Today, the announcement of the Apple iPhone 16e has undeniably stolen the show and is dominating headlines, but it came at a cost: Apple has quietly ended the iPhone 14 line. If you take a stroll over to Apple’s website, you’ll notice information about the 16e — including its upcoming preorder availability on February 21 — but you won’t find the option to buy the iPhone 14.
Earlier today, the Apple site went down briefly while the iPhone 16e was added in. And on its way out, Apple pulled down all references to the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 16e, though originally expected to be the next in the SE lineup, has more in common with the iPhone 16 than anything else. Though its specs have been slightly nerfed, it still supports Apple Intelligence thanks to the A18 chip, and it carries a higher price tag ($600) than any SE model before it. That said, some have compared the iPhone 16e’s specs to a souped-up iPhone 14, rather than an iPhone 16.
You’ll also notice the 2022 iPhone SE is also absent from the list. The driving force behind the removal of these devices has less to do with their power and a lot more to do with how they charge. In early October 2024, the European Parliament approved a regulation that required all electronics sold within the European Union to charge via USB-C.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 both fit the bill, but the iPhone 14 and the 2022 iPhone SE still clung to the Lightning cable. Apple stopped selling these devices in Europe at the end of last year, and the new iPhone 16e is intended to fill that void.
It does, in a way — but it also fits like a triangle in a round hole. It manages to make some progress, but doesn’t reach all the way. The higher price makes it difficult to describe this as a budget phone, and its capabilities feel like a flagship.
