iPhone 16E, iPhone 17 Air, and the Single Camera Lens

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Tim Cook has just tweeted about an Apple announcementent coming next Wednesday. If you know me, you’re probably tired of hearing me say we need some news. So this is great. I am excited. Tim specifically highlights that we’re going to see “the newest member of the family,” likely pointing to the long rumored iPhone SE replacement. The internet was briefly abuzz with confusion since the stunning graphic for this launch looks extra premium and features a circle, almost halo-like effect. I’ll admit I’m guilty of over speculating as to what it meant at first. But it seems clear to me now that it’s all about the single camera system. (The circle also fades away which could be an allusion to the home button going away, but I doubt it) While it looks like Apple plans to position the new iPhone SE, also rumored to be the iPhone 16E, as a more premium device to drive sales, the device has one visual quirk that would generally scream “cheap.” That’s the single camera on the back. Apple has historically pointed to the triple camera system on the iPhone “Pro” models as key differentiators. The rumored [iPhone 17 Air] that is expected to be released this fall is supposed to have a single camera as well, while still being the halo product of the family. I believe that Apple is going to hit the single camera line hard at launch and throughout the year to prepare people for the eventuality of the next highly premium iPhone also having a single lens. So that when the time comes, it won’t feel like you’re losing something by upgrading to the iPhone 17 Air from a previous model with two or three lenses.

One thing also worth pointing out about the iPhone 16E name is that Tim describes the new device coming next week as being a new member of the family, implying it’s not just an upgrade. That lends further credence to the new name. It would also likely help differentiate it from the remaining iPhones of years’ past that do not support Apple Intelligence.

On a separate note, we’re still waiting for a handful of other announcements. As Mark Gurman has reported, there should be new iPad and MacBook models soon as well as some sort of Vision Pro update. Based on this tweet, I wouldn’t expect any other hardware outside of a single product Wednesday. That means we may be in for a March or April event, whether that takes the form of a keynote or week of announcements is yet to be seen. The Vision Pro update is likely small, it could be the rumored PSVR controller support, new content, or even availability through third-party retailers. We’ve already gotten Apple Invites, the new health study, and Apple TV+ for Android so far this month. Though we are also waiting for the next round of beta software, so maybe there’s more tied to that somehow. Next week should be interesting!