Apple Announces Its Latest Budget Phone, the iPhone 16e

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level model. Replacing the 2022 iPhone SE, the iPhone 16e marks a shift from the significantly lower price point of its predecessors. Priced at $599, it closes the gap with the $799 iPhone 16, released last fall. Pre-orders begin Friday, February 21st, with availability starting February 28th.

The iPhone 16e debuts Apple's C1 cellular modem, a crucial component. Following the success of its M-series and A-series chips, Apple's in-house modem is key. Connectivity performance will be closely scrutinized, particularly in light of past antenna issues.

iPhone 16e

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From the front, the iPhone 16e closely resembles the iPhone 14, boasting a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 2532x1170 resolution and 1200-nit peak brightness. While this matches the iPhone 14, it falls short of the iPhone 16's display quality. It does include an Action button and USB-C port, but lacks Camera Control.

The rear design is more distinctive, featuring a single 48MP camera, similar to the iPhone SE. Sharing similarities with the iPhone 16's main camera, it omits sensor-shift stabilization, the latest Photographic Styles, and adjustable portrait mode focus. The selfie camera, however, appears identical, retaining Face ID functionality.

The phone uses an aluminum frame, glass back, and Apple's Ceramic Shield front cover. While Apple continues to tout its durability, it's worth noting this is an older generation of Ceramic Shield, differing from the newer, supposedly "two times tougher" version. This raises concerns about its longevity, especially considering wear observed on the iPhone 16.

Internally, the iPhone 16e showcases Apple's product segmentation. It features an "A18" chip, like the iPhone 16, but with a 4-core GPU compared to the iPhone 16's 5-core GPU. Performance is expected to be further reduced compared to the iPhone 16, which already lagged behind the iPhone 16 Pro. However, the inclusion of the Neural Engine ensures compatibility with Apple's intelligence features.

The iPhone 16e's lower price point necessitates compromises. While not overly compromised, the discount is less significant than previous iPhone SE models. The $599 price tag, while making it Apple's cheapest, contrasts with the 2022 iPhone SE's $429 launch price, which offered the same chip as the $799 iPhone 13. Although its design is more modern than the 2022 SE, the price difference is less substantial.

The iPhone 16e's actual performance remains to be seen. With competitive Android alternatives around $600, such as the OnePlus 13R, Apple may face challenges attracting buyers outside its existing ecosystem.