- Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 16e, meaning the SE 3 has now been discontinued.
- The SE 3 was the last small phone of its kind and was built on iPhone 8's chassis.
- The iPhone 16e uses the iPhone 14's chassis and comes with a single rear camera and a Type-C port.
The third-generation iPhone SE was launched in March 2022, and it was one of the small phones you can buy, until recently. Well, that changes today as after much anticipation, Apple has launched the iPhone 16e, and it shall carry SE 3’s legacy. However, following the release, the iPhone SE 3 has officially been discontinued.
Following the EU’s USB-C mandate, the iPhone SE 3 was first discontinued in European countries. However, now, Apple has pulled the plug on the rest of the world as well, and it finally took the wraps off of the iPhone 16e.
iPhone SE 3: The End of the True Small Phone Era
When the iPhone SE 3 launched, it wasn’t a humongous upgrade. Both the devices were based on the iPhone 8’s design, had 12 MP rear cameras, and the same old 4.7-inch 720p display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 16e is based on the much more recent iPhone 14 chassis and comes with a 48 MP camera, USB Type-C, Action Button, and a 60Hz OLED display.
Besides, there’s now Face ID. This combined with Apple’s A18 SoC and Apple Intelligence features makes it one of the biggest upgrades the SE series has received in years (it’s still an SE with a different name). Oh, also, the base storage starts from 128GB, which is a huge respite for Apple fans.
It boasts 8 GB RAM, 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with OLED technology, Apple’s new C1 cellular chip, and a bigger battery, which Apple claims can last through 26 hours of video playback. The Cupertino giant hasn’t revealed the exact capacity of the cell, but it can charge at 20W to 50% in 30 minutes. While the iPhone 16e also supports Qi wireless charging, it missed out on MagSafe.
The price has received a significant bump with the 16e costing $599 versus the iPhone SE 3 which launched at $429. This could be due to the A18 and Apple Intelligence features, but it’s safe to say that the iPhone 16e might’ve just killed the base iPhone 16. Also, the 16e comes in only two colors — Black and White.
The discontinuation of the small iPhone SE form factor also marks the end of the true small phone era, where displays were smaller than 5 inches. 6.1-6.3-inch is the new small. What are your thoughts on the iPhone 16e? Let us know in the comments below.
