The announcement that Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about has finally arrived and, contrary to reports, it ended up being the iPhone 16e.
The latest midrange smartphone comes with the A18 chip known to power the regular series iPhone 16. The smartphone will come with Apple Intelligence right out of the box.
However, the caveat with this new budget smartphone is that the Cupertino-based tech giant is retiring their original midrange lineup, the iPhone SE.
Apple Debuts the iPhone 16e: New Midrange Phone With A18 Chip
iPhone 16e
Apple
The solo event that Cook promised was a surprising turn of events for many as it debuted the iPhone 16e. However, it is not exactly like the iPhone 16 as the new midrange smartphone only offers a cutout notch and a single rear camera lens, but it does take after its predecessor it terms of performance and capabilities.
The new iPhone 16e features the A18 chip with a 16-core Neural Engine, which makes it eligible to access Apple Intelligence as well as the Writing Tools, Genmoji, Siri with ChatGPT, Clean Up, and more.
This chip also features a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing for smooth performance and gaming experiences.
Moreover, Apple also debuted its new C1 modem, which is part of the Silicon chip, and it is responsible for its 5G and cellular connectivity, leaving behind its reliance on Qualcomm’s 5G modem.
The device also received a single rear camera lens with the 48MP Fusion tech, calling it the 2-in-1 camera system with 2x Telephoto integrated. It can record 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60fps, and more.
Additionally, Apple gave it a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display that is protected by Ceramic Shield, with the company boasting of an IPX5 water and dustproof rating.
Users can enjoy all of these for a starting price of $599, which is far more expensive than the last budget smartphone, the iPhone SE 3, which was released for only $429.
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Goodbye iPhone SE: Apple Discontinues It For iPhone 16e
With the debut of the iPhone 16e, Apple bids goodbye to its long-time budget smartphone lineup, the iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e was expected to be the iPhone SE 4, but Apple decided to take a different turn for this release.
It is now expected that Apple will release a yearly budget smartphone as its name is tied to the iPhone’s number, which is the iPhone 16 in this case, and with the additional “e” after the number to indicate that it is midrange model.
The Road to the iPhone SE 4 Was Long and Winding
The iPhone SE 4 gave the public many hopes for what a budget smartphone would be, as it was rumored to feature the latest design scheme of iPhones, the latest A18 chip, a new 5G modem, and more.
Part of the rumors for the iPhone SE 4 was that its massive overhaul would not center on its looks only, with Apple working on giving it an OLED display that would improve its screen significantly. It was expected to be available last year as the SE lineup only saw a two-year cycle in its release, but it did not arrive.
Despite not being as good as the iPhone Pro models, the iPhone SE lineup is already comparable to the base Apple smartphones as they got the same chipset, and this gave customers value for their money despite being on the more premium midrange side.
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