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The iPhone 16e is the latest addition to the 16 series, offering a more affordable version than the latest models. But what compromises justify its launch price of €719?
Only two colours to choose from
Unlike the iPhone 16, which comes in a range of five colours, including three very bright ones, the iPhone 16e will only be available in black or white.
This is a slight disappointment, especially since the 16 series broke new ground with colours never before seen from the brand.
The cheapest model in the 16 series
With a difference of £250, the classic iPhone 16 in the 128 GB version (£969) stands out from the iPhone 16e, which starts at £719 for the same storage capacity.
At first glance, the two devices look very similar, especially from the front, but there is one difference. From the back, the iPhone 16e has a single camera module, unlike the iPhone 16.
You will also find the new button featured on the entire series, which allows you to control the photo application.
A decline in camera performance
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The iPhone 16e, with its single camera module, cannot compete with the iPhone 16 in terms of photographic capabilities. It does without the ultra-wide angle, offering only a 48-megapixel wide-angle sensor, compared to 12 megapixels on the iPhone SE 2022. Although Apple does not provide any further details, it appears that both smartphones use the same sensor. With this definition, the iPhone 16e offers 2x zoom by cropping images and benefits from the same software processing as the iPhone 16.
However, it does not benefit from the second-generation portrait mode, making do with the original version, nor from the cinematic video mode, and its optical stabilisation is first-generation, unlike the iPhone 16.
Differences in the display
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The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch OLED screen, a significant improvement over the iPhone SE (2022), which had a modest 4.7-inch LCD screen with fairly low brightness.
The iPhone 16e offers a brightness of 800 cd/m² in standard mode and up to 1200 cd/m² in HDR. However, this screen is still less bright than that of the iPhone 16, which reaches 1000 cd/m² in standard mode and 1600 cd/m² in HDR, with a peak of 2000 cd/m² in direct sunlight. The iPhone 16e uses a screen similar to that of the iPhone 14, with a definition of 2532 x 1170 pixels and a resolution of 460 ppi.
Like the iPhone 14, the iPhone 16e retains a notch at the top of the screen and therefore does not feature Dynamic Island, introduced on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15, which allows information about your iPhone's activity to be displayed on the black notch at the top of the screen.
An A18 chip but less powerful performance than the rest of the series
One of the great strengths of the iPhone 16e, especially when compared to the iPhone SE (2022), is its A18 chip.
The Pro and Pro Max models are equipped with a "Pro" version of this chip, with six CPU cores and six GPU cores. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus also have an A18 with six CPU cores, but with a five-core GPU.
The iPhone 16e retains the same number of CPU cores, but its GPU only has four, which could slightly impact its graphics performance.
A difference in charging mode
The iPhone 16 offers several charging options: via a USB-C cable, Qi wireless charging, or MagSafe magnetic wireless charging, with Qi 2 support.
Magsafe (Qi 2) charging is much faster than conventional wireless charging (Qi).
However, the iPhone 16e does not offer this feature and is limited to standard wireless charging, offering a maximum power of 7.5W. For USB-C wired charging, it is compatible with adapters up to 20W, like the iPhone 16.
In conclusion, the iPhone 16e was designed based on the model of its "SE" predecessors, with a design equivalent to the series to which it belongs, but with lower performance in order to offer it at a more affordable price.
However, it is worth noting the effort made to equip the device with an A18 chip, which will enable better performance than that seen in previous SE models.
The real downside is the camera, which has a single lens and lacks ultra-wide angle, cinematic mode and second-generation portrait mode.
The iPhone 16e will be available for pre-order from Friday 21 February 2025 at a price of £719.
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