Abstract

• The iPhone 16e is priced at $599, and affords a minimalist design and single digital camera.
• The show incorporates a dependable 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR panel with a well-recognized notch design, missing the Dynamic Island.
• Stellar efficiency and improved battery life due to the A18 chip & Apple C1 modem make the 16e really feel like a contemporary but flawed gadget.

The iPhone 16e enters Apple’s lineup as essentially the most reasonably priced new iPhone, but it exists in a peculiar place as neither a real price range gadget nor a fully-featured flagship. That makes the iPhone 16e one in every of Apple’s weirdest iPhones thus far, because it tries to steadiness being each accessible and premium.

Value and Availability

The iPhone 16e is obtainable beginning at $599 with 128GB and may be configured as much as 512GB. The gadget is available in two finishes: white and black, and you’ll decide one up at most main retailers and carriers, together with Amazon and Finest Purchase, and instantly by means of the Apple Retailer.

A Minimalist’s Dream iPhone Design

The iPhone 16e adopts the flat-edge design language of Apple’s latest aesthetic course for the iPhone, and I actually suppose that is my favourite iPhone design shortly. It options an aluminum enclosure that’s fairly light-weight with out feeling low cost, and it’s acquired a slight curvature alongside the sides just like the iPhone 15 sequence, so the gadget doesn’t really feel uncomfortable or sharp within the hand.

The most important visible draw of the 16e’s again is the only digital camera; it’s undoubtedly bizarre to see a contemporary iPhone with out no less than two cameras, but it surely seems to be very clear. The digital camera bump is the smallest digital camera bump on an iPhone I’ve seen since no less than the iPhone 12 sequence, which suggests it received’t rock as aggressively on a desk or accumulate mud like a magnet as the present iPhones do.

Out there in simply two colorways: black and white, the iPhone 16e undoubtedly lacks the persona of Apple’s extra vibrant 16 and 16 Professional. The matte textured end on the again gives respectable grip, and is one thing that makes this cellphone really feel nice to carry.

That stated, what’s instantly obvious is what’s lacking quite than what’s current. The dearth of a Dynamic Island is essentially the most visually distinctive distinction from higher-tier iPhones, with the 16e retaining the now-dated notch design. This implies no at-a-glance information or Live Activities which have develop into customary options on the earlier two years of iPhones.

The addition of the Motion Button can present customizable performance which may be helpful, however within the case of the 16e, it’s ideally set to set off Apple’s Visible Intelligence digital camera lookup characteristic with out navigating by means of the software program, as this iPhone doesn’t get the Camera Control button like its costlier siblings.

Maybe essentially the most notable absence is MagSafe compatibility. Whereas the 16e helps customary Qi wi-fi charging, the dearth of the magnetic attachment system looks like a man-made limitation, particularly for many who could have built-in MagSafe equipment into their ecosystem.

Total, the design of the iPhone 16e feels weirdly predictable and shocking on the similar time. I actually discovered this iPhone to be charming in the way it presents itself amongst its higher-end siblings, however a few of the decisions Apple has made so as to add trendy options however omit staples really feel very obvious, extra so than it ever did with the iPhone SE sequence of telephones, which have been clearly parts-bin model price range iPhones.

A Acquainted Notched Show

In relation to the show, the 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show on the iPhone 16e delivers the dependable expertise we have come to count on from Apple’s OLED panels. Colours are correct, although they’ll really feel barely muted in comparison with Professional fashions, however content material consumption stays wonderful throughout numerous lighting circumstances.

The panel achieves 800 nits of typical brightness, pushing to 1200 nits for HDR content material, however isn’t as vibrant as the present iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which stand up to 1,000 nits of brightness and push 2,000 nits for HDR.

The notch feels significantly outdated after a number of generations of the Dynamic Island on different fashions. Even past the aesthetics, the Dynamic Island has develop into a staple of the iPhone consumer expertise and to omit it right here feels restrictive although the chance of somebody switching from a Dynamic Island iPhone to the 16e is slim.

Nonetheless, the 60Hz refresh price of this cellphone in 2025 is more and more troublesome to justify, particularly as dynamic refresh charges have develop into commonplace throughout Android units at related and lower cost factors. In distinction, the iPhone 16e’s static refresh price creates a perceptible compromise in smoothness when scrolling by means of content material or switching between apps.

Once more, for folks upgrading from older iPhones, whom Apple is concentrating on this cellphone for, this may not register as a downgrade, but it surely’s unattainable to not discover if you happen to’ve skilled the fluidity of upper refresh charges.

The Return of the Single Digicam

The 48MP Fusion digital camera is probably going essentially the most important improve for customers coming from older iPhone fashions. Apple’s computational images continues to ship dependable outcomes throughout lighting circumstances, and the quad-pixel binning produces detailed 24MP photographs by default with the choice to seize full 48MP pictures when wanted. The digital camera system can steadiness publicity in difficult lighting pretty properly and produces natural-looking images that retain element in each shadows and highlights.

The optical-quality 2x zoom leverages the center portion of the sensor to ship what Apple markets as “two cameras in a single.” Very like the common iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, this implementation does not substitute the devoted telephoto lens you’ll discover on the Professional iPhones, which might optically zoom in 5x.

It’s price noting that this 48MP sensor will not be the identical one because the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional telephones, because it’s a smaller general sensor, and if you push it to its extremes, you’ll begin to see the restrictions of the smaller dimension, particularly in low-light circumstances.

That stated, what I like about this single-camera system is the best way it handles footage, as a result of it lastly matches the aggressiveness of Apple’s computational processing. Having used the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Professional for a number of months back-to-back, whereas the digital camera produces nice images, the processing all the time felt prefer it was overcompensating for element and sharpness when it didn’t have to.

Within the case of the iPhone 16 Plus, I used Photographic Kinds and Lightroom to dial again a few of the over-processing, and with the 16 Professional, turned on ProRAW Max to do away with it altogether. With the iPhone 16e, the “worse” sensor advantages closely from the gadget’s processing, and it delivers photographs I actually like, straight out of the digital camera.

Essentially the most obvious absence of the iPhone 16e’s digital camera system is the extremely large lens, which has develop into customary throughout most smartphones above $500. With out it, you lose the power to seize expansive landscapes, architectural pictures, or massive group images with out important distance, to not point out the dearth of macro images capabilities that arrived within the base iPhone 16 sequence for the primary time.

I don’t essentially suppose the elimination of the extremely large digital camera is unhealthy from a images standpoint, particularly as a result of it’s my least-used lens on my 16 Professional. However, as a result of Apple is concentrating on this for an viewers that could be of an older demographic, the macro images mode enabled by the extremely large digital camera would’ve been helpful for issues like studying labels, which is one thing I’ve seen lots of my members of the family do over time.

By way of video, that is still a core iPhone power, with the 16e having the ability to file 4K at 60 frames per second in Dolby Imaginative and prescient. One thing coming from the flagship iPhones is the introduction of audio combine, which might allow you to dial up or tweak the sound of particular folks or issues inside your body, which nonetheless stays probably the most versatile instruments throughout the Photographs app.

Stellar Efficiency with Even Higher Battery Life

The A18 chip powering the iPhone 16e delivers efficiency that feels indistinguishable from different current-generation iPhones for on a regular basis duties. Apps launch promptly, multitasking is fluid, and even demanding video games run with out body drops. The 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU keep the responsive expertise you’d count on out of any flagship iPhone, and Apple claims efficiency enhancements for the 16e are as much as 80 % over the iPhone 11’s A13 Bionic.

Extra important than this cellphone’s uncooked efficiency is its energy effectivity. Apple’s silicon permits the A18 to ship spectacular battery life that exceeds earlier 6.1-inch iPhones. All through testing, the gadget persistently lasted by means of a full day of combined utilization, together with social media, images, streaming video, and occasional gaming.

I’m particularly stunned by the very fact this 6.1-inch iPhone almost matches the battery lifetime of the iPhone 16 Plus, which I assumed was already stellar. For a smaller iPhone to lastly sustain for a full day of utilization is one thing I’ve needed for years, and I hope this trickles as much as this yr’s flagship iPhones as properly.

Apple’s first in-house modem, the C1, is basically the issue resulting in this higher energy effectivity. For Apple’s first try, it’s rather well achieved, as I skilled no perceptible distinction in comparison with my Qualcomm-equipped iPhone 16 Plus, which I switched from. Mobile connectivity was fairly quick and secure, giving me 153 Mbps obtain and 61.8 Mbps add speeds, which is in step with my 16 Plus’ 157 Mbps obtain and 58 Mbps add speeds from the identical location. It is price noting these aren’t in depth exams, and I am located in a significant metropolitan metropolis, so your mileage could range relying in your service and repair.

Apple Intelligence is technically current on the iPhone 16e, although my expertise hasn’t actually modified since I used it again in September; the writing instruments, picture technology capabilities, and marginal Siri enhancements are nice-to-have, however not often really feel important to this cellphone’s general usability. The potential stays largely theoretical till extra substantial updates arrive later this yr.

USB-C charging replaces Lightning, bringing the iPhone 16e in keeping with the remainder of Apple’s present units and broader trade requirements. Quick charging assist permits the battery to succeed in 50 % in roughly half-hour with a suitable 20W adapter, although no charger is included within the field.

Ought to You Purchase the iPhone 16e?

The iPhone 16e exists in a curious place inside Apple’s product technique. At $599, it is positioned as essentially the most reasonably priced entry level into the present iPhone ecosystem, but it strategically omits options which have develop into customary even on mid-range Android units. For customers upgrading from iPhone 11 or older fashions, the enhancements in digital camera high quality, efficiency, and battery life will probably be significant and might justify the funding.

Nonetheless, the worth proposition turns into questionable when in comparison with options. The usual iPhone 16 at $799 provides the Dynamic Island, extremely large digital camera, and MagSafe compatibility, that are options that considerably improve the consumer expertise for $200 extra. Alternatively, final yr’s iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Professional can usually be discovered at related or decrease costs to the 16e whereas providing a number of options absent from it.

The iPhone 16e embodies the basic tensions in Apple’s ecosystem strategy. It delivers the important iPhone expertise whereas intentionally withholding options to keep up differentiation between fashions. The result’s a succesful gadget that nonetheless feels unnecessarily constrained by strategic choices quite than technical limitations.

It took a very long time for me to know the iPhone 16e, however the extra I take advantage of it, the extra I understand this iPhone is the logical equal to an outlet-branded product; it’s premium, however flawed in a calculated manner, so it’s by no means precisely the identical as getting the total expertise.

This doesn’t make it a nasty product, it is simply totally different. It’s for many who don’t care about all of the bells and whistles of the costlier flagships, however need the essence of a more recent iPhone. I largely see this cellphone enchantment to people who find themselves on service contract plans or those that have not upgraded their iPhone shortly; this iPhone is their least expensive entry into Apple’s newest technology, and to that finish, the iPhone 16e serves its objective properly, even when it isn’t the most effective worth iPhone anymore.