After iPhone 16e launch, Apple is firmly a rich people brand

Apple would like you to believe that the iPhone 16e is a part of the iPhone 16 family, but at most, it's an adopted member. Despite the almost premium price tag, the phone doesn't have premium specs.

Apple's latest model sports a notch, which has been abandoned by its flagship phones. It has a lone 48MP rear camera and doesn't get the new Camera Control button. The phone sports an inferior version of the A18 chip as well as an in-house modem that neither supports Wi-Fi 7 nor mmWave 5G. The iPhone 16e also doesn't support MagSafe‌ wireless charging.

The value proposition is even worse if you live outside of the US, as iPhones tend to be more expensive in other countries due to taxes and duties.

Unless you're deeply immersed in the Apple ecosystem and don't want to shell out $200 more for the iPhone 16, there's no compelling reason to get the iPhone 16e at its current price. 

The SE is in a better place and we are better off without it

The iPhone SE never appealed to me. It always looked dated. Cutting costs is one thing but doing it as half-heartedly as Apple is another. It looks to me that Apple wanted to guard its premium image with its life but also wanted a slice of the midrange market. Hence the iPhone SE was born but it never stood a chance against the top mid-tier Android handsets that offered more for the money and didn't look like they belonged in the early 2010s.

The SE may have been discontinued and replaced by the pricey iPhone 16e but at least Apple doesn't have to pretend anymore that it wants to cater to the lower end of the market.

Google is the only company to get it right

For some reason, creating an affordable upper mid-tier phone with respectable specs and a design that doesn't make you want to barf is rocket science. No one except Google seems to get it right. Samsung either cuts too many corners or makes the mistake of re-releasing a year-old flagship with a new name and at too high a price.

With the SE now abandoned, the Pixel a series has virtually no competitor, at least in the US.

The iPhone SE always came across as a half-baked attempt. Apple restricted the features just enough to repulse most buyers and its tasteless design scared the rest of them away. This seems to explain the consistently low sales numbers.

Apple tried to play nice by releasing a phone for budget-conscious customers but it couldn't keep the facade up for long. And there is nothing wrong with that. No company has the moral obligation to serve every section of the market. Besides, there are other ways, namely carrier deals, to purchase iPhones and other high-end phones without paying the full price.

I am just glad that Apple has decided to concentrate on what it does best.