After months of EU regulators breathing down its neck, Apple is finally seeing a happier kind of headline from across the Atlantic. And it comes courtesy of the new iPhone 16e.
According to a report released today, the newest member of the iPhone 16 family made it into Europe’s top 10 smartphone list in its first full month of availability.
Per the report, the iPhone 16e debuted in ninth place overall in March 2025, accounting for 8% of Apple’s regional iPhone sales and 2% of the broader smartphone market. In Western Europe, it fared slightly better, landing in seventh place.
Now, for the bad news
Although this points to a broad consumer adoption of the iPhone 16e, this is also not quite the level of performance Apple has seen in the past from its mid-tier iPhones.
Compared to the iPhone SE 2022 and especially the SE 2020, the 16e’s debut looks a tad muted. Sales were down 17% and 20%, respectively, compared to those earlier models’ launch months.
Both SE generations also commanded a larger slice of Apple’s sales in their first 30 days (12% and 19%) and ranked higher on the continent’s bestseller list: sixth for the 2022 SE, and third for the 2020 model.
Why is that?
According to Counterpoint’s Jan Stryjak, the main issue (as you probably already guessed) was pricing,
“The relatively high price of the iPhone 16e compared to previous iPhone SE devices has limited sales in Europe. At €699 (429) launch price of the iPhone SE 2022 and €479 ($399) for the iPhone SE 2020, which has reduced its appeal in this challenging economic climate. Also, some places are offering the iPhone 15 for the same price as the iPhone 16e, so many consumers are opting for arguably the better-specced, albeit nearly two-year-old, device. As such, the iPhone 15 also featured in Europe’s top-10 list for April.”
Still, even with a comparatively lower performance against its spiritual predecessors, the 16e has carved out a spot on the leaderboard. And in a season where most of Apple’s European headlines involve lawsuits, regulators, and all-around bad vibes, even a modest win is worth a headline.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments