when the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Air are released, the 16 will drop to $699. At that point, the case for the 16e will diminish, unless there is a 17e with an A19 chip, and the 16e drops to $499. It will be interesting to see what Apple does and when it does it.
 
This phone is such a letdown on so many hardware levels, show it some mercy and don't mention the poor-state Apple "Intelligence". Apple missed the AI mark by going for the gogles and now it needs to run for its money fast - it will be hard for them to catch up on their own terms.
 
In the fall when the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Air are released, the 16 will drop to $699. At that point, the case for the 16e will diminish, unless there is a 17e with an A19 chip, and the 16e drops to $499. It will be interesting to see what Apple does and when it does it.
You may be right but there is no guarantee they will keep the iPhone 16 around.
 
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Why won’t this be a hit? Say you’re considering a plain Jane iPhone 16, the most popular choice atm. You don’t care that much to have all the cameras of the pro and are looking for a good deal. Isn’t the 16e @599 far more appealing than the 799 regular? A18 chip, apple AI, same base storage, same OLEd screen, wireless charging, better battery, lighter. This going to be the best seller.

Most normies didnt buy the SE (probably had no idea it still existed) and won’t see this as an upgraded SE, they’ll view it as a bargain 16.
But it doesn’t have MagSafe so MR posters will fixate on that and only that. All other features and value is irrelevant.
 
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So is the 16e going to drop $100 in price in September or February 2026? It's going to be competing against $100 cheaper iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 in September.
 
In the fall when the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Air are released, the 16 will drop to $699. At that point, the case for the 16e will diminish, unless there is a 17e with an A19 chip, and the 16e drops to $499. It will be interesting to see what Apple does and when it does it.
A reasonable assumption
 
This is the biggest reasons why I haven't gone with Google anything and avoid their services any chance I get. They are nice and they offer a lot, that's for sure, but I don't trust them one bit. As I mentioned in a post to someone else, they're constantly talking out of both sides of their mouth. They talk a big game about how safety and privacy minded they are, then turn around and sell users down the river at the snap of a finger. Google just can't be trusted one bit. I wonder if that's why they market their products low in comparison to others, they lose a hundred or two here and there, but make it up by far in the money they get from harvesting users data, etc.
You do understand that google don’t personally sell your personal information
 
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On Reddit people are saying this is an iPhone 14 replacement. That’s odd considering they’re marketing it as part of the 16 family. Considering they removed the SE from the lineup it’s not surprising people are assuming the 16e is the replacement for that.
On apples own website they are comparing to people who own an iPhone 11 & 12 so that’s there kind of targeted demographic
 
My guess for the fall lineup will be the 17pro @ 1099, 17 at 899, the 16 at 699 and the 16e at 599. Then around this time next year they move the 16e to 499 if they can. Also a chance the 16 is discontinued and the 16e just stays at 599 as their price floor for a new phone.

This also assumes no crazy tariffs. If so more like17pro 1199, 17 999, 16 remains at 799 and 16e remains 599.
 
That’s just the pretext. The actual reasons are the Face ID hardware and the OLED screen, and the billions in R&D for the new modem chip.
Making beta testers pay for the r&d of something that doesn't make the product better, just cheaper for Apple to produce is plain evil.
 
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And that's why I predict it will sell better than the SE 3.
I don't see that, until they lower the price. In six months, the normal iphone will be only a 100 bucks more, and the E has nothing over it, unlike the SE3 did with smaller size and touchid, for those who preferred that. By the time 18 comes out, 16 would cost the same as the E now. Interesting to see what their strategy will be. Stop selling phones from except current or last gen? Lower the price of the actual E in cadence with it's "parent" gen?

From a logistics standpoint, releasing a new E when when the base iphone using the same chip as the current E gets retired would make sense. But then the pricing would be wrong. Iphone 14 not being on sale is an anomaly because of the usb-c transition.
 
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lol.... I love how they try to push the whole, Apple Intellegence requires more RAM and newer more powerful chips. It does crap.
This is too conspiratorial. It’s not just Apple that say AI needs more RAM. In fact, 8gb is still very conservative/constrained. Apple is actually late to the AI game and only got on board after market pressure forced them to. Pixels for example started AI as a selling point years ago now. While I agree AI has yet to deliver much of anything worthwhile for me, I can’t fault Apple for trying to stay current. Of all the things to blame them for I think this really isn’t it. BTW, having more RAM does just make the phone perform better too, so even if you don’t get use of AI your phone will just run better as a side effect, which is nice.
 
I don't see that, until they lower the price. In six months, the normal iphone will be only a 100 bucks more, and the E has nothing over it, unlike the SE3 did with smaller size and touchid, for those who preferred that. By the time 18 comes out, 16 would cost the same as the E now. Interesting to see what their strategy will be. Stop selling phones from except current or last gen? Lower the price of the actual E in cadence with it's "parent" gen?

From a logistics standpoint, releasing a new E when when the base iphone using the same chip as the current E gets retired would make sense. But then the pricing would be wrong. Iphone 14 not being on sale is an anomaly because of the usb-c transition.
The current low for a normal 16 is 799, so 200 more. Is MagSafe worth 200?
 
Absolutely! The iPhone SE definitely has its niche audience, and it still does today. But from a business standpoint, that’s never really an issue. Companies can shape demand and nudge SE buyers toward a new target. Given the SE’s market share, this is barely a concern for Apple.
Apple nudged me so hard these days, I've checked out the foldable Samsung yesterday. And more or less I could replace an iphone and an ipad with that for a little less. Then went to Lenovo's site to check out ThinkPads, because why would I get ulcer from stressing over how much ram to put into my new macbook pro? But yeah, just keep citing sales numbers for small phones why they don not worth it for Apple, because pissing off a small but dedicated user base certainly won't affect other avenues of revenue, right?
 
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I actually think you have it backwards. Who would buy the iPhone 16 over this? Is MagSafe, an extra camera, and one more GPU Core worth $200 more? I would think for a lot of users the answer is no.
You forget the biggest risk with this phone. The normal 16 has a qualcomm modem.
 
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The current low for a normal 16 is 799, so 200 more. Is MagSafe worth 200?
I was talking about what it will (should) cost in six months, so just a 100.

Not magsafe, I personally hate it and any forms of wireless charging. My question is, that most seem to forget here, is a 200 dollars discount worth it to be a beta tester for the C1 modem? Well have to wait a couple weeks for reviews, but I wouldn't wanna be an early adopter for this price.
 
I don't see that, until they lower the price. In six months, the normal iphone will be only a 100 bucks more, and the E has nothing over it, unlike the SE3 did with smaller size and touchid, for those who preferred that. By the time 18 comes out, 16 would cost the same as the E now. Interesting to see what their strategy will be. Stop selling phones from except current or last gen? Lower the price of the actual E in cadence with it's "parent" gen?

From a logistics standpoint, releasing a new E when when the base iphone using the same chip as the current E gets retired would make sense. But then the pricing would be wrong. Iphone 14 not being on sale is an anomaly because of the usb-c transition.
It’s not about lowering the price
Just think about it the lowest priced iPhone was 429 to buy it’s now 599 so they have pushed the price up & that will in return make them more money going forward
 
The iphone 16e is basically just the XR but buffed.

the XR was like 25% less than the normal and this one is also 25% less than the normal


they both have 1 less camera (well the 16e's camera is much better)

its basically the XR 2 and i think the price is fine for what it is
 
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