iPhone 16e Review: The Most Affordable iPhone No Longer Offers the Best Value

The iPhone SE is officially dead. Honestly, I won’t miss it. In 2025, the Home button design felt outdated. Apple needed a refreshed product that aligns with its core software focus: Apple Intelligence.

Artificial intelligence can be demanding and requires substantial RAM. As such, Apple equipped the new iPhone 16e with more advanced hardware than what the SE lineup typically offered.

However, the fundamental philosophy remains unchanged. The 16e is an entry-level iPhone designed to keep the price accessible. After thoroughly testing it, I can confidently say whether it’s worth purchasing. So, get comfortable–Apple’s latest addition to the iPhone family has a lot to offer.

iPhone 16e Specs

Design: A Return to the Past

Taking the iPhone 16e out of the box feels like a step back in time. You might not notice any significant evolution unless you’re coming from an iPhone 11. The sides of the iPhone 16e are identical to those of the iPhone 14, 13, and even the 12. This isn’t necessarily negative. In fact, the industry has shifted to mimic Apple’s flat-edge design, which is both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

The build quality remains consistently high, which is reassuring. The device’s back is finished in glass. It resists fingerprints well and looks much better in person than in photos. It truly is a beautiful phone.

Additionally, the phone weighs only 167 grams–a real relief in an era when many phones exceed 200 grams.

With just one camera, its appearance is understated and somewhat bland. However, this isn’t necessarily a drawback. There’s no bulky camera module or excessive embellishments–just a small ring located in the upper left corner, epitomizing simplicity.

In a world filled with disproportionately large camera modules, I appreciate having a phone that actually looks like a phone rather than a device overwhelmed by a hodgepodge of cameras.

When you turn to the front, the nostalgia intensifies. With the iPhone 16e, Apple returns to the iPhone 13’s notch, which the company hasn’t used in more than two years. The bezels are also noticeably thick, which is typical for the non-Pro models.

The customizable Action button is featured on the left side. At this point, I need to thank Apple for not reverting to the mute switch, even though it functioned well. One thing is absent: the Camera Control button of the flagship models. Honestly, I didn’t miss it.

In short, the iPhone 16e phone feels like an updated version of the iPhone 13 or 14, featuring an Action button and one fewer camera. While the build quality is excellent, it ultimately feels like using a device from a few years ago.

Display: Numbers Don’t Lie

The iPhone 16e features the same display specs as the iPhone 13. It has an OLED Super Retina XDR display that’s HDR10-compatible, with a typical brightness of 800 nits and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. However, it remains limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate. You shouldn’t encounter significant issues if you’re upgrading from an earlier iPhone model. However, you’ll likely notice the difference if you’re coming from an Android device with a 120 Hz refresh rate.

The panel may have been enough three or four years ago when Android competitors had yet to fully enter the brightness and calibration race. Today, I can confidently say that this display is one of the weakest in its price range. As with any Apple product, its calibration is its strength. Apple remains nearly unbeatable in this area, and the combination of the calibration with True Tone is impressive.

In terms of brightness, the iPhone 16e falls short compared to Google’s Pixel 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy S25. If you think this isn’t a fair comparison because those models are slightly more expensive, consider previous-generation devices such as the Pixel 8 and the Galaxy S24. The outcome is the same.

Is this a bad screen? Not at all. iPhones have never featured poor displays. However, with the 60 Hz refresh rate and low peak brightness, it struggles to compete against almost any phone in its price range.

Sound: A Small Joy

The main drawback of this phone’s dual speakers is their maximum volume level. While acceptable, it’s lower than what its direct competitors currently offer.

Apple has consistently excelled in sound calibration, making the audio quality significantly superior to many current high-end devices. In fact, I can confidently say that the iPhone 16e’s sound quality surpasses that of the Pixel 9 or Galaxy S25 in terms of calibration. The bass and midrange response are impressive, especially given the phone’s small size.

Performance: An iPhone Is Always an iPhone

The iPhone 16e features the same processor as the iPhone 16, which is excellent news. It’s equipped with the Apple A18 Bionic chip, though it has one less GPU core. Additionally, the device comes with up to 512 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM to support the Apple Intelligence features.

This model is the first phone to be equipped with Apple’s C1 modem, which is reportedly more efficient than Qualcomm’s modem. In my tests, I’ve noticed improved mobile signal in areas where I barely had any with the iPhone 16 Pro. The new modem is a step in the right direction.

Notably, this phone doesn’t include the Apple UltraWideband (UWB) chip. As an AirTag and AirPods user, I find it disappointing that the tracking tools that use UWB are absent. The cost of implementing this feature is minimal, and its absence affects usability, particularly for products within the Apple ecosystem.

Additionally, this phone’s USB-C port supports USB 2.0, which has theoretical transfer speeds of 480 Mbps. This isn’t a major concern to me, given that I’ve never transferred data from my iPhone to a computer using a cable, but it might be to you.

The iPhone 16e’s performance is excellent, which isn’t surprising. Although it features a quad-core GPU instead of a five-core one, the difference is hardly noticeable. The phone runs the latest games at full resolution and often performs better in graphics than many Android devices due to the way games are optimized for iOS. However, being limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate can make the gameplay experience feel a bit weird.

The device supports ray tracing and can get slightly warm during extended use, but this is typical for iPhones. I do find the benchmark data intriguing. While the CPU performance is outstanding, the GPU results are lower than the five-core GPU in the iPhone 14.

Biometrics

The iPhone 16e says goodbye to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor and adopts the classic Face ID feature found in modern iPhones. There isn’t much to say here. It works almost flawlessly, boasting robust APIs that allow integration with third-party apps. It natively supports payment transactions, unlocking and locking apps, password autofill, and more. Without a doubt, it’s the best facial biometric system available on any smartphone.

Software: Compatible With Apple Intelligence, but You’ll Have to Wait for It

There aren’t many surprises with this phone: It’s an iPhone and runs on iOS. The key is its compatibility with Apple Intelligence, allowing users to access this AI system in the spring. For now, only beta testers with a developer profile can use these features, which remain in development.

Otherwise, iOS 18 is a proven system that works exceptionally well and is more customizable than ever. Users can place icons anywhere, benefit from improvements to native apps (Passwords, Gallery, new Journal app), and avoid bloatware beyond Apple’s native apps—many of which you can uninstall. Everything functions seamlessly.

With Apple Intelligence, Siri will integrate with GPT-4o and gain additional features. However, users must wait. There’s no news on the update cycle for this phone, but it should match the iPhone 16.

Battery: Small and Not So Powerful

The iPhone 16e forgoes a camera, which has a significant advantage: a slightly larger battery. Specifically, it holds 3,961 mAh. For context, an iPhone 16 has a 3,561 mAh battery, while a Pixel 9 has a 4,700 mAh battery.

However, if one phone proves capacity isn’t everything, it’s the iPhone. This generation reinforces that idea—but not in a good way. The iPhone 16e’s battery lasts a full day. I’m not a long-time user, but reaching seven hours of screen time daily is manageable.

The iPhone 16 (the model I have at home, along with the Pro) lasts about the same. Despite its larger battery, it doesn’t outlast the other iPhone 16 models.

Several factors contribute to this: The panel is old and inefficient, especially compared to newer LTPO models. The modem should be more efficient, and the GPU should consume less power.

The charging speed sustains 18 W but peaks at 24 W with a 65 W GaN charger. It takes just over half an hour to charge to 50%, with a full cycle taking nearly two hours—poor figures for heavy users.

By the way, the iPhone 16e lacks MagSafe but supports 7.5 W wireless charging. Without MagSafe, it doesn’t have the magnet system for attaching accessories and chargers. However, for those who use a traditional wireless charging pad and don’t carry a wallet with their phone, it’s not a major drawback.

Camera (Yes, Just One Camera)

I can’t remember the last time I reviewed a phone with a single camera. That makes it easier to summarize but may disappoint potential buyers. The iPhone 16e has a 48-megapixel sensor. Based on resolution, you might think it shares a sensor with the iPhone 16, but aperture and focal length data suggest otherwise.

The iPhone 16e uses the same ultra-wide sensor as the iPhone 16 Pro—but as its main sensor. It’s a 1/2.55” sensor (very small) with a 26 mm focal length. Compared to the iPhone 14’s sensor, it’s 2.2 times smaller. Compared to the iPhone 14 Pro’s, it’s four times smaller. This is a major downgrade from the iPhone 16, which shoots at 24 mm, 26 mm, and 28mm.

The front camera is the same as the iPhone 16. However, this is the only current iPhone that doesn’t use 100% Focus Pixels, instead relying on “Hybrid Pixels.”

Apple’s term “Focus Pixels” refers to phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) technology, where sensor pixels contribute to autofocus. A 100% Focus Pixel camera uses every sensor pixel for faster, more accurate focusing, especially in low light. A hybrid system limits the number of pixels used for focusing.

The Camera app is identical to other iPhones, though newer photography styles are absent. It includes Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 5.

Daytime Photography

Daytime results were better than expected. Despite the weak sensor, photos resemble those from other iPhones, including Pro models. The images have Apple’s signature look: warm white balance, some digital sharpening (more than I prefer), and restrained contrast.

Since iPhones now shoot at 24 megapixels, image quality has improved over previous generations. The sensor is small, but Apple’s processing compensates, and its native resolution doubles that of competitors. It won’t rank in the top 10, but given its hardware, I expected worse results.

The biggest difference from other iPhone 16 models is in fine detail. This camera captures less sharpness.

Because the sensor is small, depth of field is deep (less background blur), making portrait mode essential for artistic shots.

Having 48 megapixels allows for 2x zoom at 12-megapixel resolution (not truly lossless—you can see quality loss). It’s not an impressive zoom, but a 52 mm focal length is useful for a phone with a single camera.

Portraits

As with all iPhones, portrait mode is strong. It lacks the usual sharpness of higher-end models, but the experience is solid. However, segmentation of fine details, like hair, isn’t as precise as on Pro models.

Night Photography

Nighttime results mirror daytime performance. Despite sensor limitations, it holds up well. The lack of sharpness is more noticeable than in other iPhone 16 models. However, for users who don’t zoom in, image quality remains similar to larger-sensor iPhones.

Selfies

There’s no cropping option for selfies. It uses the same 12-megapixel, 1/3.6” sensor as other iPhone 16 models, delivering excellent results. Cloudy weather prevented testing in intense backlighting, but it’s a familiar and reliable camera.

Video

The iPhone 16e records 4K at 60 FPS in Dolby Vision and supports spatial audio. Despite its small sensor, video quality surpasses many competitors.

iPhone 16e: Xataka’s Opinion

I can’t recommend the iPhone 16e. I usually argue that every phone suits a particular audience, but in this case, I wouldn’t advise buying it. Market context is crucial.

This iPhone lacks MagSafe, an ultra-wideband chip, Wi-Fi 7, high maximum brightness, a Dynamic Island, the latest Ceramic Shield, an ultra-wide camera, and current photography styles—despite having hardware capable of supporting them.

I’d recommend an iPhone 15 Pro instead. It’s available on Amazon for $700. Even the iPhone 16, often found for around $700, is a much better choice. I won’t compare Android options at this price, as that’s another discussion.

Is it a bad phone? No. Does it have a place in the 2025 market? Not really. Its screen and single-camera setup fall short, with the processor as its only standout feature. I understand the goal of offering an entry-level iPhone, but the 16e compromises too much—even on basic expectations for an iPhone.

With the previous iPhone SE, users sacrificed features for value. This generation fails on both fronts. If you still choose it, the good news is you’re getting a solid phone. I liked its battery life and simplicity. Performance is among the best, and iOS remains iOS. Those are inherent advantages of a modern iPhone that even this model retains.

Images | Xataka On

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