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iPhone 16e or iPhone 16 The iPhone 16e is Apple’s most affordable new iPhone. It isn’t as cheap as the iPhone SE, and gone are the days of a new iPhone launching under $500. However, it undercuts the iPhone 16 by $200 and the iPhone 15 by $100, but not without compromises.
If you’re in the market for a new Apple phone, it could be hard to choose between the $599 iPhone 16e and the $799 iPhone 16. One is just enough for a phone, while the other adds major conveniences like MagSafe, an ultrawide camera, and a brighter display. Is that enough to warrant an extra $200? Let’s find out.
iPhone 16e in White Both iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 feature a similar design with flat metal sides and rounded corners. The iPhone 16e is surprisingly light for a modern smartphone. At just 5.
88 ounces / 167 grams, it’s 0.12 ounces lighter than the iPhone 16. That might not matter to most people, but the lighter form factor is a breath of fresh air in a smartphone world where almost every device weighs more than 175 grams.
However, iPhone 16e’s light design isn’t free from compromises. There’s no MagSafe, which is more than just magnetic wireless charging — it lets you add wireless accessories like tripods, stands, and wirelessly attach slim power banks for convenience. This is the feature I missed the most (even more than the Dynamic Island) when I shifted from my iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 16e.
The iPhone 16e comes in two boring-but-classy colors — White and Black — while the iPhone 16 offers five color options to choose from: Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black. Both iPhones are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance. iPhone 16 in Teal You get a 6.
1-inch OLED display on both these iPhones, but they aren’t made equal. The iPhone 16e features a notch instead of the Dynamic Island, thicker bezels, and a less bright screen. If you frequesntly use your phone outdoors, the iPhone 16e’s 800 nits of typical brightness and 1,200 nits of peak brightness might not suffice.
You’ll struggle to see on-screen details under direct sunlight. By contrast, the iPhone 16 offers slimmer bezels and Dynamic Island for a more intuitive user experience. It supports 1,000 nits of typical brightness and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits outdoors.
Both screens feature the same contrast ratio, 460 pixels per inch, and a 60Hz refresh rate. iPhone 16e display The iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 are powered by the same A18 Apple processor. While the CPU cores remain the same, iPhone 16 gets an extra GPU core (5-core versus 4-core on 16e) for better gaming performance.
Both run iOS 18 with support for Apple Intelligence , which includes features like Clean Up, Writing Tools, Image Playground, and more. The iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 feel the same in day-to-day tasks and you won’t be able to tell the difference in scrolls and taps. It’ll be more apparent if you play games on your iPhone.
The iPhone 16e is Apple’s first phone to feature the in-house C1 modem chip. It is claimed to be power-efficient and one of the reasons behind the 16e’s better battery life. According to official claims , it’s 25% more power-efficient than the modem on the iPhone 15.
However, the C1 modem doesn't support ultra-fast mmWave signals (the 16 does), though you still get support for the low- and mid-band 5G spectrum used by US carriers. The iPhone 16 supports Wi-Fi 7 for faster speeds and includes an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip for precise location tracking. In comparison, the iPhone 16e comes with Wi-Fi 6 and misses out on the UWB chip.
iPhone 16e The iPhone 16e triumphs over the iPhone 16 in terms of battery life. Officially, it’s rated to last up to 26 hours when watching videos — four hours more than the 16. In real-life usage, I haven’t found myself carrying a power bank with the iPhone 16e.
There’s no battery anxiety, and it’ll last you an entire day with ease. However, the iPhone 16e misses out on faster wireless charging speeds. It supports 7.
5W charging with Qi wireless chargers, compared to the iPhone 16’s MagSafe-enabled 25W charging. Both phones support 20W wired charging, but the 16 charges slightly faster. iPhone 16 rear Both iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 sport a 48MP primary camera.
However, like the rest of the specs, a similar number doesn’t mean the same quality. The iPhone 16e has a different, less capable sensor. You miss out on macro photos, and low-light pictures aren’t as good as on the 16.
The iPhone 16 also has a 12MP ultrawide camera, which allows you to shoot in 0.5x. Both phones support 10x digital zoom but the 16 snaps slightly better 2x and 3x shots.
It can also shoot up to 4K30 video, which is missing on the 16e. There’s no telephoto camera on either. On the front lies the same 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera on both the iPhones.
You also get Camera Control on the iPhone 16, though it’s not as useful as Apple claims. That said, the iPhone 16e is the only 16-series phone to not feature Camera Control — although you can still access Visual Intelligence via the Action Button. iPhone 16e clean back, thanks to single camera Overall, the iPhone 16 is easily a better device and worth spending the extra $200.
For $799, you get versatile MagSafe support, a better display, Dynamic Island, a better-quality main camera, an added ultrawide sensor, faster connectivity options, and more colorful iPhone choices. But iPhone 16e has its place, too. Here’s when you should buy which iPhone - You want a 6.
1-inch iPhone with long battery life You want the lightest iPhone You’re happy with just the basics You’re coming from a non-MagSafe iPhone (iPhone 11 or earlier) and strictly want an iPhone under $600 You want a brighter, Dynamic Island-supported display You want better camera quality You value features like MagSafe, faster mmWave 5G, faster Wi-Fi 7, and Cinematic Mode You play games on your iPhone The iPhone 16e is for those who want a no-fuss iPhone experience without breaking the bank, while the iPhone 16 is for those of you who want the full modern iPhone experience — camera tricks, accessories, and all..
