Whatever you’ve guessed, you’re probably wrong.
The newest model of the iPhone has been announced – complete with the obligatory random letter at the end of its name. The iPhone 16e is the latest budget model of the smartphone and will go on sale in the UK today (Friday, February 21).
The phone will start at £599 – £200 cheaper than the regular iPhone 16 – and includes new AI tools. Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing Kaiann Drance said: “We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the line-up as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people.”
But what exactly does the ‘e’ stand for? Whatever you’ve guessed, you’re probably wrong.
Because it turns out it doesn’t actually mean anything. This is true to form for Apple, which has a history of putting vague letters at the end of model names, such as the iPhone S and XR models.
According to tech news website 9to5mac.com, an Apple representative was asked directly what it meant in an online press conference, and said it didn’t stand for anything, but that the phone is “built for everyone”. It’s clarified that this does not mean the e stands for ‘everyone’.
This is the first time AI software has been available on a lower-priced iPhone. Previously only the most premium products included AI.
Industry expert Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said the new model was “a key product for Apple” and described it as “a very important part of the iPhone portfolio as it delivers a device that takes Apple Intelligence to a new, lower price point.”