Apple just announced its latest affordable smartphone, the iPhone 16e. In doing so, the company revamped its affordable phone strategy and took the “FE” approach to its budget releases. We expect the baby of the iPhone 16 family to cause some trouble for other companies looking to ship affordable devices this year. This includes a device after a similar market, the upcoming Google Pixel 9a. However, looking at the iPhone 16e, we can be sure that Google has nothing to worry about.
What is the iPhone 16e?
Apple keeps its mobile releases pretty tight and streamlined with only two series. There’s the core series (First iPhone – iPhone 16) and the more affordable SE series. Well, Apple made a change that killed off its second series of phones and brought its affordable offering into its main series. The company unveiled the iPhone 16e. This is the spiritual successor to the iPhone SE 3. As such, it shares the same overall mentality as the iPhone SE series. These are phones that act as a proper introduction to the iOS ecosystem.
Apple pulled its punches with this phone, as it did with its other affordable handsets but not where it shows. Users are getting a pretty premium phone with a metal and glass build. Also, it uses the powerful A18 chip, so you know that it will run iOS 18 flawlessly.
Around back, there’s a single 48MP camera that will handle all of the photography. The company calls it a “Fusion Camera” because it plays the role of the main and telephoto camera. Basically, it has 2x digital zoom…
Apple advertises this phone as having much better durability and battery longevity than “older iPhones”, so there’s that. You should count on it being sturdy and lasting you all day.
The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch notched display that sees the death of Apple’s Touch ID. Instead, the company opted to use Face ID with its new sub-flagship soldier.
What’s notable about the iPhone 16e is that it will come with Apple Intelligence. It’s not surprising at all, but it’s still nice to see. Obviously, Apple will want to show its fans all of the fun and amazing things this phone will (eventually) do with the features. We don’t know if the iPhone 16e will get the full suite of Apple Intelligence features, though.
All in all, the iPhone 16e costs $599. Pre-orders begin on February 21st, and general sales will kick off on February 28th.
Google doesn’t have to worry about the iPhone 16e
There are a metric ton of budget-focused devices on the market from a plethora of companies. Be that as it may, they’re not all targeting the same segment. Apple, along with Google and Samsung are targeting the “I wanna feel like I have a premium phone, but I don’t want to pay over $1,000!” segment. Google’s Pixel”A” series and Samsung’s Galaxy FE series fill this space along with Poco’s F series and others.
As such, you can imagine the folks at Google putting their guard up as they prepare to reveal the Pixel 9a to the world. The iPhone 16e is a formidable device because of the chip it’s rocking. It uses the same chip that runs the powerful iPhone 16. While the Pixel 9s will use the same chip that powers the Pixel 9, we have to admit that there’s a pretty huge gap between the Apple A chips and the Google Tensor chips when it comes to power.
So, Apple is about to launch a phone with a much more powerful processor, up-to-date software, a premium design, some features present in the iPhone 16 series, and Apple Intelligence. Why shouldn’t Google be shaking in its boots?
Similar mentality
Apple is about to release a phone that’s pretty much an iPhone 16 for less. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between it and the iPhone 16 proper (well, besides the trimmed-down camera package).
Well, guess what, Google is doing the same thing. The Pixel A series phones have been performing the same job, and that is blurring the line between affordable and powerful phones. The first Pixel A phone, the Pixel 3a, ported the same camera present in the Pixel 3 over, which made it the most powerful camera phone in its price range.
That tradition continues to today with Google bringing an experience pretty much indistinguishable from what you get with the main phones. The Pixel 9a will bring an experience almost 1-to-1 with the main Pixel 9 phones, save for the reduced camera bar.
It will provide the latest version of Android, a premium design, a jaw-dropping camera, a beautiful display, and great performance. While the Tensor chips aren’t popular for their horsepower, they’re still able to give you a smooth experience on Google’s hardware. Google will provide a damn-good experience with its affordable phone that will rival what you get from the flagship phones.
So, if you’re on the fence as to whether to go on Tim’s Team or Sundar’s Side, the overall quality of the experience won’t be a factor.
The AI (or lack thereof)
Apple dedicated a fair bit of the announcement to Apple Intelligence. This AI platform is great… if you like 40% of everything promised, that is. Here’s the thing, Apple promised us the moon, stars, and one of Saturn’s rings when it announced Apple Intelligence. Yet, so far, it’s only delivered a bunch of space dust. The company hasn’t delivered all of the fun and amazing features it announced yet, and people are wondering when they’re going to come.
The thing about the Pixel 9a is that it won’t come with the same hang-up. When you turn on your Pixel 9a, you’ll have the full Gemini experience. You won’t be waiting for an entire section of your AI experience to drop.
This is something that people will need to think about when considering the iPhone 16e. Sure, Google’s AI isn’t flawless, and the company has had its issues with half-baked AI features, but it has delivered much more than it dropped the ball. Also, Apple’s AI isn’t immune to mess-ups either. When you use the Pixel 9a, you’ll be using a realized AI platform that you can use right away. You won’t be playing the waiting game.
No notch
This might be a minor gripe, but Apple really has a problem with keeping old design aesthetics. When the company unveiled the iPhone SE 3, it looked just like an iPhone 8, a device that was old at the time. We can tell that it just recycled an existing design. Well, good old Efficient Apple is at it again, slapping an archaic notched display on the iPhone 16e.
Seriously, Apple? It doesn’t matter how the phone’s body looks, the wide notch has been a thing of the past for years. Would it have hurt the company to put a punch-hole on the screen? It’d look much better than a notch. We know that Apple needs room for the selfie camera as well as the Face ID scanner, so a circular hole is out of the question. Apple could have gone with a pill-shaped punch-hole however, which would have given the phone a much better aesthetic.
Heck, it could have given the iPhone 16e a watered-down Dynamic Island. Maybe it wouldn’t do quite as much, but it would still be a better look for the phone. We don’t see Google saddling its devices with outdated screens. It wants to let you know that you’re getting a premium-performing phone with looks to match. The vision of the wide notch is becoming more of a joke nowadays, so seeing the iPhone 16e on a store shelf won’t really be appealing.
Price
This section will be a little speculative, as we don’t know the official price of the Pixel 9a yet. Regardless, Apple is walking a very dangerous line with the iPhone 16e. It’s tip-toeing on the line between what can be considered affordable and premium. At $599, we have to ask Apple if it forgot why the iPhone SE series existed. These phones are meant to be a painless way to enter the iOS ecosystem. They’re meant for people who want to try iOS but don’t want to spend absurd prices… like $600.
Now, the “affordable” iPhone costs $599. That’s the price of the base Pixel 6 (not the Pixel 6a). Apple is basically launching a 4th flagship phone that it says is “the affordable model.” People are paying prices just under the flagship price for a phone with one camera and an outdated design.
Let’s not kid ourselves, Google isn’t quite selling its A-series phone for pennies. The Pixel 8a cost $499. That’s not amazing, but it’s still $100 less than the iPhone 16e. We don’t expect Google to jump to $599 for the price of the Pixel 9a; if anything, we’d expect $529 – $549. Hopefully, Google keeps the price at $499, however. That’d be a huge slap to the face of Apple.
This will give Google a pretty big advantage. Again, you’re getting a flagship-grade experience. However, the trick is NOT charging a flagship price for it. It’s important that people have the feeling of paying for a peach but getting a whole peach tree. Paying $500 for an experience that should cost double will give people that experience.
However, if you buy the iPhone 16e, you’re getting a phone with incomplete AI, no Dynamic Island, and one camera for a price nipping at the heels of a flagship phone. The Pixel 9a, on the other hand, will have two cameras, Google Gemini, and a modern display along with all of its other goodies.
Google will most likely undercut this phone by a notable amount. So, that might also make people reconsider picking up the iPhone.
Don’t sweat it, Google!
Look, the iPhone 16e is a good device, and we know that it will do all that it intends to do. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a perfect alternative to all of the competition. We can’t argue that for $600, users aren’t getting an experience that justifies the price. Some people would be better off saving up $200 more to pick up an iPhone 16 proper.
Google doesn’t have to lose any sleep over this recent announcement. People are going to buy the iPhone 16e- of course, they’re going to buy it! But, we don’t see this phone eating too much of Google’s lunch.
