Apple has a clear demographic in mind for the newly launched iPhone 16e. The company is also quite open about what lies ahead for this model.
Who is the iPhone 16e designed for?
If you’ve been hoping for an iPhone with an extra lowercase ‘e’ in its name, Apple has just what you need.
On a serious note, Apple has explicitly revealed the type of iPhone users it expects to upgrade to the iPhone 16e.
The company is targeting current owners of the iPhone SE 2, iPhone SE 3, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 mini. This also includes Android users familiar with quirky model names.
For these users, Apple has crafted a modern iPhone that does not go overboard with cutting-edge features.
The marketing strategy is evident from how Apple juxtaposes the iPhone 16e with earlier models—not merely for favorable comparisons, but to highlight its intended audience.
In its official announcement, Apple emphasizes that the iPhone 16e boasts six additional hours of battery life compared to the iPhone 11, and an impressive twelve extra hours over any iPhone SE model. Additionally, it claims the iPhone 16e is up to 80% faster than the iPhone 11, with machine learning processes running up to six times quicker.
The iPhone 16e product page provides further insights with comparison tools. It showcases these battery performance benchmarks for video usage:
- iPhone 16e: up to 26 hours
- iPhone 11 and 12: up to 17 hours
- iPhone 12 mini and SE 2: up to 15 hours
- iPhone SE 2: up to 13 hours
Furthermore, Apple contrasts the performance of the iPhone 16e’s CPU against older models. The iPhone 16e comes in at 80% quicker than the iPhone 11, 90% faster than the iPhone SE 2, 50% faster than both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, and 40% faster than the iPhone SE 3.
In terms of graphics capability, the iPhone 16e outshines the iPhone 11 by 70%, is 200% superior to the iPhone SE 2, 50% faster than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, and 40% faster than the iPhone SE 3.
If you possess an even older iPhone, Apple would be happy to accept your $600, as it likely has data indicating these particular users are most inclined to upgrade to the iPhone 16e.
If you’re interested, Apple allows comparisons of the iPhone 16e with models dating back to the iPhone 6 and iPhone SE 1. Upgrading from a 2014 device means you can expect up to 15 additional hours of battery life along with a significant processor upgrade from A8 to A18, among many other enhancements.
This statement reveals much about the future of the iPhone 16e
Apple has been considering a successor to the iPhone SE 3 for a longer time than modern generative AI has been around.
While it’s unlikely that Apple set out to replace the $430 iPhone SE 3 with the $600 iPhone 16e, the newer model has a primary mission: integrate Apple Intelligence into the good iPhone within a good-better-best hierarchy.
The company was caught off guard by generative AI, lacking the foresight to include sufficient RAM in the iPhone 15 to support the various AI functionalities announced while it remained the standout better model in the lineup.
With the iPhone 16e now available, delivering Apple Intelligence to all consumers, the company can afford for its good iPhone to remain in the market for a few more years.
Apple’s ambitions for the iPhone 16e are most explicitly conveyed in the 12-minute product release video shared recently.
During the discussion about the chip powering the iPhone 16e, Apple’s Kaiann Drance notes that the “A18 will ensure the iPhone 16e remains fast for years.”
This indicates Apple’s intention to support the iPhone 16e for years ahead. I don’t foresee an iPhone 17e or iPhone 18e. It’s possible that the iPhone 16e will become the sole “e” model, much like how Apple previously released only one “C” model and one “R” model.
One thing is clear about the iPhone 16e: Apple’s latest budget-friendly model shies away from the colorful aesthetics of models like the iPhone 5C or iPhone XR. You can have any color you want — as long as it’s either black or white.
