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The iPhone 17 Air is essentially the 17e, but at a higher price point.

Apple won't let users bypass its Pro line for a would-be large-screen, large-battery, standard-camera iPhone 17 Plus. That’s why the Plus is gone. Of course, the poor sales numbers of the past 60Hz Plus justify the cancellation of the 17 Plus from both angles: "People don’t want a 60Hz large phone" and "People might want a 120Hz large phone without paying the Pro Max premium!"
 
IMHO, Apple do not need to refresh every single model every year. The current 16e should be fine for another 3-5 years for most people, for as long as it can run the latest iOS.
 
I don't like the notch. On my MBP, I can easily hide with Top Notch. On iPhone 16e, I cannot hide it using a wallpaper while using apps fullscreen (?). So I'll wait for a different design, preferably without notch or island just like the former SE range.
Then, I’m afraid, you’ll have to wait probably more than 5 years if you’re expecting an all screen iPhone “SE”.

The first iPhone expected to be all screen might get released in 2027 as a 20th anniversary iPhone, and that will be an expensive flagship model. Usually the innovations of the flagship models (like the Pro) take one or more years to be available on the standard models, and then, a few more years until they arrive to the “SE” price range.

So I’m afraid you’re set for a long, long wait.
 
The first iPhone expected to be all screen might get released in 2027 as a 20th anniversary iPhone, and that will be an expensive flagship model.
Sounds great. I am not afraid of waiting as long as the design of new device is good. Just upgraded from iPad Air 2 to iPad A16 ;)
 
Sounds great. I am not afraid of waiting as long as the design of new device is good. Just upgraded from iPad Air 2 to iPad A16 ;)
Oh! Nice upgrade! The iPad Air 2 was ahead of its time, the reason why it keep so many years of support. And the first to have a laminated display, which later became an iPad Pro feature, and only recently it was used for the Air models. Great iPad, we purchased the previous one, the OG iPad Air in 2013, and it didn’t last as long as its successor due to having half the memory (only 1GB) and a less powerful A7 SoC, because IIRC the Air 2 had a Pro-level A8X chip. So a great device to enjoy for a lot of years.

Same for the iPad A16, great device with 6GB of RAM that I’m pretty sure it will last you many more years.

I do have an iPhone SE 3 as my main smartphone, mind you. And it’s great. I’m also thinking about holding onto it for many more years, for the simple reason that I find LCD screens much more comfortable to look at, and this is the last LCD iPhone ever made. So I’m even more screwed than you, because you may see an all screen iPhone “SE” in 7, 8 or even 10 years, but I probably won’t ever see an LCD iPhone in my life, and the technology that may come after OLED is still not well known.

I don’t mind the notch. But I really hope OLED screens become more comfortable for the eyes in the coming years.
 
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What you "heard from industrial chatter" makes no sense. The "e" series of iPhones does not in any way fit an annual upgrade cyclic product. Discussion "that Apple may not go forward with iPhone 17e due to increase in costs" does not make sense.
Then why did they name it 16e, it's clear they expected to upgrade it annually alongside the rest of the range.
 
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IMHO, Apple do not need to refresh every single model every year. The current 16e should be fine for another 3-5 years for most people, for as long as it can run the latest iOS.
Which doesn't preclude Apple releasing a new version every year. In fact it's the opposite, when I buy a new phone every five or six years I want something that is bang up to date.
 
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Then why did they name it 16e, it's clear they expected to upgrade it annually alongside the rest of the range.
Maybe they expected it to be annually released when they designed it and made the marketing stuff, and now, due to increased costs, they don’t see an annual refresh worth it from a business point of view.

Honestly, I don’t see it that strange, regular iPhones keep being sold one and even two years after their release, even with an outdated number.
 
Maybe they expected it to be annually released when they designed it and made the marketing stuff, and now, due to increased costs, they don’t see an annual refresh worth it from a business point of view.

Honestly, I don’t see it that strange, regular iPhones keep being sold one and even two years after their release, even with an outdated number.
I agree, I was replying to @Allen_Wentz who said something completely different.
 
Which doesn't preclude Apple releasing a new version every year. In fact it's the opposite, when I buy a new phone every five or six years I want something that is bang up to date.

The refresh cycle length is not so relevant if you upgrade once every 5-6 years, as even if Apple updated their iPhones once every 2-3 years, you would still get a better deal. In fact, there is very little noticeable difference between iPhone 13 and iPhone 16 (both Pro and regular). Both are running the same OS, the screens are the same, a faster chip is not so noticeable for day-to-day tasks. More RAM is good, but is only relevant if you want to dive into early Apple Intelligence model. Improvements, yes, but nothing revolutionary.
 
The refresh cycle length is not so relevant if you upgrade once every 5-6 years, as even if Apple updated their iPhones once every 2-3 years, you would still get a better deal. In fact, there is very little noticeable difference between iPhone 13 and iPhone 16 (both Pro and regular). Both are running the same OS, the screens are the same, a faster chip is not so noticeable for day-to-day tasks. More RAM is good, but is only relevant if you want to dive into early Apple Intelligence model. Improvements, yes, but nothing revolutionary.

Agreed! Other than usb-c (which is a major improvement), my upgrade from a 13 Pro my 16 Pro was the most boring and uninteresting upgrade in years.
 
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I never bought a Magsafe accessory. That's on you if you did with the anticipation of buying their SE replacement.
I put a $15 MagSafe case on my XR and used MagSafe accessories, accessories I now use with my 15 Pro. If I owned a 16E I would put a MagSafe case on it as well.
 
I expect it’ll get a price cut next year, when the 17’s release, and again the year after. At that point it fits better into the ‘budget’ category the SE was in. Then it might receive small incremental updates and hold the cheaper price for a few years. Until the whole cycle repeats again.
This iPhone will probably not get a price cut as it’s deliberately the bottom tier iPhone
Just like the previous models never ever got a price cut
 
The 17air will be the “e” model. Less features, weaker battery, less performance CPU/ gpu thermal throttling, one camera, poor audio speaker and no MagSafe.
I disagree. The Apple will keep selling the 16E and the 17 Air will be a more premium phone. It will be the 12” MacBook (17 Air) to the MacBook Air (16 E).
 
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Hey guys and gals don’t diss on the 16e just bought one recently and I think it’s the perfect phone. Who needs all that extra stuff anyway.
I went to the Apple Store on vacation, and I tried the 16e demo. Honestly, I’d pick one up if I didn’t use the ultra wide camera on my iPhone 15 as often as I did. I loved the design as it reminded me of the iPhone 4/4s. I could probably live without MagSafe built in and use a case even though it may not be magnetically strong.
 
A few days ago MR claimed the 16e was selling well. If that’s the case then it would seem logical to update it next year.
 
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