Apple iPhone 16e faces a fierce smartphone segment dominated by Android rivals

Apple iPhone 16e faces a fierce smartphone segment dominated by Android rivals
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The newly launched Apple iPhone 16e is easily the most ‘affordable’ entry option in the latest iPhone series. With it, the Cupertino-based tech giant has finally ‘killed’ the iPhone SE after having already buried the iPhone mini several years ago.

“The SE series has been one of the entry points for many first time Apple users helping increase the reach of iPhones to a larger consumer base more affordably. It has been popular amongst users who prefer phones with smaller form factor and do not want other ‘top of the line’ features,” said Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Counterpoint.

But, is the iPhone 16e ‘affordable’ enough if one were to check out options from Chinese smartphone makers like OnePlus, iQOO and Realme?

To set the context, the iPhone 16e starts at ₹59,900 for the 128 GB variant, offering a 6.1 inch display with a 60 Hz refresh rate and 1,200 nits of peak brightness. The notch display was last seen in iPhone 14.

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“Customers looking for an iPhone in this range are expected go for an older generation of iPhones like iPhone 15,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder of Techarc. He added that if we look from Indian perspective, the price shouldn’t have been more than 50k.

The Apple iPhone 16e features single camera on front (12 MP) and rear (48 MP).

The iPhone 16e mainly scales on A18 processor with 4 cores GPU which is also there in iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus but with 5 cores GPU. The Type-C port has become a universal ask, so Apple could not skip it. “Apple is trying to give a relatively affordable alternative to leverage Apple Intelligence and A18 silicon,” feels Faisal.

The Apple iPhone 16, launched in September last year, uses a 6.1 inch dynamic display with 2,000 nits peak brightness. It also gets users dual rear camera; a 48 MP main and a 12 MP ultrawide. Similarly, iPhone 15 uses the same size display and camera, can also be an option for the buyers.

If you go by the Apple India listed pricing of both the phones, iPhone 16 can be purchased around ₹79,900 and iPhone 15 for ₹69,900. And if bank offers and channel discounts included, the prices can come down by at least ₹10,000 on both the phones. So, does it make sense to go for iPhone 16e with not-so-bright specs?

And, if you compare it with Android phones in that segment, the iPhone 16e does not stand a chance as most of them are powered by the latest Qualcomm SoC, and have a minimum of 6.7 inch display with a 120 Hz display, 4,500 nits peak brightness, and a triple rear camera. And these phones come with a nearly 6,000 mAh batteries, and are equipped with lightening-fast charging at 100 W.

“Premium segment in India is driven by EMI purchases with 5 in 10 users choosing financing to buy their devices. The monthly delta for the EMIs for both devices will not be very large. Further, pricing variables like discounts from channel partners might swing users towards the iPhone 16e,” added Tarun.