With the iPhone 16e, Apple has introduced a new addition to its smartphone lineup—and it’s the cheapest model in the latest range. But to hit that lower price point, Apple had to cut a few corners. While you still get useful features like Face ID, some other options didn’t make the cut. So, if you’re thinking about upgrading, ask yourself: Which features really matter to you? The 16e might check all your boxes—or you could find it’s missing something you can’t live without.
iPhone 16e: Here’s Where Apple Cut Costs
While Apple has given the iPhone 16e a reasonably up-to-date design, a look at the direct comparison quickly reveals some points that could cause frustration when deciding. The notch and Dynamic Island are primarily an external difference. Even if live activities look more attractive in the small pill in the display. In everyday life, however, the lack of MagSafe is likely to be more annoying for you.
The reduction to Qi means that wireless charging is only possible with a maximum of 7.5 watts. At the same time, Apple has not integrated any magnets into the iPhone 16e. So you will have to rely on third-party providers who will hopefully sell you cases with the small magnetic ring. Only then will you be able to use magnetic accessories that allow you to conveniently mount it in your car, for example.
However, fast charging with up to 25 watts—as with the regular iPhone 16 (review) or iPhone 16 Pro (review)—is not possible.
Another change, which you will mainly find on the back, is the available colors. The iPhone 16e is only available in black and white. Apple no longer offers a red casing, which you were last able to choose with the iPhone SE (2022).
According to Apple’s overview, there are also differences in the display between the iPhone 16e and its more expensive siblings. The “maximum typical brightness” in the new smartphone is only 800 nits. The more expensive models achieve 1,000 nits.
The situation is similar when looking at the HDR properties. The iPhone 16e achieves a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, while its two siblings achieve 1,600 nits. Apple does not provide any information on the peak brightness outdoors or the minimum brightness of the latest phone.
The iPhone 16e’s Camera Drawbacks
When looking at the camera features of the iPhone 16e, it also quickly becomes clear that you will have to live with compromises: It only has one sensor on the back. There is no separate wide-angle and telephoto camera. This means that macro shots or spatial photos or videos are not possible.
The portrait mode only allows depth control. iPhone 16 and 16 Pro offer you additional focus control here. The same applies to action and cinema mode, which are missing in the iPhone 16e. Videos in ProRes format or with Log are also not possible.
Missing Features: What’s Inside (and What’s Not)
However, there are still many features that you may consider to be minor details. For example, the iPhone 16e lacks the ultra-wideband chip. This is useful, for example, with the “Where is?” network and allows precise location of AirTags. In the smart home sector, the lack of support for Thread networks could lead to possible limitations in the future.
Looking to the somewhat nearer future, Apple’s decision regarding Wi-Fi standards is likely to hurt. While the 16 and 16 Pro support Wi-Fi 7 and 6E, the iPhone 16e stops at Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6E and 7 have the advantage that devices can transmit in the 6 GHz band, which allows for much faster connections, among other things.
Another change can be found in the built-in A18 chip. This has to make do with fewer GPU cores in the iPhone 16e. Instead of a 5- or 6-core GPU, only 4 cores are active in the new smartphone. Graphics-intensive apps and games could therefore be somewhat slower.
The first in-house modem from Apple, known as C1 for short, is still a big question mark. We will have to wait for tests to show us how the performance compares to Qualcomm’s solutions. However, Apple has already stated that functions such as DC-HSDPA are missing. Furthermore, mmWave is not part of the iPhone 16e in the USA, for example.
What Makes the iPhone 16e Special
Nevertheless, Apple has given its new smartphone a special feature. The iPhone 16e does not have a camera control, i.e. the separate button next to the side button. However, the action button on the other side of the casing allows you to use visual intelligence, a feature of Apple Intelligence. For example, you can point your camera at a poster to extract appointments from the image and save them in your own calendar.
This puts the iPhone 16e slightly ahead of the old 15 Pro (review) and 15 Pro Max (review). These smartphones from 2023 also only have the action button, but have so far had to do without visual intelligence. It is unclear whether Apple will release a software update in the future to add this option to the old models.
Due to the lack of some features in combination with the power-saving C1 chip, the iPhone 16e has another trick up its sleeve. It offers a longer battery life than the iPhone 16. According to Apple, the new phone now offers up to 26 hours of video playback instead of 22. However, it cannot keep up with the Pro model. According to Apple, these last between 27 and 33 hours.
