A quick look at the iPhone 16e made in Brazil
I was at my parents’ during the Easter holiday when I came across an iPhone 16e. I asked the owner for permission to take a closer look at the spiritual successor to the best iPhone. What a responsibility!
Despite the new name and being part of the current iPhone family, the iPhone 16e is, for all practical purposes, a new iPhone SE: a Frankenstein phone, made up of parts from older versions (the base is the iPhone 14), some components from the latest model (A18 chip and 8 GB of RAM), and features missing due to Apple’s stingy upselling tactics (previously it was the night mode in the camera, unavailable; now, there’s no MagSafe).
I found that the photos and videos, both from Apple’s marketing materials and reviews from websites and youtubers, do not do justice to the charm of the iPhone 16e. It is larger than the good old iPhone SE, but not by much, and just as light (167 g compared to 164 g); the larger volume with almost the same weight creates the sensation of being lighter than it actually is.
The matte glass finish on the back and the solitary camera, which hardly protrudes from the body, help preserve the utilitarian aura of the SE line that I liked so much. It’s the phone for those who don’t care about phones, who just want something that works and is reliable.
For better or worse, it is… an iPhone. Unless you care about details that almost no one cares about, it seems to fulfill its function.
The absence of MagSafe, which excludes the iPhone 16e from the rich ecosystem of accessories created around Apple’s phone since the iPhone 12 in 2020, is less felt by those coming from an iPhone SE or another older model. This applies to other “shortcomings” of this release, such as the slightly inferior screen compared to regular line phones (less variation in refresh rate, lower peak brightness) and Pro models (120 Hz refresh rate, known as “ProMotion” in Apple’s jargon).
Speaking of which…
During the brief period (about two weeks) when I used a Galaxy A55 as my daily phone, I only remembered the screen refresh rate, which reaches 120 Hz, when I stumbled upon the option in the Android settings. I changed it with great expectations, thinking my eyes would be graced with an indescribable smoothness, so highly touted by enthusiasts, and… I don’t know, I didn’t see a difference (literally)? I don’t play games or do anything too complex on my phone. Maybe my tired eyes aren’t what they used to be, but I suspect this feature is a bit overrated…
A curious phenomenon surrounding the iPhone 16e revolves around its price. The official price in Brazil, ~R$ 5,800 (~USD 1,020), or almost four times the monthly minimal wage, shocked everyone. After all, one of the attractions of the iPhone SE was its low price — for an iPhone.
This unit cost R$ 3,800 on Mercado Livre, a discount of about 35% off Apple’s list price. Has any iPhone ever dropped in price this quickly? I don’t remember.
In our WhatsApp group, Gabriel raised the theory that the local manufacturing of the iPhone 16e was the “culprit” behind the aggressive and early discounts. Indeed, the phone in the photos was manufactured in Brazil and “benefited from the computer legislation.”
The person who bought the phone was using a 2nd generation iPhone SE. In the first few days with the new phone, she lamented the loss of the home button found on classic iPhones. I would lament that too. Or I will. When mine goes to the great smartphone heaven, where every phone with physical buttons deserves to go, I think I won’t have a choice.
Despite the steep suggested price and the disappointment over the absence of MagSafe, it seems that people are enjoying the iPhone 16e: it sold well in Apple’s secondary markets (meaning outside the US, China, and Europe) and helped the company achieve the global top spot in smartphone sales in the first quarter, according to the consulting firm Counterpoint, with a 19% market share.