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Apple quietly launched a new budget-friendly iPhone on February 19 called the iPhone 16e. It’s a significantly updated option for cost-conscious iPhone users over the iPhone SE released in 2022.
The iPhone 16e is now available to preorder before its full retail release on February 28. Apple no longer sells the 2022 iPhone SE and iPhone 14 in a new condition.
The $599 iPhone 16e is a more economical version of the $799 iPhone 16 (our best iPhone for most people). It includes Apple Intelligence, Face ID, and an Action button for customizable shortcuts, among other features.
iPhone 16e: SpecsiPhone 16e: Price
The iPhone 16e starts at $599 with the 128GB storage option. The price rises to $699 for the 256GB version and $899 for the 512GB option.
iPhone 16e: Release date
The iPhone 16e is set for release on February 28. It’s available to preorder now from Apple, Best Buy, and nationwide carriers like Verizon and AT&T.
iPhone 16e: Features
Similar to Apple’s iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e has an aluminum frame with flat edges and a flat rear glass panel that Apple says is the “toughest back glass in a smartphone.” It’s available in black and white matte finishes.
The iPhone 16e looks like the standard iPhone 16, but it has a notch instead of a Dynamic Island.
Apple
The iPhone 16e has the same 6.1-inch display size as the iPhone 16 and a similar Super Retina XDR OLED panel that can achieve up to 1,200 nits brightness. It uses Apple’s Ceramic Shield glass for the display, which the company says is “tougher than any smartphone glass.” It features IP68 water and dust resistance.
The iPhone 16e runs on a slightly modified version of Apple’s A18 processor with a four-core GPU rather than the five-core GPU on the standard A18 processor. Overall, it should still be about as powerful as the standard iPhone 16 models. It can run Apple Intelligence features like voice access to the ChatGPT AI chatbot through Siri, the Writing Tools feature that helps you write and summarize emails, creating custom emojis with Genmoji, and object removal in the Photos app.
Despite featuring one less GPU core, the iPhone 16e also supports demanding AAA game titles that were exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models and iPhone 16 series at large.
The iPhone 16e’s single camera is 48MP and can take optical-quality 2x photos.
Apple
Like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e includes a 48MP Fusion main camera that can take 2x photos at optical quality. It’s a single-lens camera system, but Apple labels it a “two-in-one” camera, given its integrated optical 2x option.
The iPhone 16e uses Face ID for unlocking the phone and authenticating in apps.
Apple
Face ID is used for unlocking the phone and in-app authentication, but the iPhone 16e has a notch instead of the iPhone 16’s Dynamic Island.
Apple touts the iPhone 16e’s battery life as the “best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone. ” It claims the phone lasts up to six hours longer than the iPhone 11 and 12 hours longer than the 2022 iPhone SE. The device features a USB-C port for charging and data transfers, and while it supports wireless charging with the Qi standard, it does not support MagSafe.
The Action Button was first introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023. It now features on the iPhone 16e.
Apple
The iPhone 16e includes Apple’s Action Button (introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro models in 2023), which provides handy shortcuts to certain features and functions. However, it does not include the latest Camera Control button common to the flagship iPhone 16 series.
Apple’s first-ever cellular “C1” modem features in the iPhone 16e, which the company boasts is the most power-efficient on an iPhone. It supports 5G networks but not super-fast mmWave 5G networks. However, the phone supports Apple’s satellite-based safety features, including Messages via satellite, Emergency SOS via satellite, and Roadside Assistance via satellite. It also supports Crash Detection.
See our guides to the best iPhone 16e cases and screen protectors to equip the phone with comprehensive protection.
