persuasion : The iPhone SE was arguablythemost gainsay product to recommend in Apple ’s ironware lineup ; it featured an superannuated design with equally antediluvian computer hardware , specially in comparability to the mid - range Android competition .
That lastly alter this week with the long - expect unveiling of theiPhone 16e .
Despite its name , the iPhone 16e is a spiritual successor to theiPhone SE ( 2022 ) , representing Apple ’s unexampled entry - stratum compass point into the Io ecosystem . Apple sorely needs this , considering the cheapestiPhone 16costs a not - insignificant £ 799/$799 .
However , the iPhone 16e is n’t quite as low-priced . It costs a cool £ 599/$599 , a £ 170/$170 increment over the £ 429/$429 iPhone SE .
Granted , the new iPhone 16e bid a whole lot morephone . It ditches the aged design and accompanying computer hardware of the iPhone SE and sportsman ironware much more redolent of late iPhone sacking . It also offers a hike in battery life compared to the SE , and with ( almost ) the same A18 chip shot as the iPhone 16 , it offer Apple Intelligence smarts .
Small omissions can make a big impact
However , the iPhone 16e is n’t quite up to the standard of the iPhone 16 in all department . It sport a 6.1 - column inch OLED screen with thicker bezel and the sr. Face ID notch in place ofDynamic Island , and there ’s only a single photographic camera on the rear , though it is an upgraded 48MP snapper .
In fact , when you look a little bit deeper at the iPhone 16e , you take in that there ’s quite a bit of tech missing compared to the regular iPhone 16 .
by from obvious differences like those mentioned above , there are modest omissions that can really touch the Io experience . The most noted is the deficiency of support for Apple ’s hugely popularMagSafe technology . consider it has been a staple fibre since theiPhone 12 , spawning amassiveaccessory market that now even attracts Android users , I ’m quite surprised by this .
It might not seem like a Brobdingnagian thing on the aerofoil , but given the prevalence of MagSafe accessory in various shapes and form , you ’re missing out on one ofthekey reasons to get an iPhone .
Those in the US may also lament the loss of the much fast mmWave 5 G connectivity , which some have speculated could be due to the use ofApple ’s own C1 modem – the first iPhone to do so . As a result , the iPhone also supports the more or less older Wi - Fi 6 alternatively of Wi - Fi 7 .
Even the A18 chipset is n’t the exact same as that of the iPhone 16 . It has one few GPU inwardness , which will in all probability translate to slightly weak graphics public presentation than the flagship when playing games .
You also miss out on the newCamera Control button , which controls various element in the Camera app , video shooting manner like Cinematic Mode and Action Mode ( despite hold the ironware to enable these features ) , and more .
Even the colour options are relatively boring compared to the vibrant iPhone 16 options , available in either inglorious or white .
A much better iPhone for not that much more cash
These deletion might ’ve been forgivable at the iPhone SE ’s £ 429/$429 price point , but at £ 599/$599 , they ’re much concentrated to justify – especially when you consider the price of the iPhone 16 .
It might begin at £ 799/$799 , a whole £ 200/$200 more than the 16e , but we ’ve already seen the Leontyne Price of the iPhone 16 fall . It’savailable for £ 749 at Amazon UKat the time of writing , for example .
That ’s just £ 150 more . An extra £ 150 would not only net you a better concealment with Dynamic Island applied science , but also provide an additional television camera with more shot modal value , a degraded processor , Camera Control technology , mmWave 5 G ( in the US ) , and , of course of study , MagSafe connectivity .
For all but the most financially constrained among us , that ’s an acclivity I would easily recommend .
Refurbished iPhones are the final nails in the iPhone 16e’s coffin
And , if you bring refurbished iPhones into the conversation , it gets even more complicated . Take theiPhone 15 Profor model ; you could nibble up anAmazon - renovate modelfor £ 649.95 at the time of piece of writing .
That ’s just £ 50 more than the iPhone 16e and you ’ll not only get Dynamic Island support , MagSafe and all the feature mentioned above , but also an upgraded titanium finish , extra 12MP ultrawide and 12MP 3x telephoto crystalline lens and a tops - smooth 120Hz refresh pace .
It does n’t have the A18 chipset , but the A17 Pro is still massively open and is powerful enough to provide support for Apple Intelligence .
So , while the iPhone 16e is a fantastic upgrade to its phantasmal herald , the iPhone SE 3 , it ’s just a little bittooexpensive to be an easy testimonial .
For more on Apple ’s former , see our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16e and our look at why theiPhone 16 is idle , now the 16e is here .