Confusing designations: What does the "e" in the new iPhone 16e mean?
The iPhone used to have so-called "S" models. These were then discontinued. Later came the "SE" as the entry-level model, followed by the "16e".
iPhone 16e: Where does this letter come from again?
(Image: Apple)
Apple was once very proud of its easy-to-understand naming policy – in contrast to Japanese companies or its PC competitors, for example. An iPhone was an iPhone, an iMac was an iMac and a Mac mini was a Mac mini. But it hasn't been that simple for a long time. For years now, Apple has been using numbering and additions to the "simple" designations, which is increasingly confusing users. Worse still: name additions no longer have any official explanation, they are supposed to be accepted by customers. The iPhone 16e, which will be released next week, will be particularly wild.
"MacBook Pro M4 Pro"
Not that only iPhones are affected. Since the introduction of the Pro versions of Apple's silicon chips, the MacBook Pro has shone with a double designation: if you don't buy a simple model ("MacBook Pro M4") and also not the Max version ("MacBook Pro M4 Max"), you end up with the tongue twister "MacBook Pro M4 Pro". Apple has even been combining the terms "Pro" and "Max" ("iPhone 16 Pro Max") in the iPhone since generation 11, which in this case has nothing to do with Apple Silicon, but only with product classification ("Pro") and screen size ("Max").
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With the iPhone 16e, Apple is now allowing itself a completely new designation, which has not yet been explained. The iPhone was initially available in so-called "S" models. These were devices that followed on from a new design in the previous year and mostly stood for purely internal improvements. The iPhone 3G thus became an iPhone 3GS, the iPhone X an iPhone XS. The designation was then discontinued from the iPhone 11 onwards, but was resumed with the first iPhone SE from 2016. This was not given a number (because Apple planned to keep the model in the range for four – – years) and an additional "E". However, the "S" no longer really fit because it was not an extension of an existing model, but an entry-level model. Apple has never officially explained what "SE" is supposed to mean.
"e" (not) for "everyone"
Observers had long assumed that Apple would continue to refer to the iPhone 16e as the SE – with the addition of "fourth generation". But that was not the case. Apple took the designation 16 from the 2024 iPhone generation and added the aforementioned "e", this time in lower case. The interesting thing about the numbering is that Apple is actually blocking its way to selling the 16e for several years, as it will always have the old number attached to it (so the iPhone 17 will probably be released in fall 2025). But the company doesn't seem to care – or is planning an "iPhone 17e" relatively quickly.
And what does the "e" mean? At a press briefing reported by Apple blogger John Gruber, Apple is said to have stated that it stands for "nothing", but that the device is built "for everyone ". "I don't think [Apple] meant to imply that the "e" secretly stands for "everyone", if only because I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't want everyone to buy the cheapest iPhone model." You can literally feel Gruber's grin from these lines.
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