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APPLE is trying to tempt you with its thrifty new iPhone 16e – and I’ve already had a go.
I’ve spent about a week testing the new mobile, which is currently the cheapest in Apple’s line-up.
The Sun’s tech editor Sean Keach has been secretly testing out the new iPhone 16e[/caption]
The iPhone 16e is the cheapest model in Apple’s current smartphone line-up[/caption]
I was trying the matte white model – but there’s also a matte black version too[/caption]
The iPhone 16e is a sort of spiritual successor to the old iPhone SE series – best-known for small, budget-friendly handsets.
But this model has had a massive makeover (and a slight price hike), and is brimming with handy upgrades and clever features.
It’s part of the iPhone 16 line-up, which launched with four phones last September starting at £799/$799.
But this new model undercuts the lot with a £599/$599 price tag.
Now long-time Apple fans will know that that’s about £180/$180 more than the old iPhone SE.
But Apple has clearly tried to tack on a bunch of bells and whistles to make that price feel fair – and I reckon the job’s a good ‘un.
So, what’s new?
iPhone 16e – the outside
The Home button is gone. That’s the big shock.
Or it will be for some shoppers who were using the old iPhone SE.
Of course Apple ditched the Home button on its main smartphones back with 2017’s iPhone X. So for some – myself included – it’s a distant memory.
PROS AND CONS AT A GLANCE
Pros:
- Massive battery life
- Future-proofed (A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, USB-C)
- Useful Action Button replaces the Mute Switch
- Bigger 6.1-inch screen and Face ID
- Beautiful OLED display
- Great value for money
Cons:
- No MagSafe charging
- Only two colours
We had some good times with the Home button, but it’s been sensibly culled.
So much more space is freed up, allowing Apple to squeeze in a generous 6.1-inch display.
Note: the display is a gorgeous OLED panel.
Usually screens use an LED backlight to illuminate the crystals that make up your display, showing an image.
The Home button is no more – but it means you get Face ID for unlocking and a large 6.1-inch OLED display[/caption]
But OLED panels have self-illuminating pixels, and don’t need a big backlight running constantly.
This is better for battery life, but it also means individual pixels can be switched off to show true black.
So you end up with improved contrast and a wider range of colours.
It looks gorgeous, and it’s a decent win on an iPhone at this price point.
IPHONE SCREEN SIZES – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Here's how iPhone screen sizes have changed over the years – as measured in inches diagonally from corner to corner…
- iPhone (2007) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3G (2008) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3GS (2009) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4 (2010) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4S (2011) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 5 (2012) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5S (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5C (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 6 (2014) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6+ (2014) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 6S (2015) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6S+ (2015) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone SE (2016) – 4 inches
- iPhone 7 (2016) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 7+ (2016) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 8 (2017) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 8+ (2017) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone X (2017) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XS (2018) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XR (2018) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone XS Max (2018) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone 11 (2019) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro (2019) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro Max (2019) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone SE 2nd gen (2020) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 12 Mini (2020) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 12 (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 13 Mini (2021) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 13 (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone SE 3rd gen (2022) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 14 (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Plus (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Plus (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 (2024) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 16 Plus (2024) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro (2024) – 6.3 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024) – 6.9 inches
- iPhone 16e (2025) – 6.1 inches
Picture Credit: Apple / The Sun
Anyway, back to the Home button.
You may remember that it used to house the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
Well that’s gone too, replaced with a Face ID sensor that scans your mug. It’s easier, faster, and the lasers that make it won’t have more uses than just unlocking your iPhone.
So, that’s two ticks.
Apple has also binned the old Lightning port that first appeared with the iPhone 5. (Remember the old 30-pin connector before that? Ugh.)
Now we’ve got USB-C, in line with the main iPhone series – and almost every other modern gadget.
It’s a versatile cable that doesn’t just belong to Apple.
You’ll find it on MacBooks and iPads, in cars and hotel rooms, and even on Android phones and Windows laptops. We really are in the future.
The Lightning port has been swapped out for a new USB-C connector, which is much handier[/caption]
Also dead is the old Mute switch near the volume buttons.
I appreciate that I’m am listing off things that have been killed, which might sound bad. But these are all extremely welcome upgrades.
The Mute switch has been replaced with an Action Button, which was first seen on 2023’s iPhone 15 Pro.
You can use it for switching between ring and silent, sure. But it can also open your camera, turn on the torch, or do something else entirely. Your choice. Much better.
The iPhone 16e comes in two colours: white and black.
They’re safe, popular options that get a nice upgrade courtesy of a matte finish that looks great. I’ve been using the white one and it’s beautiful. It reminds me a bit of meringue.
Anyway, this tasty iPhone is also very lightweight. If you’ve ever used a Pro Max device, this feels like lifting up a feather.
The last thing to note on the iPhone’s outside is the camera.
There’s now an Action Button where the old Mute Switch used to be – and you can make it do almost anything[/caption]
The single camera also has a 2x telephoto feature for zooming – without needing a second lens[/caption]
There’s just one, but it’s actually two. Sort of.
You’ve got a 48-megapixel camera that takes lovely and impressive snaps – and seems to fare well even in rubbish lighting.
But Apple has also made it so that the middle 12 megapixels of the camera can be used as a telephoto camera. This gives you a handy 2x zoom.
And the 2x zoom even works on Portrait mode, so you can take those lovely pictures where the subject is sharp and set against a soft focus.
By contrast, the old iPhone SE used computational fakery to create this effect.
The camera is also very capable at recording video.
It can manage 4K Dolby Vision footage at up to 60 frames per second.
And it can even deliver Full HD slow-motion video at 240 frames per second.
The camera can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second[/caption]
I always think video capture doesn’t get enough appreciation on iPhone.
This is an incredible camera squeezed into a relatively small and cheap device. And in the video era we now all live in, it does a brilliant job.
Better still, you’ll now have a lovely OLED screen to watch them on. It might even be better than your living room telly if you haven’t upgraded in a few years.
iPhone 16e – the inside
This feels like a good point to talk about what’s powering the iPhone. The innards.
It’s shipping with the A18 chip, which gadget fans will know is the same Apple processor inside last year’s iPhone 16.
This is an extremely powerful processor that will easily satisfy your needs.
It’s not really a question of does the iPhone run smoothly. It does, and has for years.
One specific perk is that you get access to Apple intelligence – watch our exclusive Apple CEO Tim Cook interview to find out more about that.
APPLE INTELLIGENCE – WHICH DEVICES CAN USE IT?
Here's the official list of Apple devices with processors powerful enough to support the new Apple Intelligence features…
- iPhone 16e (2025)
- iPhone 16 (A18)
- iPhone 16 Plus (A18)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max(A18 Pro)
- iPhone 16 Pro(A18 Pro)
- iPhone 15 Pro Max(A17 Pro)
- iPhone 15 Pro(A17 Pro)
- iPad Pro(M1 and later)
- iPad Air(M1 and later)
- iPad mini(A17 Pro)
- MacBook Air(M1 and later)
- MacBook Pro(M1 and later)
- iMac(M1 and later)
- Mac mini(M1 and later)
- Mac Studio(M1 Max and later)
- Mac Pro(M2 Ultra)
Picture Credit: Apple / The Sun
You’ll get the suite of Apple Intelligence features, including Image Playground and Genmoji for making your own little stickers and emoji[/caption]
Even 2023’s iPhone 15 doesn’t get that.
That means you can create your own ‘Genmoji’ emoji, remove unwanted objects from images, let the iPhone help you write, and quickly skim summaries of your notifications.
There’s not really one killer feature, but they all add up to a nice upgrade that millions of older (and more expensive) models miss out on.
It also means this iPhone model is fairly future-proofed, as it’s on the right side of Apple’s big AI transition.
And it’s a powerful enough chip that it’ll keep your iOS and apps trucking for many years to come.
There are three storage options available: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB.
You’ll pay extra to the tune of £100/$100 or £300/$300, depending on the upgrade you pick.
Some people will get on just fine with 128GB. It’s not enough for me, but I’m a file and app hoarder. Very greedy.
TOP APPLE INTELLIGENCE TRICKS TO TRY
Once you've updated to Apple Intelligence, try these out…
Genmoji
Open the emoji panel on your keyboard, then tap the smiley face icon with a plus symbol on it.
Then enter a description for the Genmoji that you want to create, tap Done, then tap Add on the Genmoji that you want to use.
Mail Summaries
Go to the Mail app and tap on an email.
Then just tap the new Summarise button.
Clean Up
Go into Photos, select an image, then tap the Edit button (it has three sliders as an icon).
Now tap on Clean Up, then tap, brush, or circle the object or person that you want to remove.
Once you’re happy, hit Done and your changes will be saved.
Image Playground
You’ll find this feature inside the new Image Playground app.
You can either create an image from a concept (like a theme or place), a description, or inspired by a person in your photo library.
Once you’re happy with the image, tap Done to save it to your gallery.
Smart Reply
Go to the Messages app, tap on a conversation, then press the text field.
A suggested reply might then appear – and then Apple Intelligence will draft it for you.
If you like it, send it!
To see if you’ve got an iPhone update waiting, just go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Picture Credit: Apple
If you want to hang on to this iPhone for a long time, I’d recommend springing for the 256GB version. It’s slightly pricier, but you’ll feel safer – and the resale value should be higher too.
There’s also a brand new modem inside.
That’s the bit that lets your iPhone speak to the internet.
Apple has finally built its own modem (after using Qualcomm chips for years) called the C1.
There’s a new Apple-built C1 modem inside that brings battery life improvements[/caption]
The technical details aren’t massively useful to casual gadget fans, but the main takeaways are that it supports nippy 5G speeds and is 25% more power-efficient.
That means Apple has been able to dole out better battery life.
Apple’s official figures promise a whopping 26 hours of video playback.
That’s even more than the 22 hours promised by the more expensive iPhone 16.
I’ve been getting through full days easily, only charging overnight.
With careful usage and a bit of Low Power Mode, I reckon you could probably get two days out of it.
It supports fast charging (to 50% in 30 minutes) if you have your USB-C cable plugged into a 20W adapter.
And it’ll also work with wireless chargers that use the Qi standard – and most of them do.
The handset offers wireless charging – but won’t magnetically snap to MagSafe chargers[/caption]
The only real charging downside is that there’s no built-in MagSafe.
That means you’re limited to 7.5W speeds with wireless charging, and it won’t magnetically attach to MagSafe chargers.
But for most people, that will make hardly any difference at all.
If you’re a MagSafe fan and have a StandBy-friendly stand that keeps your iPhone hovering in mid-air, you’ll be much happier with the iPhone 16.
Should you buy the iPhone 16e?
Apple has killed off all of the bad bits of the iPhone SE, and breathed fresh life into the budget iPhone.
It’s a phoenix rising from the ashes.
You’ve got USB-C charging, the tempting Action Button, Face ID (finally), an AI-friendly chip, and phenomenal battery life.
It looks great, the camera is practical and effect, and the screen is beautiful.
The new iPhone 16e is packed with features, not wildly expensive, and feels very future-proof[/caption]
If you can overlook a couple of minor niggles (lack of MagSafe and a price increase) then you’ll be able to bag one of the best-value smartphones available today.
And if you want more from your Apple mobile, you’ve got the regular iPhone 16 and the Pro models up for grabs too.
The Sun says: Apple has packed all the bits you really need into an iPhone at a genuinely tempting price – and it’ll last for years to come. The killer feature? It has to be the battery life.
The iPhone 16e starts at £599 / $599 and is available for pre-order now – with an official release date of Friday, February 28.
