The iPhone SE is dead, long live the iPhone e! Okay, this may be an unfortunate development for some of you as the SE was the smallest iPhone and it was by far the cheapest. What now?
The Apple iPhone 16e is the same size as the 16 and it is almost as expensive – it starts at $600/€700/£600/₹60,000 for a 128GB model. There are 256GB and 512GB options too, but those storage upgrades follow the same pattern as upgrades on Apple’s more premium phones. Pre-orders for the 16e started this Friday, sales will commence on Friday next week.
Long story short, the 16e has a binned A18 chipset (with one GPU core less) but it fully supports Apple Intelligence. It also has the 48MP main camera of the iPhone 15 and 16, though without the ultra-wide companion. The display is an old-school setup with a 6.1” OLED panel running at 60Hz and a big, chunky notch for Face ID (Touch ID is no more). There’s an Action button (but not the Camera Control) on the side, no alert slider. Also note that while wireless charging is supported (Qi, 7.5W), MagSafe is not – this means no easy to attach chargers, phone holders and accessories.
You could get the iPhone 16 – it costs $200 more for the same 128GB storage, but you get the more modern Dynamic Island look (it’s still a 60Hz display, though), a 12MP ultra-wide camera on the back, proper MagSafe support, as well as UWB for smart tags (the 16e lacks UWB, but supports satellite messaging). We tried looking for refurbished iPhone 16 deals, but there’s nothing good at the moment.
Apple still sells the iPhone 15 too – that’s the first “modern” vanilla model. By “modern” we mean USB-C charging, a Dynamic Island and a 48MP camera with in-sensor 2x zoom. This model uses the old A16 non-Pro chipset, so it won’t get Apple Intelligence (major omission or “who cares?”, you decide). MagSafe and UWB are supported.
The iPhone 15 is available brand new from Apple for $100 more than the 16e (both 128GB). This older model has better availability of refurbished units and we found a “renewed premium” offer on Amazon for $530 – $70 less than a new 16e.
But why a vanilla 15, why not the iPhone 15 Pro? Those are no longer sold by Apple, but there are refurbished units in great condition out there. Like this 128GB “renewed premium” offer for $685. With the Pro you get a 120Hz display with a Dynamic Island, not just 48MP main but also a 12MP 77mm telephoto and a 12MP ultra-wide cameras. And the Apple A17 Pro chipset fully supports Apple’s AI – including Visual Intelligence AI.
The iPhone SE (2022) was discontinued by Apple. It can’t be sold in some markets anymore (it has a Lightning port instead of USB-C), but the US is not one of those markets. Still, you can’t pick one up from Apple.com.
But you can have a “renewed premium” unit for $195, if you settle for 64GB storage. The SE is smaller than the 16e (138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm, 144g vs. 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm, 167g), but it is also noticeably less capable. Still, if you want a cheap iPhone, this is as cheap as it gets.
We called the iPhone 15 the first “modern” vanilla model because the 14 lacks several upgrades that are now standard on current iPhones. But the iPhone 14 Pro is mostly there – as long as you don’t mind having to use Lightning cables.
The iPhone 14 Pro has a 120Hz Dynamic Island display, a 48MP main, 12MP 77mm telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide cameras, UWB and MagSafe too, though no Apple Intelligence. A “renewed premium” unit is $100 less than a 15 Pro in similar condition.
If you’re not tied to the Apple ecosystem, you can explore Android too. The Google Pixel 9 is currently $650 for a 128GB unit. It’s a bit pricier, but it comes with a 120Hz display (punch hole), a 50MP main camera and an ultra-wide module – a 48MP one at that. There’s no UWB on this one and the wireless charging is done without magnets, but satellite messaging is supported as is Google’s quickly developing AI offerings.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 is $800 and comes with a $100 Amazon gift card. It is about the same size as the 16e, but with a 120Hz LTPO display with a punch hole camera. It supports Galaxy AI, but no UWB or satellite messaging, no magnets either. The camera system has a 50MP main, 10MP 67mm telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide.
You can even get a foldable for the price of a 16e – the Motorola razr+ 2024 flaunts a flip design with a 6.9” 120Hz LTPO inner display and a 4” cover display, a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and a 50+50MP camera (main plus 47mm telephoto). No, no magnets here either (or UWB or satellite messaging).
Okay, we’ve mentioned MagSafe several times now. It’s possible that magnets can be added with a case (that’s the route that Qi 2.1 went for), but the official Apple cases are simple silicone cases. They go for $40 each.
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