Verdict
The iPhone 16e is n’t an exciting iPhone . But it is an iPhone that gets the job done . It has all the tentpole features most will expect and comes at a price that is , on paper at least , beguiling .
For those who want the best iPhone , the iPhone 16 Pro offers flagship feature film , and the iPhone 16 is a stellar mid - cooking stove option . For everyone else , the iPhone 16e is a welcome accession .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The iPhone 16e is the spiritual replacement to the iPhone SE 3 and the most low-priced entry in Apple ’s current earphone range .
There ’s nothing here that ’ll get the attention ofiPhone 16owners . But the combination of new and old features stand for this a tempting outlook for anyone who ’s not fussed about having the very secure and just wants a fresh new iPhone .
For £ 599/$599 , the iPhone 16e represent good value – even if I would n’t go as far as say it ’s a ‘ budget ’ iPhone .
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Compared to the £ 799/$799 iPhone 16 , there are a few missing features , let in MagSafe , the Dynamic Island , an ultrawide camera , various videography mode and Camera Control . Are these sacrifices deserving it ?
Design
The iPhone 16e is an amalgamation of a bunch of late iPhones . The overall expression is like to the iPhone 16 , with theAction Buttonand USB - C embrasure for institutionalize . However , it has the same cover as theiPhone 14 , with the notch or else of the Dynamic Island and the older Ceramic Shield coating .
It only comes in disastrous or white – rather than the rainbow of the hues available on the 16 – and there ’s noCamera Controlfor apace jumping into the television camera from anywhere . Apple tell there is 85 % recycled aluminium in the inclosure and 30 % of the whole phone is recycled mental object .
It ’s nice to see the Action Button here . This can be customised to perform various activities , from start a voice transcription to opening the camera . Apple has also allowed it to sound off Visiual Intelligence into gear , something antecedently reserved for phones with the Camera Control button .
I do wish the Action Button could execute more than a single job – why ca n’t a dual press enact something different to a single press ? But it is more various than just being capable to swap the earpiece from loud to silent .
Having spent the last six months switching between the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro , I do sort of miss Camera Control . That might amount as a daze to some , as I send away it somewhat in myiPhone 16 Pro Max review , but being capable to cursorily leap into the camera from anywhere has become more handy than I expected . Yes , I could assign start the television camera to the Action Button , however this then make getting toVisual Intelligencea slog .
The removal of Camera Control is one of the famous aim dispute between the 16 and 16e . Another is the older style notch , rather than theDynamic Island . While I do n’t mind the look of the notch – although it does senesce the iPhone 16e quite drastically – I prefer the welfare the Dynamic Island brings , like have quick access to now playing Song and timer .
The want of the Dynamic Island and Camera Control work the 16e feel notably less fertile for me than the regular iPhone 16 . Whether you palpate the same will wholly count on what you desire from a phone . If you ’re coming from aniPhone SE – something I would feign Apple expects a lot of people to do – then the iPhone 16e is a lot more modern . It has lean display bezels , modern controls and confront ID rather than a strong-arm Touch ID button .
One matter that could potentially stop SE 2 or 3 possessor from upgrading is the size of the 16e . Even though this is now Apple ’s smallest headphone , it is a fate boastful than the SE 3 . The screen , for instance , is 6.1 inches rather than 4.7 . It weighs 167 g , as defend to 144 g , and has a meridian of 146.7 mm . For comparison , the SE 3 is just 138.4 millimeter tall .
With the discontinuation of the SE 3 and the Mini range , Apple no longer betray a phone with a screenland modest than 6.1 inch . Keep that in head when advance .
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For me , this size of it is corking . I can use it in one hired hand , reach all arena of the screen , and it ’s very light . There ’s no plus - sized 16e , so those look for a screen with more room for gaming and media should go for aniPhone 16 Plus . Or maybe a used iPhone 15 Plus .
Screen
The screen on the iPhone 16e has more in common with the panel on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 than the iPhone 16 . In fact , there ’s every probability it ’s the accurate same exhibit .
It ’s an OLED silver screen with courteous , pictorial colours and perfectly represent black . liken to the iPhone SE 3 , which had an LCD , the iPhone 16e is brighter , sharp and richer . It ’s a welcome upgrade .
Compared to the rest of the market and Apple ’s other iPhone 16 models , the iPhone 16e is the weakest . Considering the monetary value , that should n’t come as a surprise .
For instance , the iPhone 16 gets hopeful than the 16e outdoors and is much leisurely to employ on sunnier twenty-four hours . The 16 also gets much dimmer – Apple claims it can go as down in the mouth as 1 nit – and this is specially detectable at night , when in a sullen room .
pack on its own merit , I still care the screen on the iPhone 16e . Apple ’s OLEDs are much better than those on most of thebest mid - range Android telephone , even those with fast 120Hz refresh rates . Apple ’s colour profiles are more raw and the machine - light is far more reliable .
Camera
It ’s uncommon to see a headphone , even one point to be among thebest cheap phones , in 2025 with a single tv camera on the rear . But that ’s what we have with the iPhone 16e .
Apple ’s entry - level iPhone has a single 48MP rear camera , with an f1/.6 genus Lens , flash and series stalwart like the Photonic Engine , Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 5 . Thanks to the gamey megapixel count , you may perforate in to 2x , and then there ’s digital rapid climb up to 10x .
There ’s no ultrawide camera , and no macro musical mode to get really close to a field . There ’s also a 12MP selfie camera on the front .
While it ’s not packed with features , in the simple terms the iPhone 16e takes beneficial exposure . In day , there ’s mint of details enamour – see the stroke of the dog ’s fur – and gloss are vivid and rich on the nonremittal mode .
The reds in the Camden Town bill sticker pop , and there ’s a richness to the sky that ’s quite inviting . I had merriment shooting with the iPhone 16e , knowing that I only really had one focal length to play with .
Compared to the 12MP shots from the iPhone SE 3 , the results are great and it can be hard to distinguish landscape shots from those get from an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro . The 16 Pro is in effect at night , but the 16e still captures nice shot in low light .
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That ’s great to see . However , the 16e is a much more circumscribed camera speech sound than the other two iPhone 16 choice .
It lacks the newer , smart portraiture musical mode , has visual image stabilization rather than the detector - shift stabilisation and the older Photographic Styles rather than the much squeamish ‘ latest - gen one ’ . The exclusive lens can also be restrictive and it takes out some of the versatility of the system .
It ’s a similar narrative with the videography skills . The iPhone 16e has the hardware to capture nice 4 K video at 60fps in Dolby Vision and slo - mo 1080p at 240fps but many of the extra software features have been ditch . There ’s no Cinematic mode , no Action mode and no spatial or macro video transcription due to the lack of a lower-ranking electron lens .
The iPhone 16e can take heavy photos and capture dependable video , but the experience is certainly limited compare to the iPhone 16 . The single lens can be limiting and the lack of a vast raiment of feature article is a bit of a shame . TheiPhone 13had Cinematic fashion and sensor - fracture stabilisation , while the iPhone 14 had Action modality .
Performance
Inside the iPhone 16e there ’s an A18 chipset , similar to the one nuzzle inside the iPhone 16 . It ’s the same in most esteem , packing just as many cores for AI performance and CPU job – however it ’s not on the nose the same .
The 16e has a 4 - Congress of Racial Equality GPU , one less than the GPU inside the 16 . This change is meditate in the bench mark scores , where the 16e is n’t quite as telling . In tangible - human beings test though , I did n’t detect much departure when running through a bunch of test title . The 16e is still a strong performing artist and it stays cool under load .
Interestingly , Apple has debuted itsC1 chipwith the 16e . This is the first time it has used an in - house modem inside an iPhone . Most , if not all , modems inside iPhones have been built by Qualcomm , so Apple is distinctly looking to move away from that into an internal solution . Whether that get along with the iPhone 17 or 18 remains to be see .
I do n’t think anyone would notice whether or not the C1 modem have much departure . I ’ve been liken it flat with an iPhone 16 and there ’s no conclusive effect . Sometimes the 16e have better reception , sometimes it ’s the 16 . In my London flat , where I typically get pitiful mobile reception from iPhones , I still get miserable reception with the 16e . In the Trusted Reviews office – where I would expect an excellent signal – I still get fantabulous signal .
This is all to say that the C1 check is n’t a calamity nor a revelation . You probably wo n’t even know it ’s unlike to any other phone .
The iPhone 16e bulge out with 128 GB store , which is great – and there are 256 GB and 512 GB models available , too . It ’s welcome to see all 64 GB model live on from the iPhone lineup . There is no Wi - Fi 7 though , just the older 6 standard , and there ’s no UWB chip for exact tracking . They ’re singular omissions .
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Software and Apple Intelligence
The A18 chipset inside the iPhone 16e enablesApple Intelligence . This is a collection of AI skills , from text aids to picture creation , and it ’s a big deal . Well , it ’s a big deal for Apple – I am not yet convert it ’s a reason to buy a phone .
The good thing here is that the iPhone 16e is launching with the same Apple intelligence features as those usable on the iPhone 15 Pro , iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro . This is n’t a trim - down or abbreviated experience , and you do n’t have to wait for a computer software update .
Of of course , limitations still apply . Apple Intelligence is n’t available everywhere yet and not all the features announce at WWDC 2024 are available . The smart Siri , for instance , has been detain .
In its current form , Apple Intelligence is more of a nice extra than a terminated rethinking of iOS . It ’s distinctly a first - gen product , one that hopefully will improve over sentence .
There are a multiude of feature sitting under the Apple Intelligence umbrella . There are features that can rewrite your textual matter substance to vocalise more professional , condense email down into easy - to - compilation chunks and summarise notification . All these body of work alright , most of the time , however their usefulness will depend on your personal needs .
There ’s a uninfected Up feature in the Photos app that can move out unwanted aspect of a snap , like an errant stranger in the background knowledge . This works well if the object is extremely obvious and large . But it ’s nowhere nearly as subject as the same lineament on theSamsung Galaxy S25 .
you’re able to make your own emoji with the Genmoji tool – this is actually keen and a lot of fun – while Image Playground is an app that can make cartoon - style images free-base on your prompts . require a playful animated cartoon of your spouse wearing a scarf in a phantasy land ? Great , you ’re class .
My favorite piece of the Apple Intelligence pie is Visual Intelligence . This is accessed via the Action Button or a shortcut in the Control Center and rick your photographic camera into a search engine , with the help of ChatGPT . Point your iPhone at a food , plant or item you need to buy and it ’ll ascertain it . It can do tougher tasks too , like find out which film an role player is in just by looking at an image . you’re able to ask adopt - up questions too , and throughout my testing , it ’s mostly been accurate .
As I say , Apple Intelligence is n’t reason enough to upgrade – yet . However , it ’s big to have it available in its full form on the entry - floor iPhone 16 .
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Apple is great at assure headphone are supported for lengthy period of time , and with 8 GB of RAM there ’s promise the 16e will plunk up updates for a expert while .
Battery Life
The iPhone 16e is the undecomposed iPhone in one area . It ’s the longest - lasting 6.1 - inch iPhone you could corrupt , and that might be enough reason to stop reading this and just buy it .
You ’ll get a few more hours on a single charge compared to an iPhone 16 . In real terms , this equalise to finishing the day with 25 - 30 % rather than 15 - 20 % . The endurance here is more comparable , though notquiteas good , to the bigger iPhone 16 Plus , which is great .
The jump will be even bigger coming from an previous iPhone SE 3 , which did n’t have the best battery spirit to begin with .
There ’s a USB - degree Celsius port wine for tear . Getting rid of any exist iPhone with a Lightning port seems like an significant task and now that ’s been accomplish . You get a nicely braided USB - cytosine to USB - speed of light in the box , but no spark plug .
The 16e defend 20w charge – not the 30w of the iPhone 16 – and you ’ll get about 55 % charge in 30 minute . That ’s standard for an iPhone . There ’s radio bill at 7.5w , but that ’s best used for overnight juicing up , as I find it a niggling too deadening for use during the day .
Perhaps the strangest skip on the iPhone 16e is the deficiency of MagSafe . This is the magnetized charging tech that enables fast 15w wireless charging and adds a magnet inside the earpiece for break down it to accessories .
iPhones as far back as the iPhone 12 have all supported MagSafe , and if you ’re upgrading from that headphone , then you could have a incumbrance of supported accessory that are n’t of role here .
Should you buy it?
The iPhone 16e is missing features like a secondary camera , MagSafe , Camera Control and more . If none of these sound like they ’re crucial and just desire an iPhone for the camera , iMessage and apps then this is great pick .
The iPhone 16e only comes in one size of it – there ’s no plus model . Go for the iPhone 16 Plus if you need a swelled screenland .
Final Thoughts
The iPhone 16e is n’t an exciting iPhone . Does that weigh ? Not really . For those who need thebest iPhone , theiPhone 16 Prooffers flagship feature , and theiPhone 16is a stellar mid - compass pick .
If you ’re bemoan the want of an ultrawide photographic camera , MagSafe or the Dynamic Island then the iPhone 16e was n’t ever going to be for you . Spend the extra £ 200/$200 on the iPhone 16 – you wo n’t regret it .
But for someone come from the banged - up SE 3 or an iPhone 12 or 13 that feels antiquated with a Lightning embrasure and 12MP television camera , then this is a bang-up pick . Apple Intelligence has some handy features , the design is sturdy and the tv camera is seriously capable – if you’re able to do without the versatility of additional Lens .
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How we test
We try every mobile phone we go over exhaustively . We use industry - standard tests to compare features properly and we expend the headphone as our main equipment over the follow-up point . We ’ll always say you what we get hold and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
chance out more about how we try out in ourethics policy .
FAQs
Depending on the realm , the iPhone ’s SIM slot will differ . In the US , it ’s eSIM only with no one-armed bandit . In the UK , there is a SIM slot .
The iPhone 16e supports wireless charging up to upper of 7.5w .
No , there is no MagSafe or Qi 2 supporting here .
Test Data
Full Specs
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