The iPhone SE is dead, long live the iPhone 16e! In line with some recent rumors and contradicting a bunch of others, Apple has made the somewhat puzzling decision of killing off a beloved brand to potentially start a whole new dynasty of budget-friendly handsets.
The big problem with this strategy revision no one really saw coming until just a couple of months ago? The first-of-a-kind iPhone 16e is... not very economical, fetching $599 and up instead of the $429 starting price of the third-gen iPhone SE. It should come as no surprise therefore that said 4.7-inch iPhone SE (2022) model is no longer available through Apple's official website, but what many of you probably didn't expect was for an additional two devices to be discontinued today.
Farewell, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus!
That's right, the iPhone 16e is essentially replacing two handsets it seemingly has nothing in common with in addition to the iPhone SE 3. Released in the fall of 2022, the Apple A15 Bionic-powered iPhone 14 and 14 Plus managed to survive the fall 2023 and fall 2024 rollouts of the iPhone 15 family and (main) iPhone 16 quartet respectively.
With a 6.1-inch screen size and a Dynamic Island in tow, of course, the "vanilla" iPhone 14 could have been confused by some prospective buyers for the new and (in certain ways) improved iPhone 16e. So when you think about it, it kind of makes sense for that particular product to be retired before the iPhone 17 series comes out in around seven months.
Both the compact iPhone 14 and not-so-compact iPhone 14 Plus are now officially discontinued. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
But what about the jumbo-sized iPhone 14 Plus? With a 6.7-inch display and a $699 price point in an entry-level configuration at the time of its discontinuation, that looked like a decent alternative to the $799 and up iPhone 15 Plus, which is obviously still around.
I can only guess that the device was either not selling very well on the heels of last fall's iPhone 16 Plus debut... or it was selling too well, preventing Apple from making presumably chunkier profits on the two newer Plus-branded smartphones. Then again, given the historic underperformance of virtually all iPhone Pluses at the global box-office, the latter theory definitely seems a bit far-fetched (to say the least).
It's much more likely that Apple decided to do a little early spring-cleaning this year, simplifying its iPhone lineup by eliminating the most redundant and least popular models still alive... yesterday.
So how does the (early) 2025 iPhone roster look in full?
iPhone 16e - $599 with 128GB storage, $699 with 256GB storage, $899 in a 512GB variant;
iPhone 15 - $699 with 128GB storage, $799 with 256GB storage, $999 in a 512GB variant;
iPhone 15 Plus - $799 with 128GB storage, $899 with 256GB storage, $1,099 in a 512GB variant;
iPhone 16 - $799 with 128GB storage, $899 with 256GB storage, $1,099 in a 512GB variant;
iPhone 16 Plus - $899 with 128GB storage, $999 with 256GB storage, $1,199 in a 512GB variant;
iPhone 16 Pro - $999 with 128GB storage, $1,099 with 256GB storage, $1,299 in a 512GB variant, $1,499 in a 1TB configuration;
iPhone 16 Pro Max - $1,199 with 256GB storage, $1,399 with 512GB storage, $1,599 in a 1TB variant.
That's it, those are all of your (official) options. Kind of surprising given Apple's well-documented troubles in markets like China and India, where ultra-affordable phones often reign supreme.
The iPhone 16e is Apple's most affordable mobile device after the iPhone SE's retirement. | Image Credit -- Apple
On the bright side, there are obviously still plenty of places where you can find the iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus in stock, including major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart and even carriers like T-Mobile and Cricket Wireless. Of course, the inventories of all US mobile network operators and retailers are likely to dry up eventually, so you might want to hurry and place your order for your affordable model of choice before it's too late. Unless you agree with Apple that the iPhone 16e can fill the shoes of all three of these officially retired devices.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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