The name of iPhones follows a simple numerical logic. But again and again the smartphones from Apple also get letters for their names. The latest model is the iPhone 16e. This addition is new – so what does it stand for?
Whether on the iPhone X, XS or SE – in the past it has occurred several times that Apple not only has paid numbers in its smartphones but also distributed letters in the name. Since the end of February, the iPhone 16E is also lined up here.
The small letter of the letter is unusual for the name of the new model. The single “E” is also new – but what does that stand for?
Apple and its iPhone models
In 2007 Apple presented its first iPhone model with the designation 2G. The two models 3G and 3GS followed. This was followed by the US group to its numerical scheme, in which the numbers were often supplemented by an “S”.
For example, the iPhone 4S, which was launched at the end of 2011. But the iPhone X also became the iPhone XS later. The latest addition in the series of Apple’s product names brings the iPhone 16E with it.
The iPhone 16e lends itself into the confusion
Apple has also had the entry -level model iPhone SE in its portfolio since 2016. The US group said goodbye to its previously frequently used addition “S”. But what the “SE” should stand in the iPhone for has never officially explained.
The name iPhone SE survived three generations, but now the “S” has had its day. Although experts had assumed that the fourth generation of the SE was now followed, only the “E” in iPhone 16E remains for the latest entry -level model.
Not only is the small writing of the letter unusual, but also the preceding 16. Because this means that Apple refers to its iPhone series from 2024.
How long the iPhone 16e actually stays on the market is questionable. Because it could well be that the group introduces a 17e after the publication of the iPhone 17.
What does the new “E” on the iPhone 16e stand for?
As with iPhone SE, Apple has not published an official explanation of the naming for the 16E. An unofficial answer to this question comes from a press event to publish the new model.
John Gruber from Daring Fireball asked exactly this question of a spokeswoman for Apple. But this announced that the letter should not be of particular importance.
However, she also added that the iPhone 16e was built “for everyone” – in other words for everyone. The letter could therefore stand for the English word “Everyone”.
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