The iPhone 16e is finally out. While this might be Apple’s most confusing iPhone to date, it’s also part of the current iPhone 16 lineup. Even though it has several improvements over the iPhone SE 3, it has 15+ missing features compared to its other siblings.
Among them, the iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe support. This has been available with the iPhone since the 12 models (despite the iPhone SE lineup). Still, Apple decided not to include it. It was first rumored that the issue could be the C1 chip, but Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber finally got the answer:
According to Apple representatives, most people in the 16e’s target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging cable. They tend not to use inductive charging at all, and when they do, they might not care that the 16e is stuck with a pokey 7.5W Qi charging speed when recent, more expensive iPhones charge via MagSafe at 15W or even 25W.
Apple’s claim looks a bit off, especially because this technology has been available for almost five years now. While someone with an iPhone 11 might never miss it, it’s such an important Apple feature that it’s still confusing that it’s unavailable on this device.
Like Gruber, I also don’t think it’s about the high charging speed but snapping the Qi charger into the right place. MagSafe accessories are not only supported by Apple, but also by several third-party accessory makers. With that, iPhone 16e users will need at least a sticker on the back of their phones to take advantage of the MagSafe Waller, MagSafe power banks, and even cases that won’t look as grip as with other models.
This is yet another weird choice by Apple. Still, with rumors already pointing to a yearly release of the iPhone e models, it’s possible that the company might fix this lacking feature once the iPhone 17e becomes available.
In addition to the MagSafe addition, a key feature would be an ultrawideband chip, which helps users quickly locate friends, devices, and AirTag item trackers.
BGR will let you know once we hear new rumors about this upcoming iPhone 17e.
