It happened in the end. Apple has stopped treating affordable iPhones as second class citizens. I was hoping for a new iPhone SE, but I got the iPhone 16e, which is on the same table as the other iPhone 16 models. It’s not only the name, but also the size, the chip that moves it, and some other details that make the iPhone 16E a very interesting participant in the iPhone 16 lineup.
However, the iPhone 16E is significantly more expensive than the (now deprecated) iPhone SE. Is it worth it or do I need to dish out extra cash for the “real” iPhone 16? Please read more.
Apple iPhone 16E price
The iPhone 16E starts at $599 with 128GB of storage space. Increase it to 256GB, the price goes up to $699, and if you choose the 512GB variant, the price jumps to $899.
It’s a massive price increase compared to the older iPhone SE, which costs $429 when it was launched in 2022. Given that the iPhone SE has been cancelled (along with the iPhone 15), the cheapest newest iPhone is the 16E, and is in a very different price range.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16E starts with 128GB of storage. That’s twice as much as I got in the last generation of the iPhone SE. And unlike the old SE, the iPhone 16e doesn’t scream “old” anytime soon. Instead, it looks and plays like a modern iPhone.
The display is a 6.1 inch OLED, which is very similar to the iPhone 16’s.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
I think pricing will trigger a mixing reaction from potential buyers. Prices for people who never pay more than $500 for their mobile phones are now on sale. Others may be excited to get a “real” member of the iPhone 16 family for just $599.
Apple iPhone 16E design
When I reviewed the iPhone SE in 2022, it was a very different experience. The phone looked outdated compared to the top iPhone of the day.
However, the iPhone 16e looks pretty good. The one in front is basically an iPhone 14 with a large 6.1-inch OLED display. There are no dynamic islands above. Instead, you get a notch that hides the front camera, face ID camera, speakers, and various sensors.
There is only one camera on the back, coupled with a flashlight. But it’s a big unit and in a strange way it looks more (at least cleaner) than the more expensive iPhone multi-camera array. Only two colors are available, black and white. My review unit was white and I loved the way the matte white glass on the back and the white frame contrasted with the dark display bezel on the front.
The frame is made of aluminum, and just like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16E also gets an action button. It’s good to include Apple. I usually set it to do one thing and never change it again, but it’s better than the old switch.
Overall, Apple had a good balance with the iPhone 16E design. It’s an ancient, nonsense iPhone, and it doesn’t look like it in any way.
There is only one camera. But it’s 2 inches.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Apple also sent me a blue and pink silicone case for the iPhone 16e. The lightweight silicone case is suitable for iPhone 16E. This is the lightest mobile phone in the lineup at 167 grams. When compared directly to the Pro model, I feel that there is a significant difference in weight.
There is one more thing to consider here. That’s the size. At 6.1 inches, the iPhone 16E is essentially the same size as the iPhone 16 (hair short but you won’t notice). The iPhone SE is a much smaller phone, meaning Apple doesn’t really sell small phones, not to get in the way.
Apple iPhone 16E performance and battery life
More than other “affordable” Apple Phones, the iPhone 16e hits me as a businessman’s phone. It doesn’t look good, but it’s not flashy. But it performs as good as the iPhone 16 and even beats it in some very important ways.
The iPhone 16E has an Apple A18 chip inside. It’s the same chip you find in the iPhone 16, but it only has 4 GPU cores instead of 5. You will not notice any difference.
Apple hasn’t said how much RAM a phone has. The benchmark shows The iPhone 16E must come with 8GB of RAM, just like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models.
Combining that with 128GB of starting storage means the iPhone 16E will perform roughly the same as the iPhone 16. This was also my experience. Yes, even my favorite gaming benchmark PUBG was snappy with the best settings. Geekbench score confirmed this: 3201 single core, 7423 multicore score, iPhone 16e only has slow hair More than iPhone 16.
Of course, you don’t get all the appeal of the Pro model. The iPhone 16E does not have promotions, 120Hz displays, or dynamic islands, but these omissions are not deal breckers for me.
Two colors are available. Both are matte: white and black.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Here are some of the big selling points for the iPhone 16E: The battery life is excellent. According to Apple, the iPhone 16 can handle up to 26 hours of video playback compared to 22 hours. Although we couldn’t directly compare the two devices, in the week we used it as our main phone, the iPhone 16E usually lasts for two days after it’s fully charged and uses very large amounts.
This is thanks to Apple’s C1 Cellular chip, which debuted on the iPhone 16e. The tip worked as intended for me. There were no issues with connections, calls or messaging. If you can do that while adding hours of battery life to your phone, that’s a big win.
Apple is not Apple unless you remove Magsafe from your iPhone 16e and throw a curveball to future buyers. If you’ve never used it, you don’t mind. For me, that’s a big deal. It uses a bunch of Magsafe accessories, such as an Apple Wallet and some wireless charging. However, the iPhone 16E supports wireless charging, so you should be able to get a decent experience with Magsafe accessories using the Magsafe case. I couldn’t get the sample case fast enough for this text, but once I get it, I’ll definitely give it a try and let you know how it works.
Apple iPhone 16E: Apple Intelligence
As I’m in Europe, I still can’t experience Apple Intelligence on my iPhone (I’m coming in April). I played on my Mac with Apple Intelligence and nothing seemed essential, but the tool was fun and helpful, and probably gets better over time.
AI is extremely important to Apple (and frankly, other phone makers these days). So it really makes sense that Apple made the “cheap” iPhone a little more powerful than expected to provide full Apple Intelligence support.
The Lightning Port comes out and USB-C is included.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
At least now, I don’t think people are buying (or need to buy) phones based on the type of AI features they support. I think over time these features will become as essential as they have access to search and basic photo editing. In that sense, even if you’re in Europe and don’t really think about what the iPhone AI is like, it’s good to know that the iPhone 16E will be fully rooted in the future when it comes to Apple Intelligence.
Apple iPhone 16E camera
Only one 48 megapixel camera is available on the back of the iPhone 16e. On paper, we call Apple the 2-in-1 camera system, which is very similar to the one on the iPhone 16. This is because you can generate photos that are 24 megapixel or 48 megapixel wide, or 2X zoom photos of 12 megapixel.
Sharp (probably excessive), detailed, accurate color: typical iPhone photos.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
It’s not exactly the same as having two cameras, and the low light performance is rough. However, all you need to know is that the iPhone 16E camera is not an afterthought, as you would expect from the iPhone SE. Most often, a sharp and lively photo is taken, with the default 24 megapixel resolution being fully detailed.
By default, the iPhone 16E takes 24 megapixel photos. However, if the conditions are good, you can raise up to 48 megapixels for these additional details.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Is it even worth zooming in if you don’t have a dedicated telephoto camera? Yes, that’s true. I zoomed in on the same scene and took better, smoother photos even in moderately low light. If you have details you want to focus on, you should use that 2x button.
left:
You will receive a 24 megapixel photo at 1x magnification. The iPhone 16e handles multiple light sources beautifully. The colours are accurate and the photos are very sharp, but when you zoom in, some of the details become smackey.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
right:
At 2x magnification, you only get 12 megapixel images, which is a little more noisy, but with improved background details.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
In low light, the results were OK, but we can’t expect professional-level performance here. I strolled through Love on the Croatian island and managed to take rather sharp and detailed photos of the historic Roman buildings.
The iPhone 16e handles low light scenes well, but don’t expect miracles.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
However, pointing the camera at the fishing boat at night distance gave me very blurry results.
Selfies are pretty amazing and you can adjust them to your preferences using photo styles that are somewhat unfairly hidden in the camera settings.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
I don’t have much to write about as the selfie camera appears to have not changed since the iPhone 16. You need great selfies and yes, photo styles are supported so you can access your camera settings and adjust them to your liking.
Apple iPhone 16E: Should I buy it?
The Apple logo on the back wasn’t as subtle.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
The iPhone 16e shows a major shift in Apple’s direction. The company currently doesn’t sell phones cheaper than $599, so the ecosystem’s entry barrier is much higher than before.
That said, the iPhone 16E is a great phone. It looks good, and there are all the great things about modern iPhones, such as a large OLED display and a modern 48 megapixel camera. In fact, they beat other mobile phones in the lineup in several ways. This is the lightest newest iPhone you can buy and has excellent battery life. It works just like the iPhone 16 and fully supports Apple Intelligence. There’s no Magsaf, which is a shame, but not everyone cares. Most people who want nonsense iPhones for a minimal amount, such as the lack of dynamic islands, don’t mind other omissions. Finally, it’s future prevention. With Apple’s super-fast A18 chip, it’s probably going to be faster enough in 3, 4, or even 5 years.
All this gives the iPhone 16E a good value for money. However, this is not an iPhone SE, it is not a cheap Apple Phone. They are gone for now. It’s just a cheap iPhone 16.
