Apple will launch a less expensive iPhone mannequin that options its new Apple Intelligence software program because the tech large works to combat off stiff competitors from Chinese language rivals, the corporate mentioned Wednesday.
The brand new iPhone 16e will retail for $599 when it goes on sale later this month — $200 lower than the much-touted iPhone 16 launched final September.
It will likely be out there in white or black, and include Apple’s A18 chip — the processor within the iPhone 16 — so it could possibly run all the identical apps as the corporate’s costlier mannequin.
Apple shares ticked barely larger Wednesday.
The iPhone 16e will even come outfitted with Apple’s first in-house mobile modem, which it calls the C1. Its smartphones beforehand used Qualcomm modems. Modems enable units to hook up with the Web utilizing a cell community.
It’ll have a USB-C charging port, not Apple’s older proprietary Lightning plug, which may not be offered in some nations abroad as a consequence of EU rules.
The cheaper mannequin is a serious step up from the iPhone SE, Apple’s easier smartphone mannequin that launched in 2022 and retails for simply $429.
The few notable variations within the iPhone 16e in comparison with the iPhone 16 are a barely slower GPU processor, and a much less superior digicam in comparison with the newer dual-camera system.
The low-cost mannequin comes after Apple final month forecast larger gross sales than Wall Road anticipated. The corporate promised an earnings rebound on the rollout of its new synthetic intelligence options.
Buyers welcomed the buoyant outlook after iPhone gross sales and China income slumped through the vacation quarter as a consequence of robust competitors from Chinese language rivals like Huawei.
