Apple's $599 iPhone 16e with AI Launches Feb 28
April 10, 2025
LucasWalker
11
Finally, the wait is over! Apple unveiled the much-anticipated refresh of the iPhone SE on Tuesday, marking a significant update three years after the last major revision to their budget-friendly smartphone. But here's a twist: the SE branding is out the door, aligning this new model more closely with Apple's flagship lineup. Say hello to the iPhone 16e, starting at $599, with shipping kicking off on February 28.
The star of the show? Apple Intelligence. This is Apple's bold move into the AI arena, designed to take on heavyweights like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. With Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16e can run small models right on the device, letting you generate text summaries, compose letters, and even create images without needing the cloud.
The iPhone 16e joins an elite club of devices capable of harnessing Apple Intelligence, a feat made possible by the powerful A18 processor, the same chip that powers the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. And, just like its siblings, the 16e lets you tap into ChatGPT through Siri, no OpenAI account required.
Image Credits:Apple
Another big change? The iPhone 16e introduces Apple's in-house modem, the Apple C1. It's a step towards reducing reliance on external chipmakers like Qualcomm and Intel, tailoring the silicon specifically for Apple's ecosystem.
Design-wise, the iPhone 16e is shaking things up. It's ditching the Touch ID home button for Face ID and bringing back the iconic iPhone X camera notch. Plus, it's saying goodbye to the Lightning port and hello to USB-C, following Apple's move to standardize connectors across its devices.
The new model boasts a 6.1-inch OLED display and, according to Apple, offers "the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone." That's a big jump from the 4.8-inch screen of the third-gen SE, which might disappoint fans of smaller phones. The impressive battery life is thanks to the six-core A18 chip, which also features a 16-core neural engine for AI processing and a four-core GPU (a slight step down from the iPhone 16's five-core and the 16 Pro's six-core GPUs).
On the camera front, the iPhone 16e sports a single 48-megapixel rear camera with 2x zoom, which Apple cleverly markets as a "two-in-one" camera, allowing you to shoot 24-megapixel images as well. The front features Apple's TrueDepth camera, enabling face unlock.
This launch comes at a crucial time for Apple, especially as its market share in China, a key market, has slipped by 11%. The rise of Huawei and other local brands, combined with the unavailability of Apple Intelligence in mainland China, are significant factors. Apple has been in talks with Tencent and ByteDance to bring a localized version of its AI to China, and recent reports suggest a partnership with Alibaba as their local AI collaborator.
Image Credits:Apple
The original iPhone SE, launched in 2016, has been a hit in both China and India, the world's top two smartphone markets. Unlike the annual flagship iPhone releases, the SE's updates have been less predictable, with releases in 2020, 2022, and now 2025. The $599 price tag, a $100 increase from the last SE, positions this advanced budget model to help Apple reclaim lost ground in these markets.
Preorders for the iPhone 16e open on Friday, February 21, with shipping starting exactly one week later. It's an exciting time for Apple fans and budget-conscious tech enthusiasts alike!
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Comments (25)
0/200
![KevinMartínez]()
KevinMartínez
April 10, 2025 at 11:55:50 PM GMT
Finally, Apple's got a new budget-friendly iPhone out! The $599 iPhone 16e with AI sounds pretty cool, but I'm a bit bummed about the SE branding being gone. Still, if the AI features are as good as they say, it might be worth the switch!
0
![JasonSanchez]()
JasonSanchez
April 11, 2025 at 3:57:53 AM GMT
¡Por fin Apple lanzó un iPhone económico! El iPhone 16e de $599 con IA suena genial, pero me da pena que hayan eliminado la marca SE. Si las funciones de IA son tan buenas como dicen, podría valer la pena cambiarse.
0
![CarlKing]()
CarlKing
April 10, 2025 at 8:19:36 PM GMT
ついにAppleが新しい手頃な価格のiPhoneを発表しました！$599のiPhone 16eにAIが搭載されているのはすごいですが、SEブランドがなくなったのは残念です。でも、AI機能が言われているほど良ければ、乗り換える価値があるかもしれませんね。
0
![BrianThomas]()
BrianThomas
April 11, 2025 at 9:17:29 AM GMT
Finalmente, a Apple lançou um iPhone acessível! O iPhone 16e de $599 com IA parece incrível, mas fiquei um pouco chateado com a ausência da marca SE. Ainda assim, se as funcionalidades de IA forem tão boas quanto dizem, pode valer a pena trocar.
0
![JohnNelson]()
JohnNelson
April 10, 2025 at 1:27:56 PM GMT
Cuối cùng thì Apple cũng ra mắt iPhone giá rẻ! iPhone 16e với giá $599 và tích hợp AI nghe có vẻ hay, nhưng tôi hơi buồn vì không còn thương hiệu SE. Tuy nhiên, nếu tính năng AI tốt như họ nói, có thể đáng để chuyển đổi.
0
![AlbertSmith]()
AlbertSmith
April 12, 2025 at 5:23:23 AM GMT
The new iPhone 16e is a game changer! Dropping the SE branding was a bold move, but it feels more premium now. The AI features are slick, though I wish the battery life was better. Still, for $599, it's a steal! 🤩
0
April 10, 2025
LucasWalker
11
Finally, the wait is over! Apple unveiled the much-anticipated refresh of the iPhone SE on Tuesday, marking a significant update three years after the last major revision to their budget-friendly smartphone. But here's a twist: the SE branding is out the door, aligning this new model more closely with Apple's flagship lineup. Say hello to the iPhone 16e, starting at $599, with shipping kicking off on February 28.
The star of the show? Apple Intelligence. This is Apple's bold move into the AI arena, designed to take on heavyweights like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. With Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16e can run small models right on the device, letting you generate text summaries, compose letters, and even create images without needing the cloud.
The iPhone 16e joins an elite club of devices capable of harnessing Apple Intelligence, a feat made possible by the powerful A18 processor, the same chip that powers the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. And, just like its siblings, the 16e lets you tap into ChatGPT through Siri, no OpenAI account required.
Another big change? The iPhone 16e introduces Apple's in-house modem, the Apple C1. It's a step towards reducing reliance on external chipmakers like Qualcomm and Intel, tailoring the silicon specifically for Apple's ecosystem.
Design-wise, the iPhone 16e is shaking things up. It's ditching the Touch ID home button for Face ID and bringing back the iconic iPhone X camera notch. Plus, it's saying goodbye to the Lightning port and hello to USB-C, following Apple's move to standardize connectors across its devices.
The new model boasts a 6.1-inch OLED display and, according to Apple, offers "the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone." That's a big jump from the 4.8-inch screen of the third-gen SE, which might disappoint fans of smaller phones. The impressive battery life is thanks to the six-core A18 chip, which also features a 16-core neural engine for AI processing and a four-core GPU (a slight step down from the iPhone 16's five-core and the 16 Pro's six-core GPUs).
On the camera front, the iPhone 16e sports a single 48-megapixel rear camera with 2x zoom, which Apple cleverly markets as a "two-in-one" camera, allowing you to shoot 24-megapixel images as well. The front features Apple's TrueDepth camera, enabling face unlock.
This launch comes at a crucial time for Apple, especially as its market share in China, a key market, has slipped by 11%. The rise of Huawei and other local brands, combined with the unavailability of Apple Intelligence in mainland China, are significant factors. Apple has been in talks with Tencent and ByteDance to bring a localized version of its AI to China, and recent reports suggest a partnership with Alibaba as their local AI collaborator.
The original iPhone SE, launched in 2016, has been a hit in both China and India, the world's top two smartphone markets. Unlike the annual flagship iPhone releases, the SE's updates have been less predictable, with releases in 2020, 2022, and now 2025. The $599 price tag, a $100 increase from the last SE, positions this advanced budget model to help Apple reclaim lost ground in these markets.
Preorders for the iPhone 16e open on Friday, February 21, with shipping starting exactly one week later. It's an exciting time for Apple fans and budget-conscious tech enthusiasts alike!
Apple's New Research Robot Inspired by Pixar's Playbook
Last month, Apple shed more light on its consumer robotics research through a paper that emphasizes the importance of expressive movements in enhancing human-robot interactions. The report begins with an interesting observation: "Like most animals, humans are highly sensitive to motion and subtle ch
Apple Appoints Vision Pro Leader to Head Siri Development
According to a recent Bloomberg report, Apple is making a significant leadership change by replacing the head of Siri. This shake-up occurs shortly after the company announced a delay in the rollout of its much-anticipated AI features. Mike Rockwell, who has been leading the Vision Pro development,
Apple AI Emphasizes Privacy Using Synthetic and Anonymized Data
Apple is stepping up its game in AI model training with a fresh approach that steers clear of collecting or copying user data from iPhones or Macs. In a recent blog post, they've made it clear they're sticking to synthetic data and differential privacy to enhance features like email summaries, all w
April 10, 2025 at 11:55:50 PM GMT
Finally, Apple's got a new budget-friendly iPhone out! The $599 iPhone 16e with AI sounds pretty cool, but I'm a bit bummed about the SE branding being gone. Still, if the AI features are as good as they say, it might be worth the switch!
0
April 11, 2025 at 3:57:53 AM GMT
¡Por fin Apple lanzó un iPhone económico! El iPhone 16e de $599 con IA suena genial, pero me da pena que hayan eliminado la marca SE. Si las funciones de IA son tan buenas como dicen, podría valer la pena cambiarse.
0
April 10, 2025 at 8:19:36 PM GMT
ついにAppleが新しい手頃な価格のiPhoneを発表しました！$599のiPhone 16eにAIが搭載されているのはすごいですが、SEブランドがなくなったのは残念です。でも、AI機能が言われているほど良ければ、乗り換える価値があるかもしれませんね。
0
April 11, 2025 at 9:17:29 AM GMT
Finalmente, a Apple lançou um iPhone acessível! O iPhone 16e de $599 com IA parece incrível, mas fiquei um pouco chateado com a ausência da marca SE. Ainda assim, se as funcionalidades de IA forem tão boas quanto dizem, pode valer a pena trocar.
0
April 10, 2025 at 1:27:56 PM GMT
Cuối cùng thì Apple cũng ra mắt iPhone giá rẻ! iPhone 16e với giá $599 và tích hợp AI nghe có vẻ hay, nhưng tôi hơi buồn vì không còn thương hiệu SE. Tuy nhiên, nếu tính năng AI tốt như họ nói, có thể đáng để chuyển đổi.
0
April 12, 2025 at 5:23:23 AM GMT
The new iPhone 16e is a game changer! Dropping the SE branding was a bold move, but it feels more premium now. The AI features are slick, though I wish the battery life was better. Still, for $599, it's a steal! 🤩
0
