Last night, Apple launched the new iPhone 16e, with a starting price of 4,499 yuan for the Chinese version (CH 128GB), officially on sale from February 28.

The main changes include: this model abandons the SE naming and is directly included in the 16 series; it is equipped with a downgraded A18 chip, with GPU performance improved by 80% compared to the A13; it is the first to feature the self-developed Apple C1 5G modem, and it supports Apple Intelligence smart features.

Regarding this new product launch, Dolphin Research believes there are several points of interest: 1) This is Apple's first attempt at a self-developed modem chip. If the results are good, the proportion of self-developed components will increase, reducing reliance on Qualcomm; 2) All new Apple phones support Apple Intelligence smart features, accelerating the layout of AI phones; 3) The new phone's starting price for 128G/256G is 3,999/4,999 yuan after subsidies from China's "national subsidy" policy, targeting the domestic mid-range smartphone market.

Previously, the iPhone 16 series performed moderately in the domestic market, but the launch of the iPhone 16e, while benefiting from national subsidies, also supports Apple Intelligence smart features, which is expected to boost Apple's smartphone shipments in the domestic market in the first half of the year.