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Apple’s iPhone 16e is fresh on the scene, but it’s not what many fans hoped for. It’s not called an iPhone SE, and its price isn’t budget-friendly either. A new survey about how Apple customers—and especially iPhone SE fans—shop for phones shows why this new model might be a tricky move for Apple.

The survey from CIRP digs into what iPhone SE owners owned before their current phone. It turns out these folks don’t usually jump to fancy, high-end iPhones. This could make it tough for Apple to sell them on the iPhone 16e.

Experts Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz point out that SE buyers tend to stick with simple, low-cost phones. They don’t often upgrade to pricier models. 26% of SE owners had an older SE before buying a new one. They didn’t see a need to get anything fancier—just the latest SE. Meanwhile, only 3% of people buying other iPhones came from an SE. Even more surprising? About 45% of SE buyers used to have a regular “number” iPhone (like an iPhone 12 or 14) but chose to switch to the cheaper SE instead.

This shows that price matters a lot to SE fans. With the iPhone 16e starting at $599, way up from the SE’s $429, these shoppers might look elsewhere—like at Androids or used iPhones. Here’s the problem for SE owners ready for a new phone: They can either spend more on the 16e or hunt for a cheaper option.

Apple’s betting they’ll pick the 16e, and phone company deals might sweeten the price. But SE fans often use smaller, budget carriers that don’t offer big discounts, making the jump to $599 feel steep. Dropping a true budget phone is a bold choice for Apple. It’s a risk that could push some loyal fans away, and only time will tell if it pays off.

One of the strangest things about the iPhone 16e is that it doesn’t fully support MagSafe. This missing feature surprised so many people that Apple felt the need to explain why they left it out. But here’s the twist: the phone seems to be almost ready for MagSafe, which makes the decision even more puzzling.

Three Great Things About MagSafe

The iPhone 16e comes with plenty of top-notch features, but MagSafe isn’t one of them. That’s a big deal because MagSafe brings three awesome perks. First, it makes wireless charging super simple. You just place your phone near the charger, and it snaps right into the perfect spot—no more fumbling around.

Second, it speeds up wireless charging. Older Qi chargers topped out at 7.5 watts, but MagSafe and Qi2 bump that up to 15 watts. Other iPhone 16 models even hit 25 watts with the newest MagSafe chargers. Third, MagSafe unlocks a bunch of cool accessories—like car mounts, wallets, and camera stabilizers—that stick to your phone with magnets.

Apple’s Odd Explanation

Apple’s reason for skipping MagSafe? They say the people buying the 16e don’t use it. According to them, this phone is aimed at folks who prefer plugging in a cable over wireless charging. They think these buyers are upgrading from older models like the iPhone SE or iPhone 11, which didn’t have MagSafe. But that logic feels shaky—those phones didn’t have MagSafe, so of course those users didn’t rely on it!

The iPhone 16e’s Hidden Surprise

Here’s where it gets interesting. David Price from Macworld found that the iPhone 16e actually has some MagSafe magnets inside—it’s just not strong enough to work perfectly. I tested this myself by taking my 16e out of its case and placing it near an old MagSafe charger. To my surprise, the charger stuck to the phone! The connection was weak, but it held. Price even shared a video showing the charger lifting off a table to snap onto the phone.

The catch? This only works without a case, and the magnets aren’t powerful enough to hold the phone on a standing dock. Still, it’s odd that Apple included some magnets but didn’t go all in on MagSafe. Why get so close and then stop?

iFixit recently posted a teardown video where they carefully took apart the iPhone 16e to check out what’s inside. The iPhone 16e comes with a handy feature: its battery glue can loosen up with a small jolt of electricity, just like the other iPhone 16 models. This makes swapping out the battery a bit easier.

A previous teardown showed that the iPhone 16e has a 15.55 Wh battery, which is larger than the 13.83 Wh one in earlier models. iFixit explains that Apple fit this bigger battery because the phone’s single-lens back camera leaves extra room inside.

The teardown also gives us a good peek at Apple’s new C1 modem, tucked under the RF board. It looks a lot like the Qualcomm X71M modem, with a 4nm design and some memory built in. However, the 7nm signal boosters are separate from the modem itself.

iFixit wasn’t too happy with some of Apple’s choices, though. For example, fixing the USB-C port is a hassle because you have to take out everything inside the phone first. Still, they gave a nod to some repair-friendly updates. Thanks to changes in iOS, parts pairing isn’t as strict anymore.

Plus, there’s a small metal piece that keeps a delicate cable safe when you open the phone, which is a nice touch. In short, while the iPhone 16e isn’t perfect for repairs, it’s moving in a better direction with these small but helpful tweaks.