There’s No More Budget iPhone, Only a No-Frills One

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Apple just unveiled their latest low-end iPhone and it’s… confusing! The iPhone 16e doesn’t replace the iPhone SE as many of us had expected. In fact the iPhone SE is gone entirely. There’s no longer a “budget” iPhone in the lineup. By “budget” I generally mean an iPhone under $500, whether that has been an iPhone SE or a years old model. We’ve had iPhones below that $500 price for over a decade. The new entrant starts at $599, marking the beginning of a new era for the product line. It’s premium again, all across the board. While there’s no affordable iPhone option anymore, there is a no-frills one. That’s how I would describe the iPhone 16e. It’s not a budget iPhone, it’s the no-frills iPhone. It has most of the innards of a flagship iPhone 16 but it’s missing nearly every single bell and whistle that has made iPhones exciting for the past five years. That’s fine if you don’t care that much about your phone and just want something that works well, but if you’re looking for the best value I am no longer sure the base model iPhone is that.

The iPhone 16e is missing the dynamic island, magsafe, camera control, fast wireless charging, WiFi 7, ProMotion, more than one camera, and so on. The list of omissions is glaring and while some of them are fine at this price like the dynamic island or ProMotion, others are not. MagSafe for example, is table stakes at this price point and especially in a design that previously accommodated it. One could make the case that the regular iPhone 16 is an even better value today than it was on Tuesday. You can quibble over the $200 up charge if you want, but most people buy their iPhones using carrier offers, sales, and trade-ins. It wouldn’t shock me if you could get an iPhone 16 or even a 16 Pro for much less than their retail prices. Depending on what you care about, an iPhone 15 may actually be a better deal for you too. In which case, why would you choose the iPhone 16e? People buying the lower end iPhones are looking for the best value. Chances are they aren’t nearly as interested in AI as flagship buyers.

In any event, the iPhone 16e seems fine. But this is Apple, and it shouldn’t be fine. It should be insanely great, both as a product and as a value. This one arguably checks the first box, no one is going to be disappointed by the device. But it definitely does not check the second.