So, you want an iPhone, but the flagship tier iPhones like the iPhone 16, 15, and even 14 series are priced a little higher than your budget would allow. Although Apple still sells the iPhone SE 3, you find it too old and dated.
If so, you must be eagerly waiting for the iPhone SE 4, which is rumoured to be launched this year, right? Although we believe that Apple is still working on launching this device soon, it might not continue to carry the “iPhone SE” name, but instead, the iPhone 16E, according to tech leaker Majin Bu.
“iPhone 16E” could be a “recycled” iPhone 14 with an iPhone 16 chipset
Majin Bu also shared what seems to be a photo of a phone case for the upcoming iPhone 16E. Said to share a similar design to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 16E is also rumoured to feature a 6.06-inch 60Hz OLED display (sadly no 90/120Hz screen here), a notch with Apple’s Face ID sensors in it, along with an Action Button.
The phone is also said to be offered in two colour options, white and black. Interestingly, red, a colour option that’s offered with the current iPhone SE 3 and the previous iPhone SE 2, is missing.
However, do remember that we are probably still months away from the official launch of this device. Therefore, there’s a high chance that the details mentioned above are not final. Other spec details of the iPhone 16E include Apple’s A18 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a 48MP main camera at the back, and a 12MP selfie shooter.
iPhone 16E to cost more than the current iPhone SE?
Aside from this, there are also sources claiming that the iPhone 16E will fetch a starting price tag of under USD500 (RM2,250), which should mean a heftier asking price than the current-gen iPhone SE 3. For reference, the iPhone SE 3 is currently sold in Malaysia with an introductory price of RM2,199 for the 64GB model.
However, we believe and hope that the iPhone 16E will be offered with a minimum storage option of 128GB, as it will be insane for Apple to sell a new iPhone with just 64GB, isn’t it?
iPhone 16E is a much-needed upgrade for Apple’s “budget” smartphone lineup
The “iPhone SE” name has been used for Apple’s “budget” iPhone lineup across three generations since 2016. The original iPhone SE was essentially a “recycled” iPhone 5S with some iPhone 6S internals, while the iPhone SE 2, which launched in 2020, was based on the iPhone 8, but features the same chipset from the then flagship iPhone 11 series under its hood.
As for the third-gen and current iPhone SE, Apple took the second-generation model and gave it an even newer processor, the A15 chip that’s used in the iPhone 13 series.
Despite sporting a decently powerful processor, the iPhone SE is dated in almost every other aspect. For starters, it sports a tiny 4.7-inch IPS LCD display that not only has a resolution of less than Full HD but is also lacking in terms of brightness.
Battery life is not the greatest either, considering the puny 2,018mAh cell it has. Charging is also not the fastest with the iPhone SE 3, as it only supports 20W wired charging and 7.5W when using a Qi charger.
For its asking price, the iPhone SE 3’s camera setup is not the best nor versatile, as there is only a single 12MP f/1.8 main camera at the back and a 7MP f/2.2 selfie shooter at the front.
So, to say the least, the upcoming iPhone 16E is certainly the upgrade Apple’s “budget” smartphone lineup greatly deserves. It will also be a sound decision for Apple to ditch the iPhone SE name, which has for years been associated with “cheap” iPhones that have been greatly compromised in many ways.
