Apple Announces Its Latest Budget Phone, the iPhone 16e

Apple Unveils iPhone 16e: A Budget-Friendly Option with Compromises

Apple launched the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, its newest entry-level model. Replacing the iPhone SE (2022), the 16e starts at $599, significantly closer in price to the $799 iPhone 16. Pre-orders begin Friday, February 21st, with availability starting February 28th.

A key feature is the inclusion of Apple's C1 cellular modem, a first for any Apple device. While Apple's in-house chips have a strong track record, the success of the C1 will be crucial for connectivity performance. Apple will hopefully avoid a repeat of the "Antennagate" incident with the iPhone 4.

iPhone 16e: A Closer Look

4 Images

Visually, the iPhone 16e closely resembles the iPhone 14 from the front, boasting a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 2532x1170 resolution and 1200-nit peak brightness. However, this falls short of the iPhone 16's display quality. It does include the Action button and a USB-C port, but lacks Camera Control.

The rear design is more distinct, featuring a single 48MP camera. While sharing similarities with the iPhone 16's main camera, it omits sensor-shift stabilization, the latest Photographic Styles, and adjustable portrait mode focus. The selfie camera, however, appears identical, retaining Face ID functionality.

The phone utilizes an aluminum frame, glass back, and Apple's Ceramic Shield on the front. While Apple continues to promote its durability, it's worth noting that a newer, supposedly "two times tougher" Ceramic Shield is used in other models, raising questions about the 16e's screen resilience.

Internally, the iPhone 16e employs an A18 chip, but with a 4-core GPU compared to the iPhone 16's 5-core GPU. Performance is expected to be a step down from the iPhone 16, and even further behind the iPhone 16 Pro. However, the Neural Engine remains, enabling Apple Intelligence features.

The iPhone 16e's lower price point necessitates compromises. While not drastically limited, the price reduction isn't as substantial as previous iPhone SE models. The $599 price tag, while making it Apple's cheapest, contrasts with the $429 launch price of the 2022 iPhone SE, which offered a significantly larger discount.

The iPhone 16e's performance remains to be seen. With competitive Android alternatives like the OnePlus 13R available around the same price, Apple may face challenges attracting buyers outside its existing ecosystem.