The Price

Rumors over the past year suggested that the next generation of the iPhone SE would break the $500 price barrier, but the iPhone 16e smashed right through it. Apple’s “budget” iPhone (if you can call it that), now starts at $599 for a 128 GB model, compared to $479 for a 2022 iPhone SE in the same capacity.

While one can argue you’re getting more for that price, we’re also now only $200 off from the standard iPhone 16 and $100 below the 2023 iPhone 15. Granted, that older model doesn’t offer Apple Intelligence, but it does give you two cameras, MagSafe, and a brighter 2,000-nit display (the iPhone 16e has the same OLED panel used in the iPhone 14, which peaks at 1,200 nits of HDR brightness).