Meet The Iphone 16e: Apple's New 'budget' Smartphone

The rebranded device goes on sale on 28 February and will cost 170 more than the 429 iPhone SE that it replaces. Pre-orders for the phone begin on 21 February. The dollar pricing equates to just over R11 000 in South Africa on a direct currency conversion, before import duties and VAT.

Apple modernised the device by removing the now-antiquated home button and adding a larger screen with Face ID. The model has a 48-megapixel rear camera, the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 and a USB-C charging port. It also runs the company's AI software, Apple Intelligence.

The new instalment represents the biggest change in the history of Apple's low-end iPhone, which was introduced as the SE in 2016 and last updated nearly three years ago. As part of the shift, the current iPhone SE and iPhone 14 have been discontinued.

The debut is the first of several iPhone design changes slated for this year, with Apple also planning a new, skinnier version. The company's smartphone business could use a boost. Sales fell about 1 in the holiday quarter, when the iPhone 16 failed to entice shoppers. The Apple Intelligence software also has lagged behind rival offerings and isn't available in much of the world.

The USB-C charging standard also allows Apple to sell the device in the EU again. Rules in that region require device makers to use that kind of port, and the prior iPhone SE had a Lightning connector.