The iPhone 16e has outsold the iPhone SE

Last month, Apple officially took the wraps off its latest budget-friendly iPhone: the iPhone 16e. It’s not a cheap phone by any means, but it is a cheaper iPhone if you’re looking to buy an iPhone. It turns out Apple’s strategy is paying off. According to the latest sales figures, Apple’s iPhone 16e has managed to outsell the third-gen iPhone SE it replaced.

According to the report from IDC, the iPhone 16e experienced 60% stronger sales in its first three days compared to the iPhone SE back in 2022. This is actually surprising. The iPhone 16e is not cheap at $599. It is also considerably more expensive than its predecessor which was sold at $429.

However, it turns out that despite the heftier price tag, more customers are flocking to the iPhone 16e. So far, the report doesn’t really explain why that is the case. Perhaps the revamp to the design has encouraged customers to adopt the handset despite it being more expensive.

Or Apple’s main flagship lineup is simply too expensive to the point where any less than that is desirable. However, the report doesn’t believe that this boost in sales will be enough to rescue Apple from its slump in China. Apple is expected to see a drop in sales in China by around 2%. This is due to larger government subsidies which has benefited local manufacturers like Xiaomi and Vivo.