iPhone 16e Review: It’s Just Enough!

When Apple launched the iPhone 16e, I had several questions. Who is it for? Why not call it the SE 4? Who will spend $599 on this? And so forth. The Cupertino giant’s only response – it is for those upgrading from an older device. So, as an iPhone 13 owner, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when the iPhone 16e arrived at my desk. After a week of using it, I don’t think I have I have some unexpected thoughts. So join me as I walk you through my week-long adventure in this review of the iPhone 16e.

iPhone 16e: Key Specifications

Before we get started, you might want to take a look at the iPhone 16e specifications to get an idea of what you get right out of the box.

Familiar Design in All Aspects But One

Switching from an iPhone 13, the design of the 16e felt familiar since it reuses the same chassis. The only noticeable improvement is the soft matte texture on the back glass and the sides. This is something borrowed from the new iPhones. It feels better than the glossy finish, which is such a fingerprint magnet that the CIA can take my prints off of it.

What is not borrowed are the chamfered edges. The 16e features flat aluminum sides with razor-sharp edges, making the device difficult to hold over long periods. It’s why my iPhone 13 hasn’t seen a day without a case. The iPhone 16e is also lighter at 167 g (5.89 oz), which could be due to the removal of a MagSafe ring at the back.

Yes, for some odd reason, Apple omitted what is considered to be a staple of the iPhone experience since the iPhone 12. I always thought of it as an essential part of the iPhone experience, but I see what they are trying to do here; they know if you are spending $599 on this device, you can surely spend more on a case that has the magnets in it.

As someone who has a bunch of MagSafe accessories to use with my iPhone 13, this was a big let down for me. All my accessories became redundant after switching to the 16e, unless I picked up a third-party case with magnets.

While MagSafe is absent, they added the new Action button and opted for a USB-C port for charging. These are the only physical aspects of the 16e that are more in line with the iPhone 16 series. The phone also comes with IP68 certification to withstand any unintentional drops in the pool or the throne of your thinking room.

A Display That’s a Visual Throwback

The iPhone 16e features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. The same one we have seen in iPhone 13 and 14 series. The same 60Hz refresh rate panel we’ve seen on the $799 iPhone 16, because God forbid a poor lad can enjoy a smoother screen. As for the display itself, it offers fairly good colors, pictures look sharp, and the blacks are well-balanced. The viewing experience was identical to what I’m used to on the 13. I was once watching something on the 16e and confused it for my older device.

Apple has also brought back the iconic notch, because who wants to see live scores, check timers, and get Uber delivery updates on the Dynamic Island, right? The 16e takes us back to simpler times when live activities weren’t a thing, and we all loved a chunky old notch at the top of our phones.

If the 60Hz refresh rate and the notch haven’t convinced you, then how about I tell you that the brightness is also sub-par, at best. Unlike the iPhone 16, which can reach 2000 nits of peak brightness, the 16e only goes up to 1200 nits. What does all this mumbo-jumbo mean? On a bright summer day, you will have to squint your eyes to see what’s on the screen.

I Spy A New C1 Modem

While much of the iPhone 16e is familiar, the device is a first for Apple’s new C1 modem. This is the debut of the brand’s homegrown modem, which has been in the works for a while. For this review, I loaded the phone with my Jio 5G SIM, used the iPhone 16e to stream, download content, watch Instagram Reels, and of course, take calls. The network dropped in Delhi Metro’s underground system, switched to LTE in crowded stations, but offered full 5G strength at my home.

After running several speed tests side by side with the iPhone 13, the results were toe to toe. The only noticeable change was the improvements in upload speed, which were constantly better on the 16e. Sometimes, it surpassed the download speed. It isn’t a big jump like Apple’s M series processors, but it is still commendable for a first-time effort.

Since we are on the topic of connectivity, it is worth noting that Apple has also quietly omitted the UWB chip in the iPhone 16e. Had this been available, it would have allowed you to locate your iPhone even when it’s powered off. Sadly, that’s not the case here. Instead, the iPhone 16e has Satellite SOS, which isn’t something many people will need, unless they’re into hiking or adventures.

One Less Camera to Shoot With

The iPhone 16e comes with a single 48MP camera. Apple would have you believe that this single camera is all you need, since it also includes “integrated 2x telephoto”. But that is just a cool marketing way of saying your phone can zoom in on things. It isn’t doing the job of two lenses, but just cropping into the shot, which is completely different from a dedicated telephoto lens. And on many instances, you’d definitely at loss at the lack of a secondary sensor.

Coming to photos, the single camera does an admirable job and clicks sharp, clear, and natural-looking photos. Compared to my iPhone 13’s measly 12MP sensor, this phone captures more light and details in a shot, given ample light. The bigger sensor allows for better 2x photos and a quick way for me to zoom into subjects. But it isn’t the telephoto quality that the company is talking about.

The nighttime photos are decent, too. It captures good results from time to time, but noise manages to creep into darker regions, and details also look softer. The 12MP selfie camera is the same as the one on the iPhone 16, so the selfie shots turn out pretty clean with near-natural skin tones and well-adjusted bokeh.

While you can shoot 4K videos at 24/30/60 FPS with the iPhone 16e, the 25 FPS option is missing here. That’s not the only thing absent. There’s no Cinematic mode, no Macro control, doesn’t have the new Photographic styles, and doesn’t let you change the focus subject in portraits.

But, The Battery is Spoiling-ly Good

One area where iPhone 16e stands far out from the competition is in terms of battery life. Apple claims it lasts for up to 26 hours of video playback. I can’t report similar numbers, however, I got more than 8 hours of screen on time with 20% still left in the tank. On average, I was doing 5 hours or more of screen time, with 30-40% left by the end of the day.

This is far better battery backup than any “standard” iPhones you can get out there. But it’s still nowhere close to what the Plus or Pro Max models offer. Given the bigger capacity, it takes a while to charge. Since there’s no MagSafe, it relies standard Qi charging at 7.5 Watts. So, it took about 2 hours to fully charge wirelessly for me. I have to admit that I did enjoy the presence of USB-C, so that I didn’t have to be the guy in the room asking for a Lightning cable.

And Hardware’s No Slouch

Finally, we come to the performance portion of this review. Apple has outfitted this “cheap” iPhone with the latest A18 chipset used in the regular iPhone 16. However, it lacks one GPU core, which I suppose helps with the battery life. Now to test out its competence, we ran our typical slate of benchmarks.

As you can see, it scores pretty much the same results as the regular A18 processor. It also means this is the most affordable device that runs AAA titles like Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Evil games.

So, rather than testing the typical slate of mobile games, I opted for the Resident Evil 4 demo. The phone handled it well, and there were portions when FPS went choppy, but it was still pretty playable. There was substantial heating during my playthrough, but it never reached alarming levels.

However, if you are not a gamer, then you wouldn’t notice any hiccups in day-to-day usage. Compared to my iPhone 13, things felt a bit responsive on iOS 18.3.2, with apps and animations feeling slightly smoother.

Not only is the iPhone 16e the cheapest iPhone with A18, but also the most affordable option if you want Apple Intelligence. And this isn’t a cut-down version of it, instead, you get all the features like the new Writing Tools, Image Playground, and the new Siri. So if that is something that you care about (even though Apple doesn’t!), then this could be a compelling reason to pick this device.

iPhone 16e Review: Who Is It For?

Coming to the end of this review, I have a lot of conflicting thoughts on the iPhone 16e. On one hand, it delivers a budget iPhone experience like none before. So, someone upgrading from an old device will appreciate the bump. On the other hand, it makes compromises in areas that leave you scratching your head.

The omission of MagSafe, a secondary camera sensor, a UWB chip for Find My Device, and slower wireless charging are all sacrifices you’ll have to make when upgrading from a recent iPhone. Plus the $599 price tag doesn’t do it any favors either. Had this been priced $50 or $100 less, I’d have been inclined to recommend it to most people.

But, for now, I think the right audience for this phone would be someone switching from a really-old iPhone like the iPhone X, XS, XR, or iPhone 11. These would be folks who haven’t experienced MagSafe and Dynamic Island and don’t care for them. It can be a great option for teenage kids, or something you can gift to your parents who want a phone that’s a little too familiar. For the rest of you, I would suggest looking at the iPhone 16 or even the iPhone 15.