Apple iPhone 16e is a great iPhone to buy at $600. With the Apple Intelligence, Apple A18 SoC, in-house C1 modem, and a 48-MP primary shooter, this iPhone is not for everyone! Let’s dive in to find out more about the iPhone 16e.
In this article
Overview | Specs | Design | Display | Shooters | Performance | Battery Life | Miscellaneous
Overview
Apple has been making budget iPhones with their latest SoCs incorporated into an older chassis since 2016. Previously, those iPhones were named as SEs, such as the iPhone SE (2016), iPhone SE 2 (2020), and iPhone SE 3 (2022). In 2025, Apple decided to leave SEs behind and add a budget model to the current iPhone lineup, the iPhone 16e.
Specs
Specs-wise, the iPhone 16e has a lot of similarities with the iPhone 14. It is like Apple took an iPhone 14, put the A18 SoC in it, changed the camera module, and renamed the entire package.
Specs | iPhone 14 | iPhone 16e |
---|---|---|
Release Date | September 2022 | February 2025 |
Dimension | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm |
Build | Glass front, glass back, and aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, and aluminum frame |
Display | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits, and 1,200 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 800 nits, and 1,200 nits (peak) |
Display Size | 6.1 inches, ~86.0% screen-to-body ratio, and ~460 ppi density | 6.1 inches, ~87.1% screen-to-body ratio, and ~457 ppi density |
SoC | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm), 2 x 3.23 GHz + 4 x 1.82 GHz | Apple A18 (3 nm), 2 x 4.04 GHz + 4 x 2.20 GHz |
Apple GPU | 5-core graphics | 4-core graphics |
Selfie Cam | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, PDAF | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, PDAF |
Battery Capacity | Li-Ion 3,279 mAh | Li-Ion 4,005 mAh |
[Source: GSMArena]
Apart from the above, the iPhone 16e has features that are exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup only, which make this iPhone unique and future-proof. Speaking of which, Apple Intelligence has a lot to offer on top of Siri.
Design
Design-wise, the iPhone 16e adopts the chassis of the iPhone 14. However, the camera module is redesigned with a single camera housing. The camera bump is reduced as well, like the iPhone 8. There is no MagSafe support. As a result, magnetic accessories cannot be used with this iPhone without a MagSafe case. No Dynamic Island. However, has a USB-C port.
Display
Being in the iPhone 16 family, the iPhone 16e does not have the exact same display as the iPhone 16 or the iPhone 16 Plus. This iPhone has a less bright display. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 offers better color accuracy and crispness when enjoying content. However, these differences are not noticeable while using the iPhone 16e regularly, apart from outdoor use cases.
Features | iPhone 16e | iPhone 16 |
---|---|---|
Display | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, 800 nits (HBM), and 1,200 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits (typ), and 2,000 nits (HBM) |
Size | 6.1 inches, 91.4 cm2 (~87.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 91.7 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~457 ppi density) | 1179 x 2556 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen) |
Shooters
Apple iPhone 16e comes with a 2-in-1 camera system. Apple is calling this 48 MP Fusion camera technology. This shooter features Hybrid Focus Pixels, super-high-resolution photos (24 MP and 48 MP), digital zoom of up to 10x, Smart HDR 5, Portrait Lighting with 6 effects, Panorama (up to 63 MP), and so on.
However, several features are missing as well with this 48 MP Fusion camera, such as cinematic mode, spatial videos, and macro photography. Due to having a smaller sensor, the image stabilization is not at all impressive, but you can live with it. Furthermore, the depth sensors are only able to generate average portrait photos. These are not noticeable, mostly.
The selfie shooter remains the same as the iPhone 16. Therefore, video calling and selfies are going to look great!
Performance
Under the hood, the iPhone 16e has an Apple A18 (3 nm) SoC. The entire iPhone 16 lineup has the same SoC; however, the catch is with the GPU. You see, the iPhone 16e came with a 4-core GPU. Apple last used a 4-core GPU in the iPhone 13 back in 2021. Coupled with the Apple A18 SoC, the only time a 4-core GPU will struggle breathing is when you are gaming intensely on your iPhone 16e. Other GPU-hungry tasks, such as editing a high-res video, may have frame drops at times. Otherwise, 8 GB RAM with up to 512 GB storage option is a decent deal considering the price being $600 only.
Battery life
Apple iPhone 16e comes with a decent 4,005 mAh battery. Per Apple, this should allow a total of 26 hours of video playback. In some cases, this iPhone may provide more battery life than the iPhone 16 due to the Apple A18 SoC, 4-core GPU, and Apple C1 modem.
Apple iPhone 16e can be charged 50% in 30 minutes with a 20-Watt wired charger using the USB-C port. The iPhone 16e does not come with MagSafe as mentioned. You need to buy a MagSafe case to use any magnetic accessories. Apart from that, there is 7.5-Watt wireless charging support along with 4.5-Watt reverse wireless charging support.
Miscellaneous
Interestingly, Apple incorporated the in-house-made C1 modem into the iPhone 16e. The power consumption is low with the connectivity services and seamless compared to other smartphones. Worth mentioning, this iPhone does not support UWB services; as a result, the precision finding of an AirTag is out of question. Apart from that, the iPhone 16e has the older Wi-Fi 6, which should be ok for now.
Who Should Buy This iPhone?
Well, the Apple iPhone 16e is not for everyone. Apple made this phone targeting people who are new to iPhones or coming from the iPhone 12 series or previous models. Also, if you need a secondary phone and prefer an iPhone for that, you can consider one of these. By the way, the iPhone 16e comes only in 2 colors: Matt Black and Matt White.
Furthermore, this iPhone is a good option for people who are not into photography. Good battery life, decent screen, and Apple Intelligence make this iPhone a potential pick for students and older people. If you are a moderate to heavy user and do not care about the latest SoC, you are able to get a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro at the same $600 price point.
Wrapping up
Apple iPhone 16e is a great budget iPhone for people who are coming from the iPhone 12 or the iPhone 13. Also, students and older people can pick an iPhone 16e as their daily driver. Even though you can buy an iPhone 15 Pro for $600, you will not be getting a brand new and the latest iPhone on your desk!
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