On Wednesday, Apple refreshed its budget iPhone line. However, this isn’t the iPhone SE 4; it’s the iPhone 16e. It’s the first time in a while Apple has added a letter to its current iPhone series (like the iPhone 6S or iPhone 5c), which might have you wondering: Should I buy the iPhone 16, or the iPhone 16E?
The TL;DR: The iPhone 16e is remarkably similar to the iPhone 16. For most people, this is likely the iPhone to buy, and comes with enough of what you’re looking for in the iPhone/iOS experience—especially when you consider the money you save. However, in order to make this iPhone more affordable than its other devices, Apple did have to cut some corners. I doubt many of these decisions will be dealbreakers for people looking to buy an iPhone without spending a ton, but there are some key differences hidden underneath the surface of these two sibling devices.
Display
Whether you buy an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16E, you’re going to get a 6.1-inch “Super Retina XDR” display. What that really means is you’ll be using a bright, colorful, high-res OLED display that’s exactly the same size between both phones.
However, while both iPhones have the same sized 6.1-inch display, the 16e’s doesn’t get quite as bright. Apple says it typically reaches 800 nits of brightness, and 1200 nits for HDR content. The 16’s display, on the other hand, reaches 1000 nits of brightness normally, 1600 nits for HDR content, and 2,000 nits when outdoors. The 16’s is also a bit higher res, with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 versus the 16e’s 2532 x 1170, but both displays are 460 ppi.
The biggest difference you’ll notice, besides how these displays look outdoors, is at the top of the screen. The iPhone 16 has Apple’s Dynamic Island, which, aside from housing the Face ID camera, also sports digital widgets for different functions on your iPhone. The 16e, on the other hand, has a traditional notch, the same one you’d find on the iPhone 14. If you’re used to the notch, it’s going to be the same experience here, but you do miss out of the two key perks of the Dynamic Island: those widgets, and the small bump in screen real estate that comes with shrinking this cutout.
Performance
Both iPhones are running the A18 chip, which is Apple latest iPhone SoC. On the 16e, that gets you a six-core CPU, four-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. That’s about the same on the 16, except it gets an extra GPU core. You won’t notice that extra core in many simple tasks, but it likely will help during intensive gameplay sessions, as well as for longevity. It’s a minor bump, however, and likely not something to base a purchase decision on.
The A18 chip means the iPhone 16e is compatible with Apple Intelligence, which the third-generation iPhone SE (as well as iPhones as new as the iPhone 15) are not. That’s a perk if you’re really into AI features, but if you’re the kind to disable them immediately, you might not care for it.
Camera
Flip the 16 and 16e around, and you’ll notice a big difference right away: The 16e only has one camera, while the 16 has two.
That solo camera on the 16e is quite similar to the 16’s main shooter: They’re both 26mm 48MP “fusion” lenses, with an aperture of ƒ/1.6. The 16e’s has optical image stabilization, while the 16’s has “sensor‑shift” optical image stabilization, which can offer a quicker stabilization. The 16e has “Hybrid Focus Pixels” while the 16 has “100% Focus Pixels:” That means all the pixels in the iPhone 16 are used to focus the image, while only some are used on the 16e. Both cameras offer “super-high-resolution” photos, in both 24MP and 48MP options. Both cameras also support 12MP “2x telephoto” zoom at 52mm.
You also get a number of perks on both iPhones: 10x digital zoom, night mode, portrait mode, etc. Based on paper specs, you’ll probably achieve similar results between both of these cameras. However, what you’re missing on the 16e is the 12MP ultra-wide lens. If you’re going to pick one camera, you’ll want the main shooter, but it is nice to have the ultra-wide for those times it’s difficult to get your entire subject in frame at once.
The iPhone 16 also comes with some video perks over the iPhone 16e, including 4K Dolby Vision cinematic mode, 2.8K Dolby Vision Action mode, Spatial video recording, QuickTake video for 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, and Macro video recording. But to be clear, you can shoot normal 4K Dolby Vision video on both iPhones.
On the front, you get the same 12MP selfie camera with an aperture of ƒ/1.9. Where the 16 wins here is in its extra Portrait mode controls and “latest generation” Photographic Styles, but for most selfies and FaceTime calls, there won’t be much difference.
Buttons
If you’re coming from an older iPhone, you might be surprised to see the omission of a ringer switch. In its place is the Action button, just as you’d find on the iPhone 16. While the Action button can still flip your iPhone to silent mode, you can also assign a different function for it instead. Perhaps you’d rather the Action button launch the camera, your flashlight, or a Shortcut, which opens up the possibilities.
However, the iPhone 16 does come with a button the 16e does not: Camera Control. As the name suggests, this button gives you added controls over your iPhone’s camera, including the ability to launch the camera from the button, snap photos, or zoom.
Cellular and battery
The iPhone 16e is Apple’s first iPhone to ship with a proprietary cellular modem, which the company calls C1. All other iPhones use modems from Qualcomm. You probably won’t notice any network gains from Apple’s own C1 modem, but there is one benefit: battery life.
Apple says the 16e has the “best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone.” According to the company’s stats, that translates to up to 26 hours of video playback, 21 hours of streaming video, and 90 hours of audio playback. Compare that to the iPhone 16, which achieves up to 22 hours of video playback, 18 hours of streaming video, and 80 hours of audio playback. That said, you won’t be charging the iPhone 16e with MagSafe, as the device isn’t compatible with Apple’s magnetic charging standard. If you don’t have any MagSafe products already, you won’t notice this omission, but if you do, it might be a frustrating downgrade.
Colors
The iPhone 16e only comes in two colors: Black or White. The 16, on the other hand, Black, White, Pink, Teal, or Ultramarine (purple). It’s an interesting choice, but considering how most people slap a case on their iPhones as soon as they buy it, the color probably doesn’t matter as much here.
Smaller features
There are a number of smaller features here that are exactly the same: The 16e and 16 both have USB-C, which means you can finally ditch your Lightning cables (unless you still have Lightning accessories).
You can also treat both the same around water, since the 16 and 16e are rated IP68 water and dust resistant. That means the phones can handle submersion in six meters of water for up to 30 minutes.
Both the 16 and the 16e come in three storage sizes: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. They’re quite similar in size and weight, too. iPhone 16e is 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches, and weighs 5.88 ounces, while the iPhone 16 is 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches and weighs six ounces.
Price
Objectively, the iPhone 16 is a better iPhone than the 16e, since it’s essentially a 16e, just with a bunch of added perks (minus the extra battery life, that is). However, the price is what is supposed to make the 16e the bargain here. The iPhone 16 starts at $799, which, while cheaper than the $999 iPhone 16 Pro, is still quite expensive.
The 16e is indeed less expensive, but it isn’t cheap. It starts at $599 for the 128GB model. The iPhone SE 3, on the other hand, launched at $429, which itself was $30 more expensive than the iPhone SE 2 before it. “Budget” iPhone clearly means something different now.
Everything is pricey these days, which needs to be taken into consideration here. Yesterday, you could buy an iPhone 16 for $800. Soon, you can pre-order most of the 16’s best features in the 16e for $600. If you can live without the brighter screen, the Camera Control button, the ultra-wide camera, and the extra photography controls, that’s $200 well saved. Plus, you won’t need to run to find a charger as frequently as you would with the iPhone 16.
Pre-orders for the 16e start Feb. 21. The iPhone will be available starting Feb. 28.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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By Nermeen Nabil Khear 