Apple has launched a brand new low-end smartphone referred to as the iPhone 16e priced at US$599, aiming to revive development after a sluggish vacation season.
The rebranded gadget goes on sale on 28 February and can value $170 greater than the $429 iPhone SE that it replaces. Pre-orders for the cellphone start on 21 February. The greenback pricing equates to only over R11 000 in South Africa on a direct forex conversion, earlier than import duties and VAT.
Apple modernised the gadget by eradicating the now-antiquated dwelling button and including a bigger display screen with Face ID. The mannequin has a 48-megapixel rear digital camera, the identical A18 chip because the iPhone 16 and a USB-C charging port. It additionally runs the corporate’s AI software program, Apple Intelligence.
The brand new instalment represents the largest change within the historical past of Apple’s low-end iPhone, which was launched because the SE in 2016 and final up to date practically three years in the past. As a part of the shift, the present iPhone SE and iPhone 14 have been discontinued.
The debut is the primary of a number of iPhone design adjustments slated for this 12 months, with Apple additionally planning a brand new, skinnier model. The corporate’s smartphone enterprise may use a lift. Gross sales fell about 1% within the vacation quarter, when the iPhone 16 did not entice buyers. The Apple Intelligence software program additionally has lagged behind rival choices and isn’t out there in a lot of the world.
China has been a selected weak spot. Apple’s general gross sales fell 11% within the nation final quarter, the place it’s dropping floor to native gamers like Huawei and Xiaomi.
Closing the hole
The brand new mannequin ought to give Apple a extra compelling solution to attain the decrease finish of the smartphone market. The corporate spent years engaged on the gadget, aiming to shut the hole between its low-end cellphone and the primary iPhones. However the mannequin nonetheless lacks a number of the know-how discovered on pricier variations. For example, it doesn’t have the Dynamic Island interface and has just one again digital camera.
The brand new cellphone is groundbreaking in a method that customers may not discover: it has an in-house mobile modem chip referred to as the C1 that replaces a element from Qualcomm. The gadget kicks off a broader transition away from Qualcomm, a longtime provider. Apple plans to deliver its personal modem to the skinnier iPhone deliberate for September, and the half will go into Professional fashions in 2026.
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The gadget is available in choices with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB of storage, in addition to white and black colors.
The USB-C charging customary additionally permits Apple to promote the gadget within the EU once more. Guidelines in that area require gadget makers to make use of that sort of port, and the prior iPhone SE had a Lightning connector.
The brand new {hardware} specs can also assist Apple Intelligence, and the corporate is making that know-how central to its advertising and marketing pitch. However Apple’s AI instruments have been gradual to catch on with customers. New writing options and capabilities like Genmoji — customized AI-created emoji — haven’t impressed as many iPhone upgrades as anticipated.
The brand new iPhone 16e additionally features a customisable Motion button like latest high-end fashions, in addition to the flexibility to connect with satellite tv for pc networks for off-the-grid texting and accessing emergency companies.
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The Cupertino, California-based firm is planning a software program replace in April that may deliver Apple Intelligence to extra nations and add assist for extra languages. It’s additionally racing to deliver Apple Intelligence to China.
Apple is trying to introduce new iPads and Macs within the coming months as nicely, together with a MacBook Air with an M4 chip. And along with the iPhone overhaul later within the 12 months, the corporate will debut a brand new Apple Watch Extremely 3 with off-the-grid satellite tv for pc capabilities. — (c) 2025 Bloomberg LP
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