iPhone 16e replaces iPhone SE, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus

Apple introduced iPhone 16e on Wednesday, but since it replicates much of the functionality of existing devices, the iPhone 14 lineup and iPhone SE have been discontinued in its wake.

Out with the old, in with the slightly new. iPhone 16e is a half step from iPhone 14 to iPhone 16, but its lower price and improved specs should be enough to entice many upgraders.

iPhone 16e replaces the iPhone SE as the new entry option, though at a higher price. The iPhone 14 design with a 6.1 display and A18 processor is enough to make the older devices redundant, so Apple has removed them from sale.

That means as of Wednesday, February 19, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE 3 are no longer for sale at Apple. Customers can no longer buy any product with a Home Button, though Touch ID lives on in Mac and iPad.

iPhone 16e is an interesting step between the previous budget model and more premium base iPhone 16. It offers Apple Intelligence, 26 hours of video playback, and USB-C charging, but it lacks MagSafe and Camera Control.

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Customers still holding on to models without Apple Intelligence may be very tempted by this new model. The focus on a single 48MP camera and essential features with an A18 processor may be an optimal device for hesitant upgraders.

iPhone 16e will be available to pre-order on Friday, February 21, and ships February 29. It is available in white or black starting at $599 with 128GB of storage.

3 Comments

entropys 14 Years · 4395 comments

About 1 month ago

I wonder how long it will be before the 12&13 minis are no longer supported?

1 Like · 0 Dislikes

mpantone 19 Years · 2326 comments

About 1 month ago

entropys said:

I wonder how long it will be before the 12&13 minis are no longer supported?

Probably in a few years, might be excluded from iOS 20. The rumor mill says that any phone that can run iOS 18 will also run iOS 19. We'll know with more certainty after WWDC 2025 in June.

It's important to note that Apple offers security updates for the prior two versions of iOS and macOS, so an iPhone 12 mini should still receive support through 2028. That would be eight years after the October 2020 hardware launch which is a pretty typical timeframe for Apple product support.

I have refrained from upgrading my iPhone 12 mini to iOS 18. It is still on iOS 17.7.2. If I deliberately stay behind I will lose support sooner. I don't have to make up my mind until September of this year whether or not I want to move to iOS 18.

It's worth pointing out that the iPhone XS (2018 product, A12 SoC) is capable of running iOS 18.