EXCLUSIVE: Apple iPhone 16e – A Smart Buy Or Overpriced? Here's What 34% Think

A new Benzinga poll asks readers if the newly unveiled Apple Inc AAPL iPhone 16e is too expensive to be a budget option or could be a value, ahead of the phone's release.

What Happened: Apple recently unveiled the iPhone 16e smartphone, which comes with a lower starting price than the iPhone 16 and has many of the features Apple fans have come to know and love.

The phone replaces the iPhone SE budget model launched in 2022. The new phone comes in five color options, has storage options of 128 GB to 512 GB, has the Apple A18 chip and comes with Apple Intelligence AI features.

Preorders for the iPhone 16e began on Feb. 21, and the phone will officially go on sale on Feb. 28. The phone starts at $599, and the iPhone 16 starts at $799.

Benzinga recently asked readers about the potential value of the phone.

"Do you think the $599 starting price for Apple's new ‘budget' iPhone 16e is…?" Benzinga asked.

These were the results:

• Too expensive for a budget option: 34%
• Reasonably priced: 25%
• Overpriced regardless of category: 22%
• A great value for an iPhone: 18%

The top vote getter in the poll was the new iPhone 16e being too expensive to be considered a budget option. The phone being a great value for an iPhone ranked last in the poll.

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Why It's Important: While the poll suggests potential bad news for Apple, with readers believing the new iPhone is too expensive as a budget option, the phone’s reasonable price was the second highest vote-getter at 25%.

This suggests that the phone could have a target audience and be a strong seller for the technology giant.

Deepwater Management's Gene Munster recently predicted Apple could get a revenue boost from the new lower-priced smartphone.

Munster highlighted that the iPhone 16e was the most affordable Apple phone that supports Apple Intelligence. The tech investor also predicts the iPhone 16e could make up 10% of Apple's revenue, higher than the 7% the company previously got from the iPhone SE.

The new iPhone is also the first iPhone to feature Apple's own cellular modem chip, which could help the company break away from a supplier and test the product ahead of the future iPhone 17 launch.

AAPL Price Action: Apple stock is up 0.1% to $247.35 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $164.08 to $260.08. Apple stock is up 1.9% year-to-date in 2025 and up 37% over the last year.

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The study was conducted by Benzinga from Feb. 19, 2025 through Feb. 21, 2025. It included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 134 adults.

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