THE $ 599 iPhone 16th is a lot, but dare not call it a Budgetary phone. I even hesitate to call it “cheap”. As a successor to the iPhone SE of $ 429, it is difficult not to see the 16th as a disappointment. Of course, it’s $ 200 less than vanilla iPhone 16 (which I supported was A lot of launch), and the 16th also packs in the last A18 chip with the management of Apple Intelligence. But it’s no longer a little phone, and it pushes the cheaper iPhone option for Apple far beyond $ 500. This is something that we will probably never see again. (And this is potentially a terrible news for the future pricing of the iPhone, too.)
Given the large quantity of new equipment in the iPhone 16th – including an OLED screen of 6.1 inch larger, the first “C1” “C1” Modem from Apple and this aforementioned A18 chip – it is easy to do apologies for the price. The 16th is certainly much closer to the specifications of the iPhone 16 than the third generation was of the iPhone 13. But I would say that Apple did not exactly need an OLED screen for this model, and it exists Probably other ways to reduce costs. (It’s still a stranger Apple kept the Magsafe and the quick -free loadwhich would have been cheaper to implement, and probably more useful than a large OLED screen.)
And although it is pleasant to have the A18 chip (although with one GPU nucleus less) and the complete support of Apple’s intelligence, I agree with my colleague Igor Bonifacic that Users do not claim exactly For these AI features. If we were to blame a culprit for the prices of the iPhone 16th, however, it is probably Apple Intelligence. After all, Apple is still fighting to prove that it is not too far behind Microsoft, Google and Openai. During any other year, Apple could have justified launching an older chip in the 16th, but it is not possible when it is in the middle of a hype war of the AI.
Above all, I am just sad that Apple again increases the entry price into his enclosed garden without too much justification. There is something special – noble, even – on smartphones of less than $ 500. They recall a healthier era of smartphones, when prices were reduced by Telephones like Moto G. These days, you end up with Android phones like the Pixel 8a (And Potentially the next Pixel 9a), as well as the $ 400 Samsung Galaxy A35 And $ 499 Galaxy A55.
Now that the dream of an iPhone less than $ 500 is indeed dead, it seems that Apple simply prepares the way for future price jumps. An iphone 17th of $ 600 or $ 650 will certainly look like an agreement compared to an iphone 17 of $ 850 or $ 900. And just wait for the inevitable iphone foldable $ 2,000, which could potentially be specific beyond $ 3,000.
Of course, you could be an intelligent apple buyer and opt for used or renovation iPhones. I recently picked up an iPhone 14 plus renovated as a gift from Mother’s Day for $ 420, and Amazon currently has announcements for iPhone 14 pros at less than $ 500. These devices do not support Apple Intelligence, but I would say that sticking to the used market is simply a more useful form of intelligence.
This article originally appeared on engadget on https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/a-599-iPhone-16e-is–cruel-joke-200507275.html?src=rsss
