First, the company shifted away from the “SE” branding after nearly a decade. Then it priced the budget phone higher than expected at $599 – a notable jump from the $429 iPhone SE.

The iPhone 16e has officially replaced the iPhone SE as Apple’s cheapest handset, but cheapest doesn’t necessarily mean cheap – in fact, I can’t quite believe how expensive the iPhone 16e is.

Discover the iPhone 16e’s features, trade-offs, and what Apple didn’t tell you. Is affordability worth the compromises? Find out here.

The iPhone 16E is Apple's rumored low-cost iPhone that's being announced as soon as Wednesday, February 19. Modeled after the iPhone 14, the iPhone 6E is expected to feature an all-display design with Face ID, which means Apple plans to eliminate Touch ID.

Expectedly, Apple finally dropped the home button from the iPhone 16e. That's no surprise considering the button was a bit of a vestige for some time — pretty much ever since iOS started using a swipe-up method of returning to your home screen that obviously doesn't require pressing a physical button.

Apple's iPhone 16E, the replacement for the 2020 iPhone SE, has seen the company finally kill off multiple things in one go. From the home button to the Lightning port, Apple's new cheapest phone comes with big changes, but it also signals the death of small phones in the tech giant's lineup. I think that's a shame.