THE Apple announced on Wednesday (19) iPhone 16E, a more affordable version of iPhone 16 signaling a new investment of the technology giant in the smartphone market low cost .
This is also the first iPhone to incorporate a mobile modem designed by Apple itself and the cheapest iPhone today supporting Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 16e costs from R $ 5,799 and will be released in pre-sale in Brazil on February 28.
Adding Apple Intelligence to a more affordable iPhone can be crucial to placing the company’s AI tools in the hands of more consumers. In recent years, Apple has faced a growing competition from Google and Samsung, both in the economic smartphone market and in the AI space.
For example, the cheaper Google Pixel A series has been well received, and both Google and Samsung prioritized Android devices update with new AI resources last year.
The launch also marks a change from the iPhone SE, the Economic Iphones line that Apple debuted in 2016 and last updated in 2022. According to the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone was only a small Part of Apple’s iPhone market, corresponding to only 5% of iPhone sales in the US in December 2024.
Although it is more expensive than the SE, the iPhone 16E can be more attractive to those who want a device that more closely resembles Apple models. The iPhone SE was the last iPhone with a traditional home button and fingerprint sensor on the front, a longtime feature that Apple began to abandon with iPhone X in 2017.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, anticipated the release in a social networking post on February 13, saying that a new “family member” would arrive on February 19.
What the iPhone 16e can do
Apple states that the new iPhone 16E 5G modem is the “most efficient energy modem already seen in an iPhone.” The new modem arrives more than five years after Apple has acquired most of Intel’s problem of smartphones in 2019. Using its own modems makes Apple less dependent on partners and suppliers, giving you more control over the product development and launch schedule.
The iPhone 16E represents a long -awaited reformulation of Apple’s most affordable iPhone. The iphone SE, which cost $ 429, although cheaper, had the look of the iPhone 8, launched seven years ago, and lacked features present in most new models, such as facial unlocking and an almost borderless screen. After Wednesday’s announcement, iPhone if it is no longer available at Apple’s online store.
Unlike iPhone if, the iPhone 16E has a lot in common with the iPhone 16, becoming more aligned with Apple’s current line. Both models have 6.1 inch screen, face ID, a 48 megapixel camera and the action button, which allows you to program shortcuts. However, the iPhone 16E is cheaper and does not have a second camera dedicated to broader photos or camera control button for quick access to the camera app.
It is equipped with the same processor of the rest of the iPhone 16 line, allowing you to run the Apple Intelligence.
So far, Apple Intelligence was only available in the iPhone 16 family, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max of 2023 and certain iPads and Macs. The term Apple Intelligence refers to a set of AI -based tools, such as emoji and images generation from commands, notification summaries, photo object removal and chatgpt integration with Siri.
The popularity of ChatgPT after its launch at the end of 2022 had a major impact on the technology industry, leading companies like Microsoft, Google and Samsung to incorporate Ia Generative in their products.
However, Apple was widely considered a retarding in the adoption of consumer artificial intelligence. Like many technology companies, Apple already used to improve internal features, such as camera modes, but only started to launch Apple Intelligence last year. The arrival of this technology to a more affordable device, such as iPhone 16E, indicates that the company sees AI as an essential part of its products going forward.
Technology giants have positioned the Generative AI and chatbots as the next major evolution in the way consumers use and interact with technology. However, it is still unclear whether tools like Apple Intelligence will be attractive enough to boost smartphone change, especially considering that Apple’s iPhones revenue has been below the expectations of Wall Street in the first fiscal quarter of 2025.
This content was originally published in Apple iPhone 16E launches, cheapest version of iPhone 16; See prices on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
