Apple has announced a new iPhone, but no, it’s not the iPhone 17. Instead, it’s the next instalment in Apple’s cheaper line of smartphones – what used to be called the iPhone SE, but this model takes the name iPhone 16e.
That name change is significant. With the same amount of power as the iPhone 16, the same screen, and the same artificial intelligence features, this phone is very much part of the iPhone 16 range. However, because of its lower price, it does involve some compromises.
Wondering what the differences are between the iPhone 16e and standard iPhone 16? You’ve come to the right place…
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iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: design
The iPhone 16e looks very different to the last iPhone SE (which launched in 2022). Gone is the home button (and with it Touch ID fingerprint recognition for unlocking the phone and activating Apple Pay), and in its place comes a bigger screen with a newer panel technology. It still has the notch design (basically a cutout that eats into the screen to house the front-facing camera and Face ID facial recognition sensor) seen on older iPhones, whereas the iPhone 16 has the Dynamic Island (a snazzier animation that can change depending on which app you’re using to show you at-a-glance information).
There are some other design differences, too. The iPhone 16e only has a single camera lens on the back, whereas the iPhone 16 has two. The iPhone 16e only comes in two colours – white or black – while the standard 16 comes in three additional finishes: ultramarine, teal and pink. But in terms of dimensions, they’re nigh-on identical – the 16e is very slightly shorter, slimmer and lighter, but we’re talking by only a tiny amount.
In terms of protection, both phones are very well equipped, with Ceramic Shield front protection and IP68 water and dust resistance. Both have the Action button, which you can customise with a different function, but only the iPhone 16 has the Camera Control button—this jumps straight to the camera mode without having to wake the phone, so you can take photos that bit quicker.
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iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: price and release date
These compromises and more mean the iPhone 16e is a fair bit cheaper than the iPhone 16. It starts at £599 for the 128GB model. The equivalent capacity of iPhone 16 is £799. The 256GB iPhone 16e is £699 (compared to £899 for the standard iPhone 16), and the 512GB is £899 (£1,099 for the iPhone 16).
That makes the iPhone 16e more expensive than some Android rivals like the Google Pixel 8a (£499 for the 128GB model) and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE (£549 for 128GB). But with a £200 price gap between it and the iPhone 16, the 16e is comfortably the cheapest (modern) iPhone you can buy.
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: features
One of the biggest selling points of the iPhone 16e is Apple Intelligence. This is Apple’s take on artificial intelligence, and makes the phone much smarter. It helps with predictive text, makes interacting with the Siri personal assistant much more conversational, supercharges the phone’s photo editing skills, and much more. The iPhone 16 has the same AI abilities – made possible by both phones having the same A18 processor – but being much cheaper, the iPhone 16e makes AI more affordable and hence more accessible to more people.
However, the iPhone 16e only has a four-core graphics processing unit (GPU) compared to the iPhone 16’s more powerful five-core GPU. So the iPhone 16 should be the slightly smoother handset when it comes to gaming.
The iPhone 16e is also the first iPhone to feature Apple’s own C1 modem. Before launch, there were rumours that this would mean slightly slower upload and download speeds than the iPhone 16 (which features a modem made by chip giant Qualcomm), but we’ll have to wait until we’ve reviewed the iPhone 16e for ourselves to see if this rings true.
While both phones support wireless charging, the iPhone 16 is compatible with faster wireless charging speeds, meaning it will juice up faster when paired with a compatible wireless charger. The iPhone 16e also lacks MagSafe, so won’t ‘clip’ onto any of the MagSafe magnetic chargers, wallets, car holders and so on. This is disappointing, considering that MagSafe has been standard on iPhones since the iPhone 12 range. But costs have to be cut somewhere.
The cheaper handset actually outperforms its pricier stablemate in terms of battery life. According to Apple, the iPhone 16e manages 26 hours of video playback per charge, while the iPhone 16? Just 22 hours.
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: cameras
The camera is one of the biggest differences between the two phones. Not only does the iPhone 16e lack the Camera Control button for launching straight into the camera mode, but it also has fewer rear cameras than the iPhone 16.
The 16e has just one 48-megapixel shooter, whereas the iPhone 16 has that plus an extra 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. Not only does this make for better landscape photos (especially for shooting panoramas), but it also gives you a greater range of zoom options.
The iPhone 16 has a more advanced image stabilisation system, too, which can make the difference between sharp snaps and a blurry mess, especially if you’re shooting in low light. And the iPhone 16’s portrait mode has extra focus control to go with the 16e’s depth control. Other extras exclusive to the iPhone 16 include macro photography (for shooting insects and plants up close), Spatial photos and videos (admittedly only useful if you’re going to watch them back on an Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset), Cinematic mode and Action mode for silky smooth sports videos.
Some of these modes are quite niche and so will only appeal to hardcore smartphone photographers. But even casual snappers will notice a difference in quality between the iPhone 16e and the more advanced iPhone 16’s photos.
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: screen
Another big advancement of the iPhone 16e over the previous iPhone SE is the screen. Not only is the 16e’s display much bigger, it also uses a more advanced panel technology.
At 6.1 inches, the 16e’s screen is the same size as the iPhone 16’s (the last iPhone SE’s screen was just 4.7 inches big). And it uses the same OLED technology – this is the same panel tech used in high-end TVs, and allows for a greater difference between the light and dark parts of the picture, making for an image with more depth.
The 16 and 16e’s screens aren’t completely identical, however. The iPhone 16’s screen is ever so slightly brighter and is actually slightly bigger (6.12 inches compared to the 16e’s 6.06 inches). But to the naked eye, they look the same.
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: which should you buy?
It really depends on what you want from an iPhone. If you want the extra screen brightness, you take a lot of photos, and you want magnetic accessories, go for the standard iPhone 16. The SE range always provided a taste of the iPhone at a much lower price, and the iPhone 16e does that and more. It is more expensive than the previous SE models, though, but it does bring artificial intelligence and an OLED screen to a much lower price.
There are some compromises compared to the iPhone 16, however, most notably the camera and no MagSafe magnetic abilities. But with the same processor, AI, a longer battery life than the iPhone 16 and a much-improved screen, the iPhone 16e is a cheap(er) iPhone that brings a lot to the party.
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