Apple Unveils Low-Cost iPhone 16e

Apple announced its low-end iPhone 16e priced at $599. The company will attempt to revive sluggish growth by including advanced AI tools in the low-cost model.

The iPhone maker is attempting to better compete against AI-enabled devices from Google and Samsung, but at a lower price point than its high-end iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16e lays to rest the iPhone SE first introduced in 2016 and updated three years ago. It will cost $170 more than an SE due to advanced features such as the same A18 Pro chip used in the iPhone 16 devices announced in September.

The A18 chip is built with second-generation 3nm transistors and is 20% faster than the A17 chip used in previous phones. It is also the first iPhone to use the C1 chipset developed internally by Apple. The iPhone 16e has enough computing power to run Apple Intelligence, the software set of AI tools that includes access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It features a 6.1-inch OLED display, a single 48MP rear camera, and a 12MP front-facing camera.

Kaiann Drance, VP of worldwide iPhone product marketing, said the 16e is optimized for longer battery life. It lasts up to six hours longer than an iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE. It comes equipped with the same Action button as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 lines. The Action button allows users to access a variety of functions.

It is available in two colors, black and white, and is available for pre-ordering from today with shipping slated for 28 February. The new smartphone does not include support for MagSafe cases, wallets, and wireless chargers. It does have wireless charging capabilities up to 7.5W. It does not have support for ultra-wideband technology but does include satellite-based texting to friends and family and support for SOS messaging.