Apple unveils iPhone 16e, ditching the SE moniker

Photo: Apple

Apple has officially announced the iPhone 16e, a new entry-level model joining the iPhone 16 family. Dropping the SE branding, the iPhone 16e aims to distance itself from perceptions of being a "lesser" device. It boasts several key features, including Apple Intelligence support, previously absent in the iPhone 14.  

The iPhone 16e sports a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with Ceramic Shield, and Apple claims it has the "toughest back glass in a smartphone." It's powered by the A18 chip and features a 48MP "2-in-1 camera system"—though it's still a single lens setup capable of lossless 2x zoom. Apple also promises "the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone," exceeding the iPhone 11 by six hours and all SE models by up to 12 hours. But that claim requires real-life testing.

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Useful Apple Intelligence features are coming

Image: Apple, OpenAI

Apple is gearing up to launch updates for its operating systems—iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2—that would bring more useful artificial intelligence-powered features. The update introduces ChatGPT integration and the iPhone 16-exclusive visual intelligence that shows information about photos.

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iPhone 16 base models reportedly struggle in early sales

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Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus might not be as popular as its iPhone 16 Pro counterparts. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shares his initial reports on shipment updates for the new iPhones. He sees demand for the base iPhone 16 models as "lacklustre," while the iPhone 16 Pro models see orders comparable to the iPhone 15 Pro.

It doesn't seem to affect production much, though. Kuo says assembly orders for all four phones remain mostly the same. There's only a "negligible" 3-5% reduction of component orders for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Production estimate for the iPhone 16 devices in the fourth quarter of 2024 is around 88-89 million units (slightly lower than last year's 90-91 million units).

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What to expect from the Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

Apple adds some new buttons to the Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. As rumoured, the two inherit the iPhone 15 Pro's Action Buttons alongside a new "Camera Control" button. This new physical button is a dedicated shutter and another way to change settings in the Camera app. The rear cameras on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are now stacked vertically. It is better suited to capture spatial video this way, which you can use with the Vision Pro.

The camera upgrades to the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus include its lenses. It gets an equivalent of four lenses all in all despite only having two sensors. The 48-megapixel Fusion camera comes with a 2x telephoto option, while the new 12-megapixel ultra-wide can also be used for macro photography.

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