Apple is kind of secretive concerning the gross sales numbers of particular person merchandise, so we’ve got to make do with income figures for complete classes. However even with these obscure numbers, most analysts agree that this 12 months’s iPhone 16e is shifting significantly extra items than the Third-gen iPhone SE it (form of) changed.
Within the newest version of his Energy On publication, broadly adopted Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says this isn’t shocking.
“For followers of the SE,” he explains, “the soar from the second era to the third was fairly minimal [that’s a polite way to put it], so there was much less cause to improve. The iPhone 16e–whereas mainly a stripped-down iPhone 16–is a significant redesign from the SE 3.”
Gurman provides that Apple marketed the 16e in a wiser and extra interesting method than the 2022 iteration of the SE. By tying it in with the premium 16-series telephones somewhat than the price range SE line, the corporate added “fairly a bit extra attract” in markets similar to China.
That’s all excellent news for Apple, however Gurman says he’s extra considering a distinct query: Whether or not Apple will replace the “e” line of iPhones annually, because it does with the flagship handsets. The SE line, against this, was up to date fairly sporadically: these telephones arrived in 2016, 2020, and 2022 earlier than the 16e debuted in 2025.
The iPhone 16e seemingly spurred plenty of upgrades—however will the 17e be as profitable?
David Value / Foundry
Gurman doesn’t declare to make certain whether or not the “e” iPhones will comply with an annual launch cadence, as he says Apple itself hasn’t made a last choice. However he factors out that competing companies similar to Samsung and Google launch new price range telephones a number of occasions per 12 months, and on this foundation concludes {that a} yearly improve cycle for the iPhone 16e and its successors “makes loads of sense.”
However I’m not satisfied it does. By Gurman’s personal logic, the iPhone 16e obtained a constructive reception particularly as a result of it represented a big improve on and a serious change from the Third-gen SE, a tool that value far much less and got here out three years earlier. That completely wouldn’t be the case if Apple launched an iPhone 17e in April 2026, basing it on what seems to be to be a cautious set of 17-series handsets this September. The cellphone will most likely be fairly much like the 16e, and whereas that may attraction to homeowners of the iPhone 13 or 14, it wouldn’t characterize the thrilling sea change that gained the 16e such obvious business success.
The issue is that you could launch repeatedly, or you possibly can launch telephones which might be a giant enchancment on their predecessors, however you possibly can’t do each. Or somewhat, you possibly can, however Apple doesn’t wish to, as a result of common substantive refreshes lower into revenue margins and make future launches tougher to navigate.
On steadiness, I feel it most likely does make sense to carve out a predictable annual launch cadence for the “e” line, in order that clients can study to count on a brand new mid-market cellphone each spring and regulate their shopping for plans accordingly. However this wouldn’t assure a smash hit yearly like the remainder of the iPhone line. In making the choice, Apple will, I’m certain, be factoring within the probability {that a} 17e in April 2026 can be an important deal much less attention-grabbing to clients than the 16e was this April.
However right here’s one last level. Apple might make the 17e immediately interesting by reversing a number of the extra excessive compromises it made to make sure the 16e supported Apple Intelligence. With a view to obtain that, the 16e was outfitted with an A18 chip and 8GB of RAM, a much more highly effective (and expensive) setup than it in any other case wanted. However now that the bar has been cleared, these major specs don’t want to vary in 2026. Apple might launch a 17e with the identical chip, the identical RAM, and focus its assets on restoring MagSafe, maybe. Or including a second digital camera lens. And even switching from a notch to the Dynamic Island.
These modifications, in the event that they’re logistically possible, would guarantee a second profitable “e” launch. However this technique has a restricted shelf life, as a result of the 18e would want to enhance on that. And ultimately, switching to a long-term annual launch technique means accepting that numerous your merchandise are going to be acquired with a yawn, not a yell.
