Apple is quite tightlipped about the sales numbers of individual products , so we have to make do with gross figures for full class . But even with those obscure numbers , most analysts agree that this year’siPhone 16eis shifting considerably more units than the 3rd - gen iPhone SE it ( sort of ) replaced .
“ For fans of the SE , ” he explains , “ the jump from the 2nd coevals to the third was quite minimal [ that ’s apolite way to put it ] , so there was less grounds to upgrade . The iPhone 16e – while basically a stripped - down iPhone 16 – is a meaningful redesign from the SE 3 . ”
Gurman adds that Apple marketed the 16e in a overbold and more likeable way than the 2022 iteration of the SE . By tie it in with the premium 16 - series telephone rather than the budget SE line , the company added “ quite a routine more allure ” in markets such as China .
The iPhone 16e seemingly spurred lots of upgrades—but will the 17e be as successful?
That ’s all beneficial news for Apple , but Gurman say he is more interested in a different doubtfulness : Whether Apple will update the “ e ” line of iPhones once a year , as it does with the flagship handsets . The SE course , by demarcation , was update quite sporadically : those telephone set arrived in 2016 , 2020 , and 2022 before the 16e debuted in 2025 .
The iPhone 16e seemingly spur wads of ascent — but will the 17e be as successful ?
David Price / Foundry
The iPhone 16e seemingly spurred lots of upgrades—but will the 17e be as successful?
Gurman does n’t claim to be sure whether the “ e ” iPhones will follow an annual launch cadency , as he says Apple itself has n’t made a concluding decision . But he points out that competing firm such as Samsung and Google release new budget phones one or more clip per year , and on this cornerstone concludes that a annual upgrade cycle for the iPhone 16e and its successors “ makes a set of sense . ”
But I ’m not convinced it does . By Gurman ’s own logic , the iPhone 16e got a positive reception specifically because it symbolise a substantial upgrade on and a major change from the tertiary - gen SE , a gimmick that cost far less and came out three years sooner . That absolutely would n’t be the case if Apple launched an iPhone 17e in April 2026 , basing it on what depend to be a cautious set of17 - series handsetsthis September . The phone will probably be quite similar to the 16e , and while that might appeal to owners of the iPhone 13 or 14 , it would n’t represent the exciting ocean change that bring home the bacon the 16e such apparent commercial success .
The job is that you may set in motion regularly , or you may free phones that are a adult advance on their predecessors , but you ca n’t do both . Or rather , you could , but Apple does n’t care to , because veritable meaty refreshes curve into profits margins and make future launches more difficult to sail .
On balance , I consider it probably does make sense to carve out a predictable annual launch meter for the “ e ” line , so that customers can learn to require a unexampled mid - market phone every spring and adapt their purchasing plan accordingly . But this would n’t guarantee a smasher hitting every year like the rest of the iPhone line . In make the decision , Apple will , I ’m certain , be factor out in the likelihood that a 17e in April 2026 would be a great spate less interesting to customers than the 16e was this April .
But here ’s one final point . Applecouldmake the 17e right away appeal by overrule some of the more extreme compromise it made to ensure the 16e support Apple Intelligence . In ordering to achieve that , the 16e was equip with an A18 chip and 8 GB of RAM , a far more powerful ( and dearly-won ) apparatus than it otherwise needed . But now that the Browning automatic rifle has been clear , those primary specification do n’t demand to change in 2026 . Apple could release a 17e with the same chip , the same random memory , and focus its resource onrestoring MagSafe , perhaps . Or bestow a 2d camera lens . Or even change from a notch to the Dynamic Island .
These change , if they ’re logistically feasible , would ensure a second successful “ eastward ” launch . But this scheme has a limited shelf life , because the 18e would need to improve onthat . And in the conclusion , switch to a long - terminus yearly release strategy means accept that quite a lot of your products are go to be received with a yawning , not a yell .
