4 Reasons Why You Should Buy the iPhone 15 Over the iPhone 16e

Apple just announced their latest, most economical smartphone, and it’s not an iPhone SE. Yeah, while the whole world was drawn to think that we’ll be seeing the 4th generation of the SE series, Apple did the most Apple thing and pulled the iPhone 16e out of the bag. At $599, the iPhone 16e is the cheapest iPhone out there and sits on the lower-price shelf alongside the iPhone 15 which the company still sells for $699. For that price, I’d recommend you get the iPhone 15 over the new iPhone 16e. Here’s why I think so.

Why Should You Buy an iPhone 15 over the iPhone 16e?

Before we get on with the reasons, I’d like to be clear that neither of these phones are straight-up better over the other. They’re just different. The iPhone 15 is the older phone with a slightly-older chipset. And if you’re a Pro-level Apple user, neither of them would do you justice. That said, for most “casual” users, the iPhone 15 offers the more value for money between the two and here’s why you should buy it over the iPhone 16e.

1. Let’s Admit it, Apple Intelligence isn’t Good enough an Upgrade

Ever since the debut of the iPhone 16 series, Apple has been banking on its AI features, like its competitors. At first, it looked quite exciting, as the demos shared by the company made Apple Intelligence appear far superior to other AI implementations. However, as my colleague, Akshay has pointed out, it’s not completely there yet.

Apple generally waits out for any new technology to mature, but its implementation of AI has been anything but mature. I’m not saying it’s downright bad. There are some interesting features like call summaries, notification summaries, and photo editing with Siri. And of these three things, only the first one works. The second one is a work in progress, and the last one isn’t even out yet. You get my point here, don’t you?

Just like the iPhone 16 models, Apple is sticking with the “Built for Apple Intelligence” tag for marketing the iPhone 16e. But, I don’t think Apple’s AI, in its current state, is good enough a reason to get the iPhone 16e over the iPhone 15. Yes, it has got a better chipset that will give you one more year of software support than the latter. But, most of us regular users won’t even notice this difference.

2. A Single Camera in 2025?

If Apple Intelligence isn’t your primary preference, then it’s all downhill from here. The biggest shortcoming of the iPhone 16e, as you may have guessed by now, is really the camera or the lack of it. Having a single camera at the back is just not enough as per today’s standards. And I believe, no other brand besides Apple would get away with such a thing.

Yes, I know, the iPhone SE 3rd generation did have a single camera. But that launched at $429, three years ago. We are in 2025. There are budget Android phones that offer multiple lenses. So for a phone that retails at $600 to not have even an ultra-wide camera is beyond me. Now, you may argue that we all anticipated this from Apple. Yes, I’d agree. But we did expect a successor to the iPhone SE 3 that we believed would go for $500. Not another iPhone 16 series device that gives Apple a reason to bump up its price.

The new 48 MP is, no doubt, a major upgrade over the previous iPhone SE. But it doesn’t justify the fact that a sub-$600 phone in 2025 doesn’t have an additional camera lens. For just $100 more, the iPhone 15 gives you an extra ultra-wide camera with sensor-shift optical image stabilization. The latter has been part of iPhones since the iPhone 12 Pro Max and uses your phone’s gyroscope to reduce lens distortion and blur in low-light mode. For context, the iPhone 16e only comes with OIS.

The iPhone 15 also offers macrophotography and enhanced portrait mode with focus control, which the 16e doesn’t come with. Besides, the older iPhone has Action mode for smoother, more-stabilized handheld videos and Cinematic mode for capturing videos with a shallow depth of field and the ability to modify focus transitions for a cinema-grade look. Both of these modes are missing on the iPhone 16e.

3. What about MagSafe, Apple?

When the first leaks of the iPhone SE 4 hit, I had my doubts about seeing MagSafe on it. That’s because, the iPhone SE 3 didn’t support MagSafe, while the more premium (at the time) iPhone 13 series did. But when I came to know that this “new” iPhone will come in iPhone 14’s chassis, I was hopeful that Apple will finally make all of their iPhones MagSafe compatible.

So, when the time came and Apple finally pushed their newsroom post, the first thing I did was look up “MagSafe” across the page, only to see that there was no mention of it. Had the iPhone 16e come at the iPhone SE 3’s price, I would have been fine with it, but this costs $170 more.

As a tech enthusiast, I own and use a bunch of gadgets, and only some of them are MagSafe compatible. But I like the convenience of just placing my phone on a car stand or a wireless charger. And sticking my power bank on to the phone when I’m in need of a quick charge-up.

I’m sure there are many out-and-out Apple users who might own more MagSafe accessories. At a time when even Android phone and case brands are exploring MagSafe accessories (thanks to the Qi2 standard), the lack of it on the latest iPhone makes no sense. So, if MagSafe means a lot to you and you (or your family) already rely on MagSafe accessories, I’d suggest you get an iPhone 15 instead.

4. Precision Finding or Lack of it

Apple’s iPhone SE lineup was considered by many as the go-to iPhone to buy for your kids or elderly people. That’s because, at under $430, it comprised of everything essential that you can put on a phone. So, if the iPhone 16e is indeed the iPhone SE successor we all expected, it should cover all the bases to justify its higher price, don’t you think?

The answer is no. The latest iPhone misses out on one key component – an ultra-wide band chip that has been part of Apple’s phones since the iPhone 11. This is the element that aids Precision Finding, a feature that lets you track Apple accessories and pinpoint other iPhones with high accuracy.

This could be part of Apple’s strategy to bring down the cost of the iPhone 16e. But for $599, it isn’t the most economical phone either. So, if you’re planning to buy an iPhone for your children or your old folks and want to track them during emergencies, the iPhone 15 is clearly the safer bet for the price.

iPhone 16e: “e” for Expensive, Egotistic, or Embarrassing?

Being an Apple user myself, I’m not in any way trying to be bashful, but the iPhone 16e is something I can’t comprehend with. In some ways, it’s what we expected the successor to the iPhone SE 3rd generation to be. But there are aspects of it I wish it didn’t do. I get it, Apple wants to sell its AI features to everyone, even the budget-conscious users. But in doing so, I believe it cut the wrong corners.

They could have easily avoided adding their custom C1 modem or satellite connectivity to the mix. Or even the Action button for that matter. Instead, they could have made their ever-so-interactive Dynamic Island more accessible to everyone. Or added an ultra-wide camera or MagSafe support. Or they could have avoided adding any of that and just made the current offering more “economical” if that’s what the “e” in the iPhone 16e stands for.

To bring things into perspective, the iPhone SE 3 was a great deal for its $429 launch price. It offered the same Apple A15 Bionic chip as the then-standard iPhone 13 which launched at $799. For $599, the iPhone 16e isn’t as budget-oriented over the current iPhone 16 that retails for $799. Because of this, I’m not sure who this iPhone 16e is intended for. It’s not a phone I’d recommend to my folks or children, nor is it the ultimate choice for first-time Apple users.

As the owner of an iPhone 15, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much, but I’d certainly feel the same if I was switching to an iPhone 16e. That’s because, for a mere $100 more, you’re getting most of everything a “casual” user wants from an iPhone, i.e., multiple cameras, Dynamic Island, more color options, MagSafe support, and better ways to track your loved ones when the time comes. And that pretty much sums up why I think you should get the iPhone 15 over the iPhone 16e.

What do you think about the iPhone 16e? Is it something you’d consider buying for yourself or your family? Let us know in the comments.