The iPhone SE was a super popular phone for those that didn’t want the latest and greatest, and it was the only way to get the home button on an iPhone. That isn’t the case anymore, with Apple going with a brand new approach with its entry level iPhone this time around in the iPhone 16e which does a really good job at tying itself into the rest of the iPhone 16 line-up, without a few of the bells and whistles.
The iPhone 16e looks fairly similar to the standard 16 at first sight, but there’s a few key differences. It has a matte back and only comes in two colours (black/white) and because it only has one camera, the design looks a lot more simplistic, and I felt almost nostalgic using it – it’s a really nicely designed phone and really lets the minimalist design of the iPhone shine through.
It has a 6.1-inch display with a Super Retina XDR HDR display that is capable of 1,200 nits of peak brightness, which doesn’t quite reach the heights of the iPhone 16, but it’s still a really damn great display that is extremely vibrant and colour accurate.
It does have a 60hz display which I’m sure most people won’t notice, so I don’t personally have an issue with it for the intended audience, but there are a lot of phones in 2025 that come in at a much lower price bracket and do offer a 120hz refresh rate.
@shannongrixti The iPhone 16e is a big improvement from the iPhone SE and a fantastic addition to the iPhone 16 family #iPhone16e #iPhone16 #iPhone #Apple #SmartPhone #Tech #Gaming
The biggest difference, and it’s sure to be a shock for a lot of people is the loss of the home button. The 16e features the notch and with it comes FaceID. Whilst this will obviously be a little bit different for those that only have had a home button, I really think it’s something almost anyone would get used to quite quickly, and ultimately it is a good improvement.
Another major change is that there is no MagSafe (only standard wireless charging) which is a little bit surprising given it’s been on the iPhone for many years now. It’s not something I can see being a dealbreaker for most, but it is a weird one given how many MagSafe accessories there are in the market and what an important part of the Apple ecosystem it has become. It’s also just a fantastic way to keep your phone charged, or attached to accessories.
You do also get the Action Button (no camera control), which can act as your silent button by default, but can also be programmed to almost anything. For instance I’ve got it set to open our front gate which I honestly couldn’t live without now.
Probably the biggest thing that comes with the iPhone 16e is the battery life, thanks to a new C1 Wi-Fi chip, it has a battery life of up to 26 hours which is a 12 hour improvement on the iPhone SE and the best battery life for any 6.1-inch iPhone yet. I was really impressed with how this phone continued to just last and last and last. The 16e also has USB-C charging marking iPhone’s full transition to USB-C in its phone line-up.
The biggest reason why I’m sure Apple wanted to transition to an iPhone 16e was their big push of Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 16e has the A18 chip that is found in the base iPhone 16, which means it’s capable of all of the Apple Intelligence features including the brand new Chat GPT with Siri, Genmoji to make your own emojis, Image Playground and all of the new great notification summary features.
One that I can really see people using (when I think of beginner iPhone users) is Clean Up. This is a great feature where you can just tap or scrub on an image and have it dissapear out of the phone. It’s super easy to use, and it’s a genuine game-changer for those that might not know how to use Photoshop.
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The A18 is an incredibly capable chip. I was able to play the likes of Death Stranding or Assassin’s Creed Mirage and have them run fairly similarly to. how they do on the iPhone 16 Pro (despite there being less cores here), and they’re more than playable.
When it comes to the camera, you’ve got a 1-in-1 camera system with a 48MP fusion camera which allows for a standard 1x shot and also a 2x telephoto shot that uses the middle portion of the lens.
Again, there’s a lot more on offer in other phones at a much lesser price range, but the simplicity of the iPhone pairs perfectly with this iPhone, and I almost appreciated the simplicity of having a more simple camera system that allows me to think about my positioning and distance rather than just using the differing zooms.
The iPhone 16e isn’t the best value for money on the phone on the market on paper, but it is a really good option for most people who want to stay in the iPhone ecosystem, but have the latest features (or at least the ones that they know and care about). It’s a big improvement on the iPhone SE, and I do hope that this remains a part of the iPhone line-up going forward.
Conclusion
The iPhone 16e is a great addition to the iPhone 16 family. It provides a significant improvement from the iPhone SE and incorporates a more modern design and high-end features like Apple Intelligence with an incredible battery life to match.
Positives
Big Improvement On The SE
Fantastic Battery Life
Apple Intelligence Support
Action Button Is Still Great
Negatives
No MagSafe
60hz Does Feel Outdated
