# IPhone 16e

The iPhone 16e is a smartphone developed and marketed by Apple Inc. as part of its iPhone series. It is part of the eighteenth-generation iPhone line-up, together with the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, and the Pro models iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Announced on February 19, 2025, as part of the iPhone 16 lineup, the iPhone 16e was released with a starting price of US$599, marking a US$170 increase over the iPhone SE (3rd generation).
The iPhone 16e is the entry-level model of the iPhone 16 lineup, featuring an edge-to-edge display (albeit retaining the iPhone 14's notch instead of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 and 16 lines), Face ID, and a USB-C port instead of Lightning. It shares its dimensions and front design with the 2021 iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and 2022 iPhone 14. Compared to the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e omits features such as Camera Control, an ultra-wide camera, second-generation ultra-wideband, and support for Qi2 and MagSafe charging. The iPhone 16e is positioned similarly to the entry-level iPhone 5c, which launched alongside the iPhone 5s with fewer features, and subsequent iPhone SE models.
Powered by the A18 SoC (with 4 GPU cores instead of 5, unlike the regular iPhone 16), it features an action button replacing the mute switch, a single 48MP Fusion camera with optical zoom options (1x and 2x), a custom Apple C1 cellular modem, and support for Apple Intelligence.
Following the iPhone 16e's announcement, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE (3rd generation) were discontinued, completing the transition from Lightning to USB-C across all iPhone models.

## History

The successor to the iPhone SE (3rd generation) was originally rumored to be named as the iPhone SE 4 and later the iPhone 16e.
On February 19, 2025, Apple announced the successor to the third generation iPhone SE named "iPhone 16e", which serves as the entry-level model of the iPhone 16 series.
Apple started taking pre-orders on February 21, 2025, with general availability starting on February 28, 2025.

## Design

The iPhone 16e features an aluminium frame, paired with a glass front and matte finished back glass. It also shares the same physical sizes and dimensions as among the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14.
The iPhone 16e is available in two colors: Black and White.

## Specifications
### Hardware

The iPhone 16e incorporates the Apple A18 system on a chip (SoC) with 4-core GPU. It is available in three internal storage configurations: 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. It has 8 GB of RAM, twice that of the third-generation iPhone SE's 4 GB of RAM. The iPhone 16e also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
The iPhone 16e also features an Apple-designed modem, the Apple C1, instead of the Qualcomm modem found in all iPhone models since the iPhone 12 and including the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. Because of this, the iPhone 16e does not support mmWave 5G.
Like the previous SE models, the iPhone 16e lacks the ultra-wideband features enabled by the U2 chip which is found in other iPhone models since the iPhone 11.
The iPhone 16e has been designed with a USB-C port rather than the older and proprietary Lightning port.
Like the iPhone 15 Pro and all models of the iPhone 16 series, the iPhone 16e features the action button replacing the mute switch.
Unlike the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e lacks the Camera Control button and Visual Intelligence can only be triggered using the action button.

#### Display

The iPhone 16e features a Super Retina XDR display, using an OLED panel rather than the iPhone SE line's LCD. The display has a resolution of 2532 × 1170 pixels, with a diagonal size of 6.1 in (150 mm) and a pixel density of 460 PPI. It can play HDR10 and Dolby Vision content. The display panel is identical to the one found on the iPhone 14 and is cross-compatible.
Unlike the standard and premium models of the iPhone 16 series, the iPhone 16e maintains the notch (a narrower notch design found on among the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14, first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017) instead of Dynamic Island (first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022).

#### Camera

The iPhone 16e has a 2-in-1 rear 48 MP Fusion camera with a single lens. Like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, it has optical-quality zoom in up to 2x, done by cropping a portion of the sensor. It is capable of recording 4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video at 25, 30 or 60 fps, or 720p HD video at 30 fps. The camera has an aperture of ƒ/1.6, autofocus, optical image stabilization, and a dual-LED True Tone flash. The front camera is a 12 MP TrueDepth module with an aperture of f/1.9 and autofocus, capable of shooting 4K video at 25, 30 or 60 fps and slow-motion video at 120 fps.
The iPhone 16e adds several camera functions enabled by the A18 with 4-core GPU (an entry-level successor to the A15 Bionic with 4-core GPU). Like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the rear camera supports Smart HDR 5, spatial audio recording, wind noise reduction, audio zoom and audio mix. Both the front and rear cameras of the iPhone 16e support Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting. However, the 16e's implementation of Portrait mode only supports human faces and lacks an option to change the focus point. Like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, Portrait mode has depth control and an advanced bokeh effect (blurring effect of the out-of-focus background around the portrait). The iPhone 16e supports Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Photographic Styles, and Night Mode but lacks some features such as Cinematic mode and Action mode.

#### Battery and charging

The iPhone 16e has a video playback duration up to 26 hours and an audio playback duration up to 90 hours.
Unlike other models in the family, the iPhone 16e does not have MagSafe connectivity. However, the iPhone still supports standard wireless charging up to 7.5W, via the Qi standard.

### Software

The iPhone 16e was originally supplied with iOS 18.3 at release on February 28, 2025, with a day one update available to iOS 18.3.1.
Like both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e also supports Apple Intelligence.

## Reception

iPhone 16e received generally positive reviews, with many praising the Apple C1 modem and battery life, but criticizing the price point and compromises, particularly at the lack of MagSafe.
Patrick Holland at CNET gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10. Holland conducted a head-to-head test between iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 Pro Max to compare the download and upload speeds of iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem and iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem. Holland conducted the test on AT&T's 5G network in both indoors and outdoors in San Francisco. Holland published the results of the test in a comparative table that shows iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem was able to match the download speed of iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem and iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem had a faster upload speed than iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem.
The Verge gave it a score of 7 out of 10, calling the device familiar, but when compared to the iPhone 16, video call quality and upload speeds on the 16e "would come out ahead", although there wasn't a consistent difference.
Julian Chokkattu at Wired, giving a score of 7 out of 10, was slightly more critical. Chokkattu said the US$599 price of the iPhone 16e felt $100 too high, and was for anyone who wanted a new phone that "just needs to be an iPhone." Chokkattu concluded that the 16e was perfectly reliable, but not a good value.