iPhone 16e Cracks Europe's Top 10 Despite Price Backlash, But Not Without Challenges

Following months of court battles and regulatory issues in the EU, Apple can finally smile. Its latest mid-range smartphone, the iPhone 16e, has made a splash on the European scene.

Despite pricing backlash as well as harsh comparisons to previous models, the handset model has been able to place itself among Europe's top 10 smartphones.

iPhone 16e Sales Performance in Europe

iPhone 16e Cracks Europe’s Top 10 Despite Price Backlash, But

According to a recent report from Counterpoint, the iPhone 16e landed in ninth place overall on Europe's smartphone bestseller list for March 2025. The phone accounted for 8% of Apple's iPhone sales in the region and 2% of the total smartphone market.

In Western Europe specifically, the device performed slightly better, coming in at seventh place.

This is a significant milestone for the iPhone 16e, given the regulatory headwinds that Apple has witnessed in recent times. Not all comparisons, though, favor the iPhone 16e.

Short of iPhone SE Expectations

Although the iPhone 16e's launch is decent, it does not live up to the commercial expectations of its predecessors, the iPhone SE 2022 and SE 2020.

In comparison to those models, the 16e's release month experienced 17% lower sales compared to the SE 2022 and 20% lower compared to the SE 2020. Both previous models also acquired more of Apple's first-month sales: 12% for the SE 2022 and 19% for the SE 2020.

Interestingly, they performed better in the European smartphone charts, sitting in sixth and third spots respectively.

The Price Tag Problem

So, what's keeping the iPhone 16e under wraps? As per Jan Stryjak of Counterpoint Research, it's all about the price.

"The relatively high price of the iPhone 16e compared to previous iPhone SE devices has limited sales in Europe," Stryjak said.

The iPhone 16e debuted at €699, a substantial increase from the €529 price tag of the iPhone SE 2022 and the €479 price tag of the SE 2020. With today's economically tough climate, that higher price is a tougher sell, particularly with more robust offerings priced similarly.

Actually, certain retailers are selling the iPhone 15 at the same price as the 16e. Given that the iPhone 15 has superior specs and design upgrades, most customers are choosing the higher-end model, even though it's almost two years old, 9to5Mac reports. Not surprisingly, the iPhone 15 also made Europe's April top 10 smartphone list.

A Small Victory in a Tough Season

For all the price hurdle, the iPhone 16e's entry into the top 10 remains a silver lining for Apple during an ugly regulatory stretch in the EU. From antitrust lawsuits to policy pushback, the tech behemoth has been on the defensive on several fronts. This small sales victory is a needed and temporary respite from the bad news.

Apple also hopes to improve its performance outside Europe. If it captures the big population of smartphone users in China, it could be a breakthrough for the Cupertino giant.