Apple iPhone 16e review: Win some, lose some

The iPhone 16e is a bit of a strange release from Apple. The phone is a kind of spiritual successor to the third-generation iPhone SE, keeping the ethos of offering a previous-generation body, but with a current-generation chip. And, if that was the whole story, this would be an easy review. At $429, the iPhone 16e would be an easy recommendation for those who want an iPhone that can last, at a low price.

But the iPhone 16e doesn’t cost $429. Whether due to inflation, tariffs, or something else entirely, Apple has raised the price of its cheapest phone somewhat dramatically. At $599, the iPhone 16e is a bit pricey to be considered the “budget iPhone,” bit still the cheapest new iPhone you can get. That’s not to mention arguably the biggest change of all — a change that’s completely invisible. Almost six years after its $1 billion acquisition of Intel’s modem division, Apple finally has a device with a self-designed modem.

So, all-in, does the iPhone 16e do enough to justify its price tag?

iPhone 16e specs

iPhone 16e review: Design

The design of the iPhone 16e is a combination between the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 14 series. That’s not a bad thing — it makes the cheapest iPhone look a whole lot more modern.

That all starts with the frame and back of the phone. The device has a matte aluminum frame that bends around it, with a matte glass back. It comes in only two colors — black, or white. If you want any color, you’ll have to get it from a case. I have the white model, and it looks kind of stark, with its all-white look interrupted only by a glossy Apple logo.

The device only has one camera, and frankly, it’s kind of nice to have a small camera bump on the back. Of course, I’d deal with a bigger camera module in favor of a better camera any day, but it’s still kind of a sleek look. One interesting tidbit is that the antenna lines are a little larger on the iPhone 16e than on the iPhone 16. I assume that’s necessary for the performance of Apple’s self-designed modem, though that’s purely speculation, and you would never know without putting the two phones side-by-side.

The front is the part that comes from the iPhone 14 series. The device marks the return of the notch, doing away with the Dynamic Island found on the rest of the iPhone 16s. I certainly prefer the Dynamic Island cutout, but I never cared that much about the notch on previous models. I still don’t, and it’s nice that you’ll get Face ID and an edge-to-edge display.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

But the iPhone 16e does have other more modern design touches though. Notably, on the side, it has the Action Button that you can program to your preferences. The Action Button also serves more purposes than before on the iPhone 16e — allowing you to hold it down to trigger Apple Visual Intelligence. That’s handy because the major missing design element is the Camera Control. You won’t get that here.

There’s one under-the-hood design change that I can’t quite understand. Inexplicably, the device doesn’t have MagSafe. That’s right — the iPhone 16e won’t support the ecosystem of chargers and accessories that Apple has spent the past few years building. I’ve grown to love MagSafe, and I can’t wait until Qi2 becomes more widespread and replicates the experience on Android devices. I have a MagSafe wallet, and MagSafe wireless chargers around my house — and I never thought I’d have to go back to not using it in a new iPhone any time soon.

To be completely fair, many people upgrading to the iPhone 16e probably aren’t coming from a phone that had MagSafe, so they may not know what they’re missing, like I do. And, there will undoubtedly be plenty of MagSafe cases from third parties that add the magnets to the back of the phone. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t make those cases, though — you’ll need to buy one from a third party.

Despite the lack of MagSafe, generally speaking, I quite like the design of the iPhone 16e. I wish it came in more colors, but it still looks modern, and has helpful features like the Action Button.

iPhone 16e review: Display

The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch display, and it looks good. The display has a 2532 x 1170 resolution, which is the same as the iPhone 16. More importantly, it’s an OLED display so you’ll get the same true black levels, too. It doesn’t have a high refresh rate, but that’s to be expected.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

There is one thing that sets the screen apart from the standard iPhone 16. It has a slightly lower peak brightness, sitting in at 800 nits max brightness when viewing non-HDR content, and 1200 nits peak brightness when watching HDR content. The iPhone 16 can hit 2000 nits peak HDR brightness, and when you place the two phones side-by-side, you can tell the difference. In very bright outdoor environments, you might have some trouble seeing the screen well, but in every other situation, it’s easily bright enough.

iPhone 16e review: Performance

Apple always packs high-end chips into its new low-priced phones, and the iPhone 16e is no exception to that rule. The device comes with Apple’s A18 processor, which is the same chip as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus — meaning that it’ll perform as well as some of the best-performing phones you can get right now.

The end result? The device will easily handle everything you can throw at it in 2025, and for a number of years to come. It also means that the device can handle Apple Intelligence — which Apple has largely restricted to its best-performing phones.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The support for Apple Intelligence may or may not matter to you, but Apple pushing it so hard at least means that it had to include a better-performing chip, which can’t be a bad thing. That, in turn, means the phone will likely perform well for longer, and will likely get just as many software updates as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

The iPhone 16e is the first iPhone to offer Apple’s self-designed modem, called the Apple C1. The C1 should support all the bands and networks you need it to, except for the ultra-fast mmWave 5G connection that you can find in some public places like stadiums or downtown areas. If your phone usage is anything like mine, you likely won’t miss mmWave much — though it’s certainly possible you’ll get slower speeds at a football game. In my testing of the C1, its performance seemed pretty much exactly on par with the iPhone 16, which is a pretty great outcome for Apple, in its first modem outing.

iPhone 16e review: Battery and charging

Apple is billing battery as one of the biggest benefits of the iPhone 16e over some other iPhone models. The company notes the phone as being able to play video for an impressive 26 hours, beating the standard iPhone 16 by four hours. That, of course, isn’t really indicative of real-world use, but the general idea is that the battery in the iPhone 16e should be a little longer than that in the iPhone 16 — which is good news for those who need a little extra juice to get through the day. In a day of moderate use, I was able to get through the day with around 30% of the battery remaining, and I suspect most will have no problem reaching a full day of use.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The iPhone 16e charges at speeds up to 25W through a wired connection, which is a little low — both compared to other iPhone models and to Android alternatives that hit over 100W at times. Thankfully, while it doesn’t have MagSafe, it does still have Qi wireless charging, though at only 7.5W, or half of the wireless charging speed on offer by MagSafe.

I’m a fan of longer battery life, but it was disappointing to see the slower wireless charging speed — especially considering the fact that you don’t actually have to include the magnets to support 15W wireless charging.

iPhone 16e review: Camera

Another big difference between the iPhone 16e and the standard iPhone 16 is the camera setup. The most obvious change is the lack of ultrawide camera, but the main 48-megapixel camera on the iPhone 16e also isn’t the same as on the iPhone 16. It’s a smaller sensor, and the result is that the sensor can’t quite let in as much light, which in turn impacts low-light image capture. Additionally, images don’t have quite as much depth to them.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

That said, the camera still isn’t bad. Apple still leverages a sensor crop to deliver 2x lossless images (which is why Apple calls it a “2-in-1 camera”), though you can’t replicate an ultrawide without an ultrawide sensor. And, without a dedicated telephoto camera, images start to look a little weird at around 4x or 5x, especially on larger screens like a laptop.

In well-lit environments, images still look bright and vibrant, with popping colors and good detail. Despite the smaller sensor, it still captures solid low-light images, too. It also supports the revamped Photographic Styles feature that launched with the rest of the iPhone 16 devices, which can help you tweak the tone of the camera to your preferences.

There are some advanced missing features though. You can’t change the focus or depth of Portrait Mode photos after you capture them, presumably because with only one camera Apple has limited depth information to pull from. And, there’s no macro mode. You’ll have to be comfortable missing out on those features.

Again, though, despite that, the camera is reliable, and performs well in its price range.

iPhone 16e review: Software

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the software experience on the iPhone 16e. It ships with iOS 18, and offers all the same Apple Intelligence features as other iPhone 16 devices, including visual intelligence. You’ll get years of software updates, Siri, and all the other stuff you’re used to on an iPhone.

Conclusions

At the beginning of this review, I called the iPhone 16e a kind of spiritual successor to the iPhone SE. Ultimately, however, that’s a bit of an oversimplification. To be clear, the iPhone 16e is the new “budget iPhone” — but it’s not as budget as the iPhone SE. That’s a bummer, but it also leaves the door open for a fourth-generation iPhone SE, should Apple choose to release one.

Some of the trade-offs you make for the cheaper iPhone make sense compared to the iPhone 16. It makes sense to lose a camera and the Camera Control. It makes sense to have a slightly older display. And, it makes sense to have a slightly older design with a notch. Other changes, like the lack of MagSafe, make no sense to me. Apple is all about that ecosystem — and not including MagSafe represents a jarring break in the ecosystem that limits the accessories people can actually use with their phones.

But, despite that, it’s far from a bad phone. Actually, it’s a great phone. This is the phone to buy if you want the cheapest phone that will last the longest amount of time. With an A18 chip, it’ll support new versions of iOS for years to come, plus it still delivers on all the basics, like a solid camera and nice display.

The competition

The pricing of the iPhone 16e puts it in a bit of a weird spot compared to other iPhones. It’s $200 cheaper than the iPhone 16, and for many, it’s easily worth the trade-offs in features.

But the elephant in the room is the availability of used or refurbished iPhone 15 Pro models. Frankly, if you can find an iPhone 15 Pro for a similar price as the iPhone 16e, that’s the way to go. You’ll get a vastly superior camera system, similar performance, a better screen, and the same support for new iOS features like Apple Intelligence. 

Then there are the base iPhone 15 devices, which start at $699 for the iPhone 15. With the iPhone 15, you gain some things and you lose some things. You’ll get a no-notch design, along with a dual camera system that supports modern camera features. You’ll also get MagSafe. The iPhone 15 won’t perform quite as well though, and it won’t support Apple Intelligence, if that matters to you. 

TL;DR? If you can find an iPhone 15 Pro for a similar price, buy it instead. If you’re deciding between the iPhone 16e and iPhone 15, you’re deciding between better performance and Apple Intelligence support (iPhone 16e), and a dual camera system and more modern design (iPhone 15).

Should I buy the iPhone 16e?

Yes, but only if you can’t find a similarly-priced iPhone 15 Pro.