iPhone 16e Reviews: Is It Worth $599?

[billdavies]

Here's a point I don't see anyone mentioning. I helped an elderly neighbor upgrade her old SE to this 16E phone. When purchased through Apple store app on her phone, and opting for a trade in, they offered $100 - more than double what third party places are offering. Their app identified her as owning that old phone already, and asked if she wanted to trade it. (I had to talk her out of buying on Amazon, and this was a GIFT from Apple.)

So you can complain about the size or the engineering compromises, but frankly, if the old SE was $479, she got this new model for $499. Exactly in the same price point.

 

[webkit]

I get the feeling it's priced at $599 but you're not supposed to buy it for $599. Carrier promos on this thing will probably be exceptional.

That can pretty much be said about every iPhone, as well as non-iPhones. There are carrier "promos" on phones all of the time from low(er) end to high(er) end. Of course, not everyone feels that the promos are worth the potentially much higher plan prices.

 

[hans1972]

MKBHD says he doesn’t know who he would recommend this phone to. That’s how I feel about it. I don’t know who it’s for. On the Upgrade podcast, Casey Liss speculated the target audience might be corporations who offer phones to their employees.

It's very simple:

1) People who want the cheapest new iPhone
2) Corporations and businesses that want the cheapest current iPhone for employees
3) Carrier deals

All groups are huge.

 

[Daalseth]

iPhone 14 cost $599 before it was discontinued. Maybe there are good clearance deals now, while retailers clear out stock, but the base cost of the two devices was the same and--I assume--good deals on the 16e will be forthcoming.

as for the 15, it's not a better device than the 16e and certainly not "significantly" so. Each has advantages over the other, but the 16e is going to be supported longer with 33% more RAM and a processor that's two generations newer.

The 16 is clearly better, of course, since it's the next step up in the same generation. But it's 33%/$200 more expensive, which is a clear differentiation.

I think that for many years they have offered a variety of phones (and other devices) at different price points that appeal to different users. Upselling is certainly part of their strategy, but I believe they intend to sell this device to people who weren't seriously considering the 16 or 16 Pro.

I just checked Amnazon and they are selling an unlocked 14 for about $400. That’s a big savings if all you want is a basic phone. Basic Phone being a market that Apple just walked away from.

As far as the 15, Image shift stabilization, MagSafe, there’s two huge improvements right there and I see them on for less than Apple’s price.

the 16e says that Apple is turning over the low end who might have been interested in an iPhone, to Android. Older people, parents getting an inexpensive phone for their kids, people who aren’t techy and so haven’t the slightest interest in AI. They are going to go for an inexpensive Android instead of an iPhone. It’s a decision that will come back to bite them in a few years when these people aren’t there to upgrade to a better iPhone.

 

[ghostface147]

Any phone at all would be perfect for them

Nah, they want iPhones.

 

[ZipZilla]

So many people missing the point here. This phone is not for people who watch YouTube reviews. This phone is not for anyone in the comments here. This is a phone that will be offered for "free" by carriers and probably discounted by Apple eventually. It will be their biggest selling phone of 2025.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

is it worth $599

Yes and No

I’d say it’s worth $549 or between $549-569 at most, not $499 as the $499 crowd want (and forget so easily) that the SE3 at 128GB was priced at $479 and they want all the upgrades (which is a lot compared to the old outdated SE3) for $20 more 😂

Fair opinion re: price. Do people really want an express elevator to the cheapest iPhone in non-third world countries?

I do not get all the teeth gnashing

 

[John_Blackthorne]

So many people missing the point here. This phone is not for people who watch YouTube reviews. This phone is not for anyone in the comments here. This is a phone that will be offered for "free" by carriers and probably discounted by Apple eventually. It will be their biggest selling phone of 2025.

YES. Finally, someone gets it. They are going to do this every year and soon you're not going to see last years' model on sale in carrier stores.

 

[MacBH928]

I am 20 years Apple user and I can't tell the difference between the iphone lineup and ipad lineup. The names and differences are so blured.

obligatory steve jobs video:

 

[SBlue1]

I am 20 years Apple user and I can't tell the difference between the iphone lineup and ipad lineup. The names and differences are so blured.

obligatory steve jobs video:

I find the iPhone or Mac lineup actually very clear. There are steps between each of the product. The iPad lineup is a mess though, there are no steps, there are overlaps and holes.

 

[Danilamak]

Even if things don’t go as expected, the lack of MagSafe is nothing but a completely unfunny joke. If that’s the case, why didn’t Apple just stick with the small screen and release it as the SE4? The answer is simple: the SE has long been a strategic product for clearing out inventory, dynamically adjusting component orders and stock from the previous quarter. By design, it’s a highly flexible product...

If rumors about 17e is true, than it's intentional downside to add it in 17e.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

I stated here on MacRumors last week that the lack of MagSafe is off brand. Apple did a good job of making it seem like a core feature. But I suspect the cost is more than a "few cents" that I've seen thrown around. I'm not aware of any Android phone with magnets, including the new Samsung S25 flagship phones. This is what leads me to believe that adding MagSafe would have cut too far into Apple's target gross margin for the iPhone 16e.

This is Apple inadvertently showing their cards. Their flagship phones don't have enough distinguishing features from the expected bare minimum so they have to take things away from the 16E to make the flagship phones have some worth.

 

[Chungry]

This will sell like hotcakes to corporate customers

 

[John_Blackthorne]

This will sell like hotcakes to corporate customers

Enterprise is a great example. You're the first one I've seen suggest this.

 

[I7guy]

I am 20 years Apple user and I can't tell the difference between the iphone lineup and ipad lineup. The names and differences are so blured.

obligatory steve jobs video:

Things may have changed somewhat since this video.

 

[Christian Evans Welton]

I will buy a 16e as a second phone, to replace my business line phone and as a display head unit for my mountain bike. I like having a second phone: useful for international travel or take video while my 16PM phone’s playing music.

 

[webkit]

This is Apple inadvertently showing their cards. Their flagship phones don't have enough distinguishing features from the expected bare minimum so they have to take things away from the 16E to make the flagship phones have some worth.

Actually, I think it's more the opposite. The fact that Apple's flagship phones do have a lot of "distinguishing" features is a reason why the 16e is able to exist as a more affordable yet desirable option. The 16e has many new and updated features over the SE and yet the 16 and 16 Pro models still have even more "distinguishing" features above that to justify their higher price levels.

 

[Astuces iOS]

How much you wanna bet the majority of 16e users will get their iPhones “free” from the mobile phone provider?

I don't want to buy it from a mobile phone provider since it would be a second phone boom and even cellular isn't necessary : you have sos via satellite, you have messages via satellite and you can always use wifi... Some kids might not need that + ++ what if I want it to keep do I need to pay... I guess so.

 

[kurtfoster]

Nope.

 

[Martin81]

No MagSafe is no problem for me. I'm a big "charging via cable" guy.
Here in Germany the iPhone 16e 128 starts at 699€ incl. VAT (256 GB = 829€ and 512 GB = 1,079€). That is a big jump from the iPhone SE3. Yes, the 16e as more storage, a better chip, bigger battery and a better camera. But 699€ is still to expansive.
The 16e would be very popular, if it was 100-150€ cheaper.

 

[tgwaste]

Any reviewer who thinks $600 is an appropriate price point for this phone is not a reviewer. They are an advertiser for Apple.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

I don't want to buy it from a mobile phone provider since it would be a second phone boom and even cellular isn't necessary : you have sos via satellite, you have messages via satellite and you can always use wifi... Some kids might not need that + ++ what if I want it to keep do I need to pay... I guess so.

Wait. I have a 16 Pro Max. You don't need a cellular plan to message via satellite? Could I take an unused 15 Pro Max and just text all day using satellites? Is that a thing that is real?

 

[thefrost]

I would just get the 16 or 15.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

Dude a magsafe sticker is 5 Euros! LOL! If its such a dealbreaker buy yourself a sticker or a case with magsafe.

Exactly. Lot of hate for this phone. It's $599.00 dollars. The good ones are over a grand. It's dirt cheap for an iPhone.

And we need to stop acting like everyone is destitute and can only afford a $399 or $429 phone, which is complete garbage, at least in the United States, where ***** SNAP users have iPhones, big screen tv's and Xbox's.

If you are really scraping pennies and struggling, there are plenty of solid refurbs in iPhone land, and if you know how to shop, you can get a 2 year old phone for a song, and it will be way better than any prior iPhone SE.

This is why I think all of the handwringing is just virtue signaling by tech reviewers. That old SE was a piece of crap. The design is now more than 10 years old, it was LCD, no 5G, not even 1080p and had a ***** Home button. And the 6e is somehow crippled and too expensive because it's $180 more than the last SE? GTFO.

Stop. Making. Everything. A. Race. To. The. Bottom.

 

[noanker]

I think it is for the person who is looking to mainly use the 16e as a phone and not as a camera or computer replacement. Too many on YouTube and here are overthinking the obvious.

Exactly.

I have a 90-year-old father who uses an iPhone SE 3rd generation to look at his email, makes calls, if necessary, look at Facebook and reply to texts. Perhaps take the occasional picture or two.

He doesn't need MagSafe, and it fits his needs perfectly and with the A15 Bionic, probably is overkill, but will definitely last him a few years.

The SE and 16e make great fleet phones for businesses looking to deploy a basic but reliable phone to their employees. It's the Toyota Corolla of phones; an entry-level phone, bland but reliable, whose price tag is a bit higher but has a quality build.