When 5G debuted with the iPhone 12 lineup, Apple introduced a sneaky new pricing tactic. Apple would list iPhones as “starting at $799”, but that price would require you to activate with one of the major US carriers at the point of purchase. If you wanted an unlocked iPhone, the actual starting price point was $829.
iPhone 16e gets rid of this annoying upcharge.
iPhone activation discount
Every entry-level iPhone since iPhone 12 has carried this pricing strategy. Even the latest iPhone 16. It never applied to the higher priced Pro models, luckily.
This pricing strategy always annoyed me, since people often refer to the iPhone 16 as a “$799 phone”, despite the fact that a lot of people aren’t actually paying that price. If you’re on one of the major carriers and activate your iPhone through Apple, you’ll pay that price. Otherwise, you aren’t.
Many people buy their iPhones from their carrier directly, and even if you’re buying from a big four carrier – the pricing is based on the full $829 price tag.
Some may argue that $30 isn’t a big deal, but it’s still worth pointing out.
Apple C1 modem
When Apple introduced the iPhone 12, they included 5G mmWave technology on the entire lineup. This was likely because carrier partners, like Verizon, pushed hard for its inclusion.
5G mmWave is a pricier technology, one that tends to be excluded from lower-end phones. It has fairly limited benefit, given that it can only be advantageous in super dense environments, like stadiums. Even in dense cities like New York, you can easily lose connection to a mmWave tower by turning a corner.
Luckily, Apple’s C1 modem doesn’t support mmWave 5G, for one reason or another. And thus, there isn’t a need for a carrier subsidy to help offset the cost.
No matter which carrier you have, you can purchase an iPhone 16e for the $599 price tag that it’s listed at. That hasn’t been true for any other mainstream non-pro iPhone since 2020.
That said, Apple’s C2 modem will likely support mmWave technology. However, given the fact that Apple has withheld from including mmWave on iPhones outside of the US, there’ll likely be a variant without it.
My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:
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