- RATING
iPhone 16e provides that unique iPhone experience customers are looking for. It’s like a highlight reel – you get a taste of most of the best features – but at a lower price.
The iPhone is a popular device because it offers the type of all-round experience no other smartphone can imitate. That’s why so many people want one.
So when Apple released the iPhone 16e it was a way customers could enjoy that experience, but at a more affordable price.
The iPhone 16e is not a cheap phone – it still starts at $999 and if you want 512GB of storage you’re paying $1,549.
But it’s an iPhone which brings together Apple’s hardware, Apple’s software, Apple’s own chip and now Apple Intelligence.
That overall experience is what customers want and Apple has delivered.
It’s a cheaper iPhone – not a cheap iPhone.
You can buy an Android smartphone for half the price of the iPhone 16e and find a stunning large display, a slick design and a triple camera system.
But for many customers it’s missing one thing. It’s not an iPhone.
People often ask me, “why doesn’t Apple make a cheap iPhone?”.
My answer: “Because they can’t. The company can’t or I should say won’t do anything else but produce premium and high quality devices.”
They were offering an iPhone SE with smaller display and a home button which was basically an iPhone 8 with a faster chip for around $700.
To be clear, the iPhone 16e is by no means an iPhone SE replacement.
It’s a brand new member of the iPhone 16 family – otherwise Apple would have called it something different.
That being said – where does that leave the iPhone 15?
The iPhone 15 has the same size display, two cameras instead of one and has the dynamic island instead of a notch. It’s more expensive at $1,249 – but it doesn’t have Apple Intelligence.
It’s the same for the iPhone 15 Plus with its 6.7-inch display and starting price of $1,399 – and with no Apple Intelligence.
At least the customers still have a choice.
The iPhone 16e is basically a rebadged iPhone 14 but with the same A18 chip as the latest iPhone 16 which makes it able to handle Apple Intelligence on device.
It has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with HDR so images and videos look rather impressive.
On top of the display is Apple’s old notch which really didn’t distract us too much – in almost every way you use and view the iPhone it’s pretty much the same as having a Dynamic Island.
I’m more used to a larger display like the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung S25 Ultra but the iPhone 16e never felt too small.
It is made from rugged aerospace grade aluminium and has a Ceramic Shield on the screen and is water and dust resistant.
With that A18 chip the iPhone 16e has lots of capabilities and offers fast and smooth performance along with remarkable power efficiency.
In fact, Apple says the iPhone 16e has the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone – and we have to agree.
When this was our daily driver, it was well into the second day when we needed to reach for the charger.
Speaking of charging there is no MagSafe, which holds the phone in place while wirelessly charging, but the iPhone 16e is capable of charging wirelessly you just have to make sure it is positioned correctly on the Qi charging pad.
Alternatively you can also purchase a MagSafe compatible case for the iPhone 16e.
iPhone 16e has the customisable Action button which can be programmed for silent mode, to access favourite apps or features like the torch or the camera.
The biggest new feature is Apple Intelligence which is only available for customers with an iPhone purchased in the last two years (with the exception of the iPhone 15).
Thanks to the speed and power of the A18 chip, users are able use Apple Intelligence and access writing tools, create images and emojis and access an even more intelligent and conversational Siri.
Apple Intelligence can also improve your mail experience with writing tools, summaries and smart replies as well as clean up your photos and create photo memories.
The Action key also provides access to Visual Intelligence do you can learn about what’s around you like identifying plant, animals and objects or add an event to your calendar by pointing at a ticket or a flyer.
There is only camera on the iPhone 16e but it’s a 2-in-1 48MP Fusion camera which combines two quality cameras into one.
The quad pixel sensor does the heavy lifting when comes to offering amazing colour, detail and resolution to your images.
It has 2x optical zoom and incorporates Night Mode for low light situations and Portrait mode so you can still produce similar images to the to the iPhones which have two and three lenses.
The iPhone 16e can also shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.
The front 12MP TrueDepth camera has also got you covered for your selfies with autofocus and being able to fit in more people in your shot.
The TrueDepth camera also helps secure the iPhone 16e with Face ID.
Bottom line, the iPhone 16e produces stunning images and videos that no one will pick came from a single camera smartphone.
Unless you’re really into your photography and want to experiment with different images and videos and take lots of macro shots – the iPhone 16e’s camera is more than enough for the average user.
On the connectivity side, the iPhone 16e has an all-new C1 cellular modem for better 5G connections and faster downloads and uploads.
Also included with the iPhone 16e is crash detection and Emergency SOS via satellite.
It is interesting to see some of the performance comparisons Apple is making with older iPhones like the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE.
For customers with those iPhones, the iPhone 16e is an ideal upgrade.
Apple also mentioned the trade-in options for users with iPhone 11 (up to $210 trade-in value) and iPhone 12 (up to $270 trade-in value) which would make the upgrade even more affordable.
The iPhone 16e is available now and priced at $999 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB) and $1,549 (512GB).
VERDICT
iPhone 16e provides that unique iPhone experience customers are looking for. It’s like a highlight reel – you get a taste of most of the best features – but at a lower price.
