alt Hacker NewsApple Debuts iPhone 16e
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It is an iPhone 16, inside iPhone 14 Body, Single Camera from iPhone 16, with iPhone 14 OLED Screen, Apple Modem, Without UWB, Minus 1 GPU Core on A18, 7.5W MagSafe Charging same as iPhone 14. Wifi 6 instead of Wifi 7 on iPhone 16.
However at $599, higher than the rumoured $499 or $549 pricing. iPhone 14 previously at $599 and iPhone SE at $429 are now gone. Getting rid of iPhone 14 and iPhone SE as they are both using Lightning and not USB-C.
The lineup is a little strange. Will iPhone 15, currently at $699 dropped to $599 when they announce iPhone 17?
The most interesting part is of course the Modem. We will have to wait and see how it perform.
At this point there’s only really one thing I want from an iPhone and that’s an option for a 12/13 mini sized device again. Surely those phones didn’t sell so few that it’s not worth doing at all?
Apple leans its weight heavily on controversial smartphone changes and defines trends for the rest of the industry, even when it's not the first company to do so. When it removed the headphone jack, introduced the screen notch, or added a camera bump, everyone followed afterward despite the grumbling.
So keeping that in mind, regarding the modem, I remember prior comments about it being near-impossible or extremely difficult for Apple to cut out Qualcomm because of the decentralized network of mobile towers, operators, proprietary information, legacy cruft, edge cases, hardware and geographical testing, etc., which Qualcomm handles as part of its value-add. If Apple starts spearheading changes in how phone modems work, could we imagine mobile towers playing along and converging? Or is it more entrenched than that?
Prior discussion
Let's see... it's replacing the SE, which is no longer on Apple's website. It's more expensive than the SE, at $599 vs $429. It's a pretty substantial hardware upgrade over the SE, including something like 75% more battery life by Apple's numbers, but it's also noticeably bigger.
Apple's own comparison tool is useful: https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-16e,i...
Think of the QC modem as an API and that API is limited to what QC wants apple or anyone else using their modem to do. The firmware is pushed by QC and then apple can use it to update it’s modems of QC when it does it’s now updates.
Now with C1 that API is designed at apple and in a way that their soc team wants to get the best battery life along. So the modem can be turned off / on updated request data signals etc in a more efficient manner with the soc. On top of that apple probably cleaned up parts of the modem that they probably didn’t feel were needed for their iPhones that maybe QC were obligated to include because of the way their modems had to be designed and sold.
Now do this to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and put everything in the soc and you are going to be getting solid gains sooner than later.
This transition is very exciting cause I’m hoping this happens to MacBooks as well.
Would love a 5G MacBook with a data plan.
Very cool to see a new entry into the modem market. Obviously not available for anyone other than Apple, but I’m interested to see how it shapes up over time much like their SoC has done.
This has been a long time coming since Apple bought Intels modem division several years ago.
I’m also interested to see if it enables cellular in laptops. Afaik the limiting factor has been that Qualcomm charge a percentage of device rate , which would be exorbitant for a laptop. Having it be in house might allow for it now.
Is this a replacement for the "SE" line? It seems similar to the previous SE models in that it's cheaper, uses an older body, and is released in an off month. The marketing copy in the OP also compares it to the older SE phones.
I am guessing that's the end of the small phone line at Apple.
Whoa, shipping their own baseband modem for the first time, skipping the Qualcomm tax. That's huge, even for Apple.
USB-C connector with support for: USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)
Can someone explain why they are pushing USB 2 speeds via USB-C connector in 2025? Can't believe it's cost... It's a shame.
The point here is to replace iPhone 15 which doesn't support Apple Intelligence without raising the lowest price point for an iPhone. Apple has made a bit of a blunder by selling hardware with such limited memory for so long, which gives them a large install base that doesn't support gen-ai tech. Of course, the urgency of upgrading depends on how bullish you are on gen-ai.
> and the new Apple C1, the first cellular modem designed by Apple
This is the biggest announcement IMHO, it's been a long time coming for them to ship something after buying the patents from Intel. It makes sense to ship the first new radio in "not your flagship" and a good way to test it out.
I wonder if the iPhone 17 will have it or if they will wait another year to see how it does. I would imagine the 17 is pretty much locked down as of now so it's not like this phone is meant to test in the wild then use the tech in 17 since there isn't enough turnaround time.
This device looks like a technology testing mule for apple, and with that price point it's guaranteed to sell boatloads.
I think being able to cram this amount of new tech (a new camera, a new modem) for a new device is good for apple. I believe this will play out well, and this tech will graduate the so-called flagships in a couple of years.
> iPhone 16e will be available in white and black in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, starting at $599 (U.S.) or $24.95 (U.S.) per month for 24 months.
Wait a sec. 24 * 24.95 = $598.80
They'll pay you twenty cents to take the financing?
It seems that this will cannibalize iPhone 16 sales - it's $200 cheaper, same form factor and internals, with the only difference being the camera, which if you care about you go for the Pro model. However, the price makes for a much more appealing upgrade for anyone who has an older iPhone
Pro: action button
Con(?): 60 Hz
And the price hike again shows that Apple is the master of the "for just a few hundred dollars more, you can get...“ upsell to bigger iPhones.
The e stands for electronic, marking a departure from traditional mechanical iPhones
6.1”
I used to think 4.7” was a bit too much. Holding onto SE 2016 till death do us part.
$599 for 128GB with this caveat..
>Available space is less and varies due to many factors. A standard configuration uses approximately 12GB to 24GB of space, including iOS 18 with its latest features and Apple Intelligence on-device models can be deleted if Apple Intelligence is turned off and use approximately 7GB of space. Turning on Apple Intelligence will download the models again. Apple apps that can be deleted use about 4.5GB of space, and you can download them back from the App Store. Storage capacity subject to change based on software version, settings, and iPhone model.
Have to wonder if the price would have been $499 if the tariffs/constant thread of tariffs over the next 4+ years wasn't there.
Entry level 16e - one lens. Mid-tier 16 - two lenses. Top-tier 16 Pro - three lenses.
The segmentation is very visible.
Apparently the camera is "2 in 1" that does 2x zoom with "optical quality" but they never actually say it's true optical zoom. I'm guessing that it's just digital zoom with some fancy processing. Does anyone know for sure?
Still happy with my iPhone 7. Replaced display and battery, at an Apple Store, last year. Gaming, AI and photography are curiosities I look at from afar. For the rest it drives me around on vacation via CarPlay and Apple Maps. Handles my home banking, pre paid card and Apple Pay without a hitch. Chatting and calling on too many apps. Manages my digital IDs, medical records, emails, notes and calendar. Translates my conversations and runs Automations. It will soon help me charge an electric car. What more can I expect from it.
Now they don't have any phones with the old-style rounded bezel. The SE was the very last of them. I have a 12 mini and thing I really hate about it is the sharp, orthogonal bezel. It's very uncomfortable to hold for longer periods of time.
I'm taking this as a sign from Apple that I use my phone too much and should probably stop.
So glad it doesn't use the dynamic island which is so distracting as it becomes the foreground and makes the content into background.
Action button looks to me they finally realized how good the blackberry action button was. Only took 20 years. Can we have the optical pointer back as well so we don't have to jab all over the glass which is slow and imprecise?
What I really want Apple to release is a foldable like Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy’s flagship models.
The idea of having a normal screen on the front but then a second foldable screen inside is a great tradeoff between form and function.
Unfortunately I can’t see Apple releasing this because it harms their tablet sales. Hopefully I’m proven wrong though.
8Gb of ram, for those wondering.
> the first cellular modem designed by Apple
Whoah! Maybe Apple can now figure out how to put a cellular modem in a MacBook Pro.
I have a (regular) Pixel 8 and given that this is smaller and finally has USB-C I'm very tempted to try to jump to Apple again but I'm curious about the following:
1. Is there a terminal equivalent like termux?
2. Is there an open source wireguard client like the official wireguard client for Android?
3. Is it possible to upload mp4 videos to it to watch offline?
4. Is it possible to upload some of my mp3 collection to it to play offline?
5. I believe syncthing isn't officially supported. Are there any alternative syncthing implementations or workarounds?
Perhaps I'll finally update my 13 mini. I've been holding out hope that Apple will release another small form factor phone, but this may be the closest they will get.
I've never had even the slightest bit of interest in owning an iPhone, but if this is the testing ground for their new modem, I'm excited to see it come to the mac in the next few years.
I took myself off the every new iphone train at the 12 pro when it came out. My screen is pretty beat down at this point and the battery is 75% of a day. I keep thinking to get new one but a) my 12 pro is actually still very capable and I like the form factor a lot b) figuring out what iphone to get (including looking at acceptable older model) is totally overwhelming c) I really hate ewaste. If anyone has been in a similar situation and done the research I'm all ears. Thanks!
Incredibly disappointing it’s so big. Bring back the small phones!!
You’ll have to pry the 13 mini from my cold dead hands…or just stop supporting it
I had hopes for this to have an LCD screen, but alas. I will order a few iPhone SE today if it's still possible to find them.
Is bluetooth reliable yet or is this model going to be plagued with the same persistent issues since the iPhone 14?
Can someone please explain the benefits of C1 chip?
They made their own modem, the right move but still brave, I bet there are a lot of 'Chestertons Fences' in those.
For only $100 more, you can get an iPhone 15 without Apple Intelligence.
Is the iPhone "e" series going to be a yearly release now? Like the Pixel "a" series?
Apple has become a behemoth in chip design. I'm guessing Qualcomm won't be taxing them anymore since they're making their own modems
Anybody able to point me to a table that compares this with the other recent iPhone in terms of main hardware, screen, camera etc. ?
I sadly will pass. I know there was no Mini size coming..but still, one can hope. Anyway, I see absolutely ZERO reasons to switch from my iPhone 14 other than to help them beta test their new modem in the field. They already have been doing that with software releases (iOS specially) since iOS 12/13.
A Mini would not have been a diminished experience/purchase even with lesser features. This is a diminished experience even for what it would cost.
With disappearance of iPhone SE in United States you can no longer buy iPhone with physical SIM slot. But cross the border into Canada and you can buy exact same phone with the physical slot.
This is a sad day and not progress in any meaningful way (social engineering away physical SIM, causing loss of flexibility when traveling).
Too bad they killed the SE. Guess I'm on my last (and first) iPhone
Kinda disappointing on all three fronts I was hoping there could be some improvement: size, weight, price.
With medical conditions affecting my muscle strength, I wish phones would get a bit lighter. Glass sandwich form factor is unnecessarily heavy and fatigues my arms.
I thought it was going to be an actual modem... like they had previously.
Check out the battery life!
> iPhone 16e has the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone, lasting up to six hours longer than iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE.
Their page comparing models claims the new 16e gets "26 hours video playback."
The new battery life seems to be mostly due to their new Apple C1 cellular modem, replacing the Qualcomm modems in earlier models.> Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, delivering fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity. Apple silicon — including C1 — the all-new internal design, and the advanced power management of iOS 18 all contribute to extraordinary battery life.