First, the company shifted away from the “SE” branding after nearly a decade. Then it priced the budget phone higher than expected at $599 – a notable jump from the $429 iPhone SE.

Apple’s new iPhone 16e arrived on my doorstep at a critical time in our personal tech world. Prices are higher, consumer demand is lower, and all the “incremental improvements” companies are pushing to get us to dole out the equivalent of a mortgage payment for the next new thing are,