So, after years and years of requesting Apple to throw in a budget iPhone, we finally have something that is a lot more respectable than the ‘SE’ badged devices, but at $599, it may not really be as budget friendly as Apple thinks it is. The iPhone 16e is officially the new entry into the current lineup of iPhone devices. Personally, this announcement came as a pleasat surprise to me as I was expecting the reveal to happen during the flagship event in September, but I guess Apple wanted to just attack the markt right away and treat us to the 17 series down the line.
Now, right off the bat, the iPhone 16e is definitely an upgrade over the iPhone SE in almost every department, and the inclusion of Apple Intelligence does make it a bit of a compellig case, but is it compelling enough to warrant a purchase? We will see.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 16e
Coming to the design itself, the iPhone 16e features the flat edge design that we saw in the likes of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15, a 6.1 inch OLED display, the trademark notch, which was retired for the new dynamic island in the newer iPhones, is back, but the real talking point is the inclusion of the C1 modem, which is Apple’s home grown 5G modem, making its debut in this device. There are no fancy colour options to choose from – just matte black and white, but seeing that this is just the entry level model, its to be expected.
Coming to the performance, the iPhone 16e comes with the same A18 chip that powers the iPhone 16 base model, which is a major upgrade over the older processors that featured in the SE lineup. This means you will get the same snappy performance as the base iPhone 16, and you pay close to $200 less. Yes, there are some tradeoffs in other departments, but in terms of performance, the iPhone 16e is right up there.
Apple has also mentioned that the battery life is possibly the biggest flex on the iPhone 16e. They have not really provided the detailed figures and we will have to wait for the device to hit the market before we can do the battery test, but the company claims that you can get up to 26 hours of video playback before having to charge the phone via the now standard USB Type-C.
All this sounds pretty much what I would ideally want to see in a budget iPhone, but what about the camera?
Smartphone cameras have come a long way, and these days, people pick their smartphones based on the camera performance, ahead of even the processor. When I heard that the iPhone 16e was going to feature a single camera setup, I was a bit on edge because, well, cmon, a SINGLE camera lens in a market that has 3, sometimes 4 camera lenses in their devices…spells ominous right?
But, my fears were allayed when I saw that the single camera lens that Apple has put into the device is a 48 MP Fusion lens with a 2x optical zoom, yes, you read right, no digital zoom, just pure optical zoom. Natural photo quality will be 24MP, but you have the option to upscale it to 48MP for those bougee moments. On the front, we have a decent 12MP camera, which is actually quite good for those reliable FaceTime calls, and impromptu selfie sessions. We also get night mode and HDR, which is amazing for night time photography, and photography under low natural light conditions.
4K Video recording is also included with Spatial Audio capability. All in all, I am quite impressed with the camera setup that Apple has included in the iPhone 16e. Yes, we don’t have the bells and whistles of the iPhone 16 Pro series, or even the 16 base model, but if you buy the 16e, and you need to take some photos, rest assured, you will not be disappointed.
It might interest you to know that 30% the iPhone 16e device will be made out of recycled materials, making it eco-friendly and in line with the whole sustainability drive that the brand is on since the last few years. The much loved action button has also been fit into the 16e, along with the emergency SOS texting feature (satellite texting), and the cherry on top – Apple Intelligence. Yes, everything that you can achieve using Apple Intelligence on the other 16 series devices, will also be supported on the 16e, and this is just great if you are someone who is looking to buy this budget device.
Now, let’s talk about the “budget” tag. You see, $599 is still a steep asking price for a device like this and that’s just it. Apple’s brand value will not allow them to give you a smartphone that is at a really competitive mid range price. The level of cheap will be decided by them, and we, as consumers will have to accept it.
Would you be buying the iPhone 16e, or do you think the iPhone 16 base model is the better choice?
