Per industry analysis firm Counterpoint, the iPhone 16e helped Apple outsell other smartphone companies in Q1 2025.
The handset is the first Apple phone to have an in-house modem. Counterpoint has learned that the phone has more home-brewed components than any handset in Apple’s lineup.
40 percent of components that went inside the iPhone 16e were made by Apple. In contrast, only 29 percent of the iPhone 16‘s internals are Apple-made, and 31 percent of iPhone SE 3 parts are in-house.
In addition to the modem, the phone also features custom-built processing and power management parts. The proprietary C1 modem allowed Apple to save $10 on every device.
The stripped-down specs and home-grown components are seemingly what allowed Apple to achieve a starting price of $599, making the iPhone 16e $200 cheaper than the iPhone 16.
The addition of another internally engineered part gives Apple even tighter control over the iPhone 16e, potentially making for a better user experience. We already know that despite being technologically inferior to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X71 5G modem found in the iPhone 16 series, the iPhone 16e‘s C1 modem delivers better upload and download speeds in most instances.
It’s also more power efficient and its design freed up space for a bigger battery.
The iPhone 16 may be the better phone on paper, but with a higher share of tailor-made components, the iPhone 16e holds its own.
