I shot over 200 photos with the iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16 — here’s the winner

I’m not sure how you feel about having just a single camera on a phone, it just doesn’t feel right in 2025. Yet, that’s exactly what you get with the iPhone 16e — which technically is the cheapest new iPhone you can buy, being the spiritual successor to the iPhone SE 2022.

That’s why I put the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 through my usual 200-photo shootout, to see which is the superior best camera phone contender. In my iPhone 16e review, I call out the night and day performance of its camera over the iPhone SE 2022. However, it’s missing that extra utility of an ultrawide camera.

That’s important to know because I say in my iPhone 16 review how its upgraded ultrawide camera finally gives it a proper macro mode to get even closer to subjects. Plus, it does add more detail and definition versus the prior iPhone 15.

Just as a refresher, the iPhone 16e packs a 48MP main camera. In contrast, the iPhone 16 pairs a similar 48MP main camera with a 12MP ultrawide. Additionally, both phones feature 12MP TrueDepth selfie cameras.

Like all of my previous 200 photo shootouts, I take both phones with me to shoot the same set images in automatic mode. I keep it this way because I want to show you what the quality is like if you’re just casually shooting. Later on, I take a look at their side-by-side comparisons on a monitor to see their differences.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: Daytime

Image 1 of 14

There’s barely any difference in any of the daytime shots I captured above. Take for instance the first set of the buildings nearby Bryant Park. When I zoom in, I can see how both the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 capture the same level of detail — like the individual bricks all around the building.

Likewise, they cast the same exposure with the billboard of ‘A Minecraft Move’ down by Times Square. Considering the $200 spread between the cost of the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16, you’re clearly getting an excellent bang-for-the-buck deal with the iPhone 16e.

Winner: tie

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: dynamic range

Image 1 of 18

In high-contrast scenes like the first set of shots down by Times Square, there’s a mixture of strong lighting — which is ideal for uncovering the dynamic range performance of a phone. Both phones deliver excellent contrast that capture my eyes, but I can see that the iPhone 16 slightly exposes the shadows a bit better. It’s not by much, but enough to take notice in most of the other shots.

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: colors

Image 1 of 12

With the fresh produce all on the shelves at Whole Foods, it appears as though they produce similar colors. In fact, I can’t find much difference between them — including the rest of the shots I captured. I will say that there’s a little bit of saturation applied, especially with the red peppers along the top right shelf. It’s a bit much in my opinion, but the amount of saturation appears similar.

Winner: tie

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: low light

Image 1 of 22

I suspected that low light performance would be similar due to how they share the same main camera, but it’s absolutely clear that the iPhone 16 performs much better. This is the only category with an overwhelming winner.

Take the first set of nighttime photos of the tree in my backyard, which has minimal ambient lighting. While I’m still impressed by how well the iPhone 16e boosts the exposure of the shot to draw out the details of the tree and branches, the iPhone 16 simply does it better. It’s the same story for all the rest of the low light photos I captured.

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: macro

Image 1 of 18

The iPhone 16’s ultrawide camera allows it to capture proper macro photos, which consistently lets me get closer to what I’m shooting than the iPhone 16e. As a result, it’s better able to draw out the finer details in the buds around the flower in the first set of shots. I think the iPhone 16e does a pretty good job capturing the same image, but due to how it can’t get as close, details like the fine hairs around the flower buds don’t have nearly the same amount of definition.

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: panorama

Image 1 of 16

The panoramas I captured of the beach dunes look amazing and show off how both iPhones deal with the exposure. Between them, the iPhone 16 keeps it more consistent — especially towards the right side of the shot. They both have a little trouble neutralizing the setting sun, but the iPhone 16e has a slight over-exposure around that area. Beyond that, the colors and clarity of the beach dunes look outstanding between the two.

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: portrait

Image 1 of 8

For a phone that only relies on a single camera to capture portrait photos, I have to say the iPhone 16e does an amazing job. My colleague above has a fair amount of subject-background separation that casts the same amount of bokeh as the iPhone 16.

However, the iPhone 16 leans on the ultrawide camera to better detect edges, which applies more of a realistic bokeh around the edges. I also prefer how he’s better exposed too, but the detail and definition appear to be identical

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: selfie

Image 1 of 22

I purposely shot selfies with the sun to my left in the first set of photos above because I want to see how it handles the strong light source. From what I can see, they produce the same exact results — which comes at no surprise give 12MP TrueDepth camera with an f/1.9 aperture.

Fine details around my face, like my eye brows and hairline, are all captured identically with both phones. Meanwhile, the fabric and textures of my jacket are also similar. The only difference is how the iPhone 16 casts a more realistic exposure and skin tone, whereas the iPhone 16e applies a bit of orange to my face.

Winner: iPhone 16

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: zoom

Image 1 of 30

Since neither one has a dedicated telephoto camera with optical zoom, it’s all left to their main cameras. All the photos above are captured at 1x, 2x, and 10x zoom — in order to show how they process the scene to draw out the details.

Honestly, it’s a toss up because there’s not one with an overwhelming amount of better shots. Take for instance the zoom photos of the Wafels and Dinges location at Bryant Park. I focused on the menu to see how they enhance the menu on the side of the building, with the iPhone 16e delivering more legible words.

Winner: tie

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: verdict

Am I surprised by how this iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 16 photo shootout turned out? Not really. However, I’m actually astonished by the small details that make the iPhone 16 the better camera phone — despite how it shares a very similar 48MP main camera.

On its own, I can’t find fault with the iPhone 16e because it stays toe-to-toe against the iPhone 16 in many of the categories I graded. But despite that, I have to reiterate how I still prefer the iPhone 16 due to how it packs an ultrawide camera. You won’t get the same utility from the iPhone 16e, there’s just no way. Meaning, I can’t capture wider landscape scenes unless I move back — or get as many people into a group shot. For the price difference, the ultrawide camera gives me enough reason to recommend it.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Pixel 9a just got an official release date — here's when you can buy it
• Circle to Search upgrade just made AI Overviews more helpful — here's how
• Light Phone 3 is creating buzz for being the anti-iPhone