Last month, Apple ditched its budget lineup iPhone SE and replaced it with a brand new iPhone 16e model as an affordable entry to the flagship iPhone 16 series. A new survey says that it seems most folks aren’t impressed.
SellCell, a site that sells used phones, collected responses from more than 3500 iPhone users on what they think of the new budget iPhone, whether they would consider buying it over a higher-end iPhone 16, reasons why they would or would not buy one, and more. What’s more, the survey also quizzed existing iPhone 16 users on whether they feel differently about their purchase now that a newer, cheaper iPhone is on the market.
Here are highlights from the survey:
- iPhone users are largely unimpressed with the recently launched iPhone 16e model, with 72.9% indicating “slightly” or “not at all” impressed, 14.7% “somewhat impressed” and 12.4% “extremely” or “very’ impressed.
- Most Apple users (91.6%) are unhappy with the pricing of 16e, with 72.7% suggesting it should be around $500 and 18.9% saying it should stay around $429 like the SE. Meanwhile, 8.4% think the price is fair given the improvements.
- Almost a quarter (23.8%) would like Apple to release a new budget ‘e’ version of every iPhone going forward, as opposed to 76.2% not interested in future iPhone “e” iterations.
- Around two-thirds iPhone users (63.3%) believe the addition of a cheaper model to the flagship lineup will devalue the brand, as opposed to 36.7% who do not.
- Battery life (49.4%), Camera quality (45.2%), Brand loyalty (28.4%), Features (23.3%), and Performance (18.4%) are among the top factors influencing smartphone upgrade decisions for iPhone users.
- Only 7.3% of Apple users with an iPhone 15 or older model plan on switching to iPhone 16e as they upgrade, while the vast majority (92.7%) are opposed to buying the new budget iPhone.
- When those switching to iPhone 16e were asked to select up to 3 reasons for considering iPhone 16e, the top reasons were ‘Fits my budget’ (72.3%), ‘Longer battery life’ (67.4%), ‘Apple’s latest A18 processor’ (36.2%), and ‘Longer software support being a newer model’ (23.2%).
- In contrast, ‘Lack of multiple rear camera sensors such as wide angle or telephoto lens’ (52.6%), ‘I prefer a higher-end model as I want the best of what Apple has to offer regardless of the price’ (34%), ‘Relatively cheaper but not cheap enough to make it worthwhile over higher-end iPhone 16 models’ (25.3%), ‘Missing MagSafe compatibility for faster wireless charging speeds and magnetic accessories’ (16.1%), and ‘No significant upgrades compared to my current phone’ (14.3%) were among the top reasons for NOT considering the iPhone 16e.
- The data reveals most Apple users are unwilling to settle for a bargain and would rather spend more on a premium model with better hardware and features. Besides the 38% of older iPhone users not upgrading this year, ‘iPhone 16 Pro / Pro Max’ is the top choice at 23.7% among those looking to upgrade, followed by ‘iPhone 16 / 16 Plus’ (19.8%), ‘Switching to Android’ (10.4%), and ‘Older / Refurbished iPhone’ (8.1%).
- Most respondents with a premium iPhone 16 model are happy with their purchase despite the launch of a newer, relatively cheaper iPhone. In fact, 85.5% of existing iPhone 16 users consider their purchase ‘definitely worth it’, adding that the extra features (dynamic island, MagSafe charging, multiple rear cameras, brighter screen) justify the additional cost. Additionally, 94.3% are confident they made the right choice with a higher-end iPhone purchase, as opposed to a mere 5.7% who regret it.
16e ≠ SE3