Apple Launches Low-Cost iPhone 16e, Taking AI Features to Lower Price Points

An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
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Apple Launches Low-Cost iPhone 16e, Taking AI Features to Lower Price Points

An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)

Apple launched its latest low-cost model, dubbed the iPhone 16e, on Wednesday as it looks to grab a bigger share of the mid-range smartphone market and fend off competition from rivals such as Samsung and China's Huawei.

The new phone, which leaves behind the SE naming convention for Apple's budget series, will take on popular Android smartphones at a time when consumer electronics makers are looking to add artificial intelligence tools to their devices.

Priced at $599, the iPhone 16e will have enough computing power to run Apple Intelligence, the set of features that includes integrated access to ChatGPT.

Apple late last month forecast strong sales growth signaling that it will recover from a dip in iPhone sales as it rolls out artificial intelligence features to more regions and languages.

However, analysts have been cautious about the sales boost such tools could provide as the AI features are set to be launched in phases in some regions on its latest iPhone 16 line-up and the iPhone 15 Pro model.

The sales of SE model as a share of total revenue for iPhones has dropped from 10% from its introduction in 2016 to about 1% last year, according to Counterpoint Research.

"Apple can use the lower-end phone in markets where Android phones have higher share without losing too much on the higher-priced iPhones," said Gil Luria, analyst at DA Davidson.

The iPhone 16e will be powered by the A18 chip used in more expensive models launched in September last year and will support Apple Intelligence out of the box.

It will be about $200 less expensive than the cheapest version of iPhone 16, launched in September.

The iPhone 16e will also be the first device from Apple to feature the C1 chip, which is the first modem designed in house for cellular connectivity, a shift from chips made by Qualcomm .

The new device's camera system will have a 48 megapixel sensor and two lenses, one of which will be a two times zoom lens integrated into the primary camera.

Previous SE models were known for their smaller screen size and attracted a niche group of buyers, but the latest generation comes with a 6.1 inch display, the same as the least expensive iPhone 16 model.

This year's much-anticipated update brings a change to its slab-design, nixing the physical home button and introducing Apple's FaceID feature.

Apple said the iPhone 16e will be available for pre-order in 59 countries, including the US, China and India from February 21, with shipments starting from February 28.

The SE model would be the last among iPhones to adopt the USB Type-C port for charging, leaving behind Apple's proprietary Lightning connector and letting it return to the European Union market.

Apple had discontinued the third-generation SE model and iPhone 14 in the EU as the products did not conform with local laws requiring USB Type-C charging standard.



CD Projekt Shares Slump After It Says ‘Witcher IV’ Won’t Come Out in 2026 

A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
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CD Projekt Shares Slump After It Says ‘Witcher IV’ Won’t Come Out in 2026 

A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 
A bird flies in front of the CD Projekt logo at its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland January 21, 2020. Picture taken January 21, 2020. (Reuters) 

Shares of CD Projekt fell nearly 13% in early trading on Wednesday after the game developer said the premiere of "Witcher IV" was scheduled for after 2026, fueling fears of an even longer wait for the new instalment in the blockbuster series.

Analysts had previously said they expected the game to debut anywhere between 2026 and 2028.

"The Witcher IV", developed under code name Polaris, is the first instalment in a new trilogy expanding the universe of CD Projekt's blockbuster medieval fantasy franchise that has sold more than 75 million copies to date.

Finance chief Piotr Nielubowicz said the video game maker would not announce a precise launch date yet, but indicated the post-2026 timeframe "to give more visibility to investors".

The confirmation that the game will not be released before 2027 is "not a big surprise", analyst Grzegorz Balcerski from Trigon said in a note, adding the brokerage's previous forecast assumed a premiere in the second quarter of 2027.

Shifting expectations for the premiere beyond 2026 may also raise speculation that the game might debut even after 2027, considering postponements of new releases are common in the industry, Balcerski added.

"Lack of management confidence to commit to 2027 should also disappoint, even though we believe that the actuary assumptions used in the annual report suggest that this is currently the internal base case," JPMorgan analysts said in a note.

The stock was down 11% as of 0940 GMT, on track for its biggest one-day drop in two years and the worst performer on Europe's benchmark STOXX 600 index.

Up to Tuesday's close, it was up 20% since the beginning of 2025.

CD Projekt said in November that "Witcher IV" had entered full-scale production. The company's joint CEO Michal Nowakowski said at the time that it typically takes five to six years to develop a big ticket AAA game from the time early ideas are first discussed.

It had announced the works on the new "Witcher" saga back in March 2022.