I think iPhone 16E is every bit worth $599 at today's market value, but that's NOT a budget phone in our current day economy. A 16E mini at $499 is needed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 16e iPhone launched in 2007 for $499. How is $599 a budget phone?
- Thread starter Yr Blues
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My first thought too was inflation, especially since 2020 and COVID.
And to defuse what this thread could devolve into ... I'm sure that very talended economists did the calculation of market share / lineup dilution / market elasticity.
Apple is not known for targeting the budget conscious, and the SE series always seemed to be a stopgap to get rid off extraneous inventory of undersold components.
Nevertheless, OS support and resale value do change the economics of the used market, therein lies the afforable iPhone.
Apple is not known for targeting the budget conscious, and the SE series always seemed to be a stopgap to get rid off extraneous inventory of undersold components.
Nevertheless, OS support and resale value do change the economics of the used market, therein lies the afforable iPhone.
But anything is going up in prices, specially housing, food, electricity, health care and other elementary things. And smartphones aren't anything special anymore, they all do the same, there is nobody standing out anymore. So believing you can add the inflation to your product is risky.
I think the 16e will not be a success, only way to make it successful is by sacrificing the more expensive iPhone models, because the big market is not into flagships anymore and people keep their money in their pockets. A real apple is becoming more valuable than some fancy smartphone.
$499 was for a 2 year contract.
Maybe $60 of that cost $100 increase is the tariff that went into effect between the two release dates.
When compared to the Pixel and OnePlus, the 16E Price to performance is a steal.
And the original iPhone had a potato for a camera, very little storage and ram and a slow processor, no wireless charging, satalite conectivity, etc.
$599 now would be equivalent to $383.64 in 2007, so it’s cheaper than the original iPhone when factoring in inflation.
idk if you look at how absurdly expensive tech products have gotten, the iphone 16e being €699 isn't outrageous, I guess. You won't get any discounts on it though, you get what you get.
iPhone 2G was $499 for 8GB version WITH A 2 YEAR CONTRACT. iPhone 3G was released for $199 with the same contract and a year later was sold for $499 without it. Which means the contract is equivalent to $400. It would put the iPhone 2G at $899, the same price as iPhone 16 Plus. Not adjusting for inflation.
Apple wants more money from those who used to buy SE’s.
does Apple call it a "budget" model?
Name any Apple device that is considered a "budget device"
"Things sure were cheaper back in the old days". Yes, obviously. Inflation happens. 2007 was ages ago, grandpa.
if it fits "your budget" then any phone is a budget phone.
$499 in mid-2007 corresponds to $760 today.
But I agree that $599 is steep for a supposedly budget model. The iPhone SE 2016 at $399 would only be $529 today.
Why is Apple making a mess of us like Samsung
The discounted iPhone should be called iPhone SE 4 or iPhone Air (like all of Apple's entry-level models)
And the slim iPhone should be called iPhone 17 Slim
Apple, you have disappointed me
The discounted iPhone should be called iPhone SE 4 or iPhone Air (like all of Apple's entry-level models)
And the slim iPhone should be called iPhone 17 Slim
Apple, you have disappointed me
499 exclusively ATT, under contract,locked, and you still need to activate it to use as iPod or with out SIM card.
T mobile will probably offer iphone 16E for 200 bucks with contract and monthly bill credits.
T mobile will probably offer iphone 16E for 200 bucks with contract and monthly bill credits.
This. Or it will be the "add a line, get a new iPhone on us" model.
You could buy it without the contract at 499. I bought one which I jailbroke and unlocked to use in Mexico.
iPhone launched in June 2007 starting at $499 but that $499 price required a 2 year AT&T contract. The cheapest AT&T iPhone plan at the time was $59.99/month (1 line) and that wasn’t even unlimited talk/text.
$499 in today's dollars is over $760 and $59.99/month in today's dollars is around $92/month.
$499 in today's dollars is over $760 and $59.99/month in today's dollars is around $92/month.