Apple Introduces the iPhone 16e

Today Apple announced a new iPhone for the iPhone 16 lineup, the iPhone 16e. At first glance, you might think it might be the replacement for the iPhone SE, but I think it is really the replacement for the iPhone 14. The iPhone 16e continues to be the entry-level device. The iPhone 16e shares many features of the iPhone 14, but not all of them.

Screen Size

The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch screen. This is a big jump over the previous iPhone SE’s screen size of 4.7 inches, but it is the same as the iPhone 14. The increased screen size also means that there is no longer a Home Button. In its place is more screen, and it now utilizes the same approach as all iPhones introduced after the iPhone X: it uses swipe gestures to navigate.

The screen itself is an OLED Super Retina XDR display. This means that it supports the P3 color space, has 800 nits of brightness, supports HDR, and True Tone.

Processor

Whether you look at the iPhone 14 or the iPhone SE, both of them have the same processor, the A15 Bionic. This is a bit older and would otherwise be able to perform everything that Apple might expect. But now the iPhone 16e has an A18 in it, just like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. There is one slight difference, the iPhone 16e only has a 4-core GPU, whereas the iPhone 16 has a 5-core GPU. For most users and in most use cases, this will not be noticeable, but it is a difference.

Colors

The iPhone 16e comes in two colors: Black and White. Both of these are matte finishes. These two colors replace the previous Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT) Red. It is possible that additional colors may be added in the future, but for now, these are the only two options. This does mean that Apple does currently sell any (PRODUCT)RED devices.

Apple Intelligence

As has been rumored and expected, the iPhone 16 does support Apple Intelligence. This is due to the A18 chip and the 8GB of memory in the device. The iPhone 16e supports all of the Apple Intelligence features, like Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence.

Missing Features

Even though the iPhone 16e has the latest features, like the Action Button, it does not have everything that was present on the iPhone 14. For some users, they are willing to make that trade-off, yet for others, these missing items may be deal breakers. The items that are not present on the iPhone 16e are MagSafe, Dynamic Island, and a second camera. Beyond this, there is no Camera Control button, even though it is present on all other iPhone 16 models.

Storage and Price

The iPhone 16e takes the place of the iPhone 14, which means it starts at $599 for 128GB, $699 for 256GB, and $899 for the 512GB version. You can pre-order it this Friday, February 21st, and pre-orders will start arriving on Friday, February 28th, 2025.

Cases

As they have done in the past, Apple has also released some silicone cases, this time in five colors. These colors are Black, White, Fuchsia, Lake Green, and Winter Blue. These are $39 each, and again, do not support MagSafe.

Closing Thoughts

For an entry level phone the iPhone 16e does have some compromises, but it still has a number of features that the current phones have. This includes Emergency SOS, Crash Detection, USB-C, and 5G, just to name a few. For those who need an upgrade, the iPhone 16e could be a great update at a reasonable price. It is indeed more expensive than the previous iPhone SE, but it is the same price as the iPhone 14.

If you are price conscious, and are willing to make a couple of trade offs in terms of features, then the iPhone 16e might be a good choice.

Source: Apple Newsroom