Apple iPhone 16e review — good but compromised

There came a point when I realized that flagship phones were overrated. This was the time when carriers moved away from subsidized phone prices and the best phones were finally cracking that $1,000 threshold. This is why I ended up buying the original iPhone SE, which proved to me that you can still get an excellent phone at a fraction of the price.

Now, however, Apple has effectively retired the SE series with the announcement of the iPhone 16e. As much as I would prefer having a true successor to the iPhone SE 2022, I’m reminded that the iPhone 16e has more in common with the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. The new model is certainly a huge step up over the last iPhone SE, but Apple's making it harder than ever to decide whether to opt for the cheaper iPhone 16e or pay up for the iPhone 16.

In my iPhone 16e review, I’ll tell you exactly what advantages and disadvantages this model offers over the iPhone 16 for $200 less. On top of that, I’ll also show you how the iPhone 16e compares against the best cheap phone on the market right now in the Pixel 8a, which costs $100 less than Apple's midrange handset.

Apple iPhone 16e | BUY or SKIP?! - YouTube

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Apple iPhone 16e review: Specifications

Apple iPhone 16e review: Price and availability

I’ll be frank: I’m not a fan of how the cheapest iPhone now costs $599. That’s $170 more than the iPhone SE 2022's $429 starting price, but $200 less than the iPhone 16. Apple’s lineup now consists of the $599 iPhone 16e, $799 iPhone 16, $999 iPhone 16 Pro, and $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max. There’s now less of a gap between the cheapest iPhone and the iPhone 16.

Preorders for the iPhone 16e are available right now, with general availability starting on February 28. One upgrade I’m happy to see over the iPhone SE 2022 is that Apple gives the $599 iPhone 16e double the storage capacity at 128GB, but it’s also available in 256GB and 512GB capacities for $699 and $899 respectively.

There’s only two colors available at launch, black or white, so I hope Apple introduces another option at some point just like the iPhone SE 2022.

Save $630

Apple iPhone 16e: at Apple

iPhone 16e preorder: up to $630 off w/ trade-in @ Apple
Priced at $599, the iPhone 16e is Apple's new budget iPhone. Although it's pricier than the $429 iPhone SE (2022), the iPhone 16e packs a stronger punch. You get a larger 6.1-inch OLED display (2532 x 1170), A18 CPU, 128GB of storage, 12MP (f/1.9) front camera, and a 48MP rear camera with 2x in-sensor zoom (f/1.6). Additionally, the iPhone 16e supports Apple Intelligence. Trade in your old iPhone, and you can get up to $630 off.

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Apple iPhone 16e review: Design

With the increase in price comes a much more modern-looking phone than the iPhone SE 2022. Sure, I would still love a smaller sized device to add a little variety to Apple’s lineup, but the aluminum frame makes the iPhone 16e feel solidly constructed and not as fragile as the glass covered construction of the iPhone SE 2022.

The design isn’t too far off from the iPhone 16, but Apple manages to trim a little more of the fat by making the iPhone 16e slightly shorter and lighter. There’s also the matte finish of the aluminum frame, which does a nice job of repelling fingerprints and smudges. I’d still recommend putting a case on the iPhone 16e because it’s prone to superficial scratches.

And just like the current iPhone 16 design language, the iPhone 16e features a flat bezel all around the phone and rounded corners while also featuring an IP68 rating. Honestly, the cheaper model could pass for the iPhone 16 because it also includes a USB-C port and Action button. That said, the iPhone 16e lacks the Camera Control button, has a wider notch with the display and sports a single rear camera.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Display

The increase in overall size over the iPhone SE 2022 allows for a much larger 6.1-inch OLED display with the iPhone 16e. There’s just no comparing the two side-by-side because everything about the OLED panel on this new phone is much improved over the LCD screen on its predecessor.

Visually, the striking colors and wide viewing angles of the iPhone 16e display are marked improvements over the iPhone SE 2022's LCD panel. The new screen is also much brighter with a peak brightness output of 1,028 nits, making it much more suitable to view outdoors than the 596-nit mark of the iPhone SE 2022. I pulled up a 4K HDR video on both phones and the difference iwass noticeable right away, as the iPhone 16e display offered better contrast, colors, and visibility.

Another change over the previous iPhone SE is that it adopts Face ID instead of Touch ID, resulting in a notch near the top of the display. While it’s nice that I can quickly glance at the phone to unlock it, the one thing missing with the iPhone 16e is the Dynamic Island found on the iPhone 16. I’ve come to rely on that feature a lot with my iPhone 16 Pro Max, so it’s hard going back to not having a Dynamic Island — or even access to Live Activities with some apps I use. There’s a trade-off here for sure, but it’s not a dealbreaker in my opinion.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Camera

I asked the question if a single camera can still work in 2025. This is without a doubt the biggest controversy around the iPhone 16e because many of its closest rivals, like the Pixel 8a, offer dual camera systems that pair a main camera with an ultrawide lens. In rare instances even, you’ll find triple camera systems — like those on the OnePlus 13R and Galaxy S24 FE, which both tack on a dedicated telephoto camera.

First of all, the 48MP fusion camera of the iPhone 16e is a tremendous upgrade over the 12MP one in the iPhone SE 2022. Much like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, Apple markets this new camera as a 2-in-1 system because of how it’s supposed to offer 2x zoom with optical-like quality. From a specs standpoint, this all bodes well for the iPhone 16e, but it needs to convince me it’s at least on par with the Pixel 8a and how it differs from the 48MP main shooter of the pricier iPhone 16.

Seriously, the iPhone 16e camera exceeds all of my expectations. Here’s why.

Starting off with snapshots above down by the beach against the Pixel 8a, I’m drawn to the slightly stronger dynamic range performance of the iPhone 16e because it captures the brighter, overall picture. The shadows, in particular, are better exposed with the iPhone 16e and result in the areas underneath the wooden ramp to be more visible.

Against the much older iPhone SE 2022, the richer color tones of the bruschetta pop out a lot more with the iPhone 16e’s shot. They’re richer and more vibrant looking than the toned down colors of the iPhone SE 2022.

It appears that the 12MP selfie camera of the iPhone 16e is no different from the one in the iPhone 16, evident in the selfies I captured of myself above. From my facial features to the texture of my hoodie and strap, both images look identical — including the exposure in the highlights and shadows. The only minor difference is how the iPhone 16e saturates my skin tone by just a teeny bit.

However, I prefer how the iPhone 16 handles portrait photos because of how it does a better job at blurring out the background more. The shots I took of my colleague above look sharp, but it’s the background blur of the iPhone 16 that makes it stand out more.

Next up, I want to show how the iPhone 16e handles zooming compared to the iPhone 16. Both phones lack dedicated telephoto cameras, so zooming all depends on the main camera. At 2x zoom, the differences are marginal — detail capture is identical with the wooden post. I can make out the wood grain and details around the sign and post with both shots, but the iPhone 16e casts a much more noticeable warm tone that causes a little bit of distortion — like how the posts next to the sign appear greenish.

Against the Pixel 8a, which also leans on its 64MP main camera for all zoom shots, the iPhone 16e captures more definition with the yellow emblem in the shots above. I can also make out more of the wooden textures with the iPhone 16e’s shot.

The iPhone SE 2022’s camera was never good at dealing with low light, but the iPhone 16e is better equipped for the situation. Not only is it better than Night Sight mode with the Pixel 8a, it matches the iPhone 16’s performance too. In the near pitch dark setting of my backyard, the iPhone 16 and 16e brilliantly expose the tree, but I like how the iPhone 16e has better contrast that results in more definition around the tree’s branches.

It’s also a close call with high-contrast nighttime scenes. At first glance, it appears that both the iPhone 16 and 16e shots above are exposed identically, but the iPhone 16 tones down the highlights by a smidge with some of the lighted signs in the far background.

Overall, I’m beyond impressed by what this single 48MP camera can capture. It’s better than the Pixel 8a in just about every way, but I’m shocked to see that it’s very similar to the iPhone 16. The only downside to the iPhone 16e is that it lacks the utility that I get with the iPhone 16. With that second camera, I can better take ultrawide photos for landscapes and group photos. The standard iPhone 16 also provides me with more video modes that I rely on — like Cinematic Mode and Action mode

iPhone 16 sample video: 4K, 30fps - YouTube

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iPhone 16e sample video: 4K, 30fps - YouTube

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On the video recording side, the iPhone 16e tops out at 4K 60fps recording just like the iPhone 16. Furthermore, it offers the same slow motion mode as well with capture at 1080p 240fps. Knowing how the photo samples I've taken with the iPhone 16 and 16e came out, I'm not surprised by how 4K video recording is identical too. It matches it in just about every area, from the amount of detail it captures, to dynamic range, and even the stabilization.

iPhone 16e sample video: Without audio mix - YouTube

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iPhone 16e sample video: Audio mix - YouTube

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And even though it’s not perfect from what I’ve tested, the iPhone 16e also supports the same Audio Mix feature to fine tune the audio in recorded videos to my liking. I'm able to remove the background noise from the video I shot above, but then my voice sounds a bit distorted. It's not perfect, but usable for most cases.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Performance

The iPhone 16e packs the same A18 chip found in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which consists of a 6-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. Geekbench scores reveal CPU performance is identical to the iPhone 16, as the iPhone 16e pulls in single and multi-core scores of 3,328 and 8,132 respectively.

I don’t see much of a difference in day-to-day use, like sending emails, scrolling my favorite sites, and watching YouTube clips, but I do notice that the scrolling can sometimes look slightly choppier. The iPhone 16e still has a 60Hz display, which continues to be a bummer for any phone in this price range.

However, GPU performance tests show that the iPhone 16e underperforms what the iPhone 16 offers — but only by a little. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Original Unlimited test, the 16e puts up an average frame rate of 71.27 fps, whereas the iPhone 16 achieves a smoother 98.23 fps. This makes sense given how the iPhone 16e features a 4-core GPU, while there’s five cores with the iPhone 16.

In reality, however, I don’t see a huge impact to the iPhone 16e's graphics processing performance, as I played several rounds of Asphalt Legends without issue. Not only were the frame rates buttery smooth, but the iPhone 16e also handled lighting effects with ease.

And finally, you should know that the iPhone 16e is the first device in Apple's portfolio to feature the company's in-house C1 modem. It’s a departure from the Qualcomm modem that Apple’s relied on for years now, but it’s difficult to say if it ultimately delivers faster 5G speeds. I ran speed tests on both the iPhone 16 and 16e at three different locations in New York City, with only one test showing faster speeds with the iPhone 16e.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Battery and charging

I’m fully aware about the power efficiency of the A18 chip, but Apple makes a bold claim that the iPhone 16e has the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone. In running Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test, the iPhone 16e puts up an average time of 12 hours and 41 minutes. That’s only a couple of minutes shorter than the iPhone 16’s average of 12 hours and 43 minutes. However, the best times recorded on both phones are 12 hours and 49 minutes for the iPhone 16e, and 13 hours and 19 minutes with the iPhone 16.

I’m actually surprised by this because I was hoping for battery life to be much longer given the efficiency of Apple’s new C1 modem. This plays a critical role in our testing because the phone’s display is set to 150 nits and runs a script that simulates normal web surfing over cellular until the battery’s depleted. Yet, the iPhone 16e's result comes up a little short.

Another compromise you need to be reminded about with the iPhone 16e is that it lacks MagSafe wireless charging. The phone still offers your standard Qi wireless charging at the slower 7.5W speed, so I’m not terribly too bummed about the lack of MagSafe — more so when I usually get a case that has the magnets necessary for MagSafe.

Through its new USB-C port, which effectively retires Apple’s Lightning port, the iPhone 16e manages to get to 32% capacity after 15 minutes of charging. After 30 minutes, I got it to reach 57%. While that's not the fastest times I’ve seen clocked by a phone, it’s just as good as the iPhone 16’s charging speeds.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Software

If you’re used to any of the past iPhone SE models, then you’re going to need a little time getting acquainted with the iOS 18.3 experience of the iPhone 16e. Since Touch ID is gone, you’ll need to train yourself to get into the habit of using all of the swipe gestures to get back to the home screen and access the Control Center. There’s also the Action Button on the side of the phone, which can be programmed to perform simple to complex actions, all of which can be customized. Since the iPhone 16e doesn’t have a Camera Control button, I’ve programmed the Action button to launch Visual Intelligence, an Apple Intelligence feature that's exclusive to iPhone 16 models like this one.

Apart from that, there’s nothing functionally or visually different about the iPhone 16e’s experience from the rest of Apple's lineup. There’s plenty of customization with the home screen, much like Android, since there are resizable widgets, customizable icons, and more. I’m not going to go into great detail about every aspect of the software because our iOS 18 review covers them — like iOS 18’s ability to secure apps by requiring a Face ID unlock or the ability to schedule text messages.

The other thing missing here is having the convenience of the Dynamic Island, which is available in all the other devices in the iPhone 16 lineup. I personally find a lot of value in it because it offers a more discreet way of interacting with notifications and apps. And without MagSafe support, you don’t get the same quick convenience of accessing StandBy Mode while the phone’s charging in landscape mode.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Apple Intelligence

Prior to the iPhone 16e's launch, I didn’t know how Apple was going to handle Apple Intelligence with this model. But thankfully, the company provides access to all those AI features.

The iPhone 16e has helpful tools such as Writing Tools, notification summaries, Image Playground, Genmoji, Photo Clean Up, Visual Intelligence, enhanced Siri, ChatGPT integration, and more. This is a big deal because of how Apple Intelligence amplifies the experience by streamlining tedious tasks.

I’ve tested many of these AI features myself, with some being more helpful to my workflow than others, but the fact that the iPhone 16e has access to the full breadth of Apple Intelligence features adds value to the phone. And it’ll only get better with subsequent updates that will introduce even more, like cross app actions and personal context with the rollout of iOS 18.4, currently available as a beta.

Do I think Apple’s AI features are any better than rivals offerings such as Galaxy AI or Google’s AI? I don’t feel like it is at the current moment with the iPhone 16e, but my sentiments could change as new features become available. Either way, it’s worth pointing out how the cheapest new iPhone gets the same tools as the most expensive ones — rather than taking the approach of limiting access based on price.

Apple iPhone 16e review: Verdict

I bought the original iPhone SE because it offered top-notch performance at a fraction of the cost of Apple's flagship. You still get outstanding performance out of the iPhone 16e, but now it costs more to own the cheapest iPhone — and the decision is made tougher knowing that the iPhone 16 offers extra utility for just $200 more.

Obviously, everything about the iPhone 16e is much improved over the iPhone SE 2022, but I don’t want to refer to this new model as a value phone because it’s not. This is why I think of the iPhone 16e as a new breed of iPhone because it takes some of the best parts about a modern iPhone, offering them at slightly lower cost.

If you’re willing to settle for those missing features — namely MagSafe, Dynamic Island, ultrawide camera, and all the extra video features — the iPhone 16e is an excellent choice.

I would personally spend the extra $200 for the iPhone 16, but if your budget’s tight, then go with the iPhone 16e because of its sweet camera performance and Apple Intelligence features.

More from Tom's Guide

• I was really excited about the iPhone 16e, but not anymore — here's why I won't be upgrading
• iOS 18.4 — all the new features and improvements coming to your iPhone
• iPhone 17 leaker just revealed renders of all four models — here's the new designs