Apple has just announced the iPhone 16e, which will cost $899. That’s $320 more than the iPhone SE from several years ago. The iPhone 16e offers some major improvements over the SE, but is it enough to justify the higher price?
The 16e features elements found on a variety of newer iPhones, leaving the outdated design of the iPhone SE in the past. The new phone seems to take parts from the iPhone 13 and even the iPhone 16. For example, it has a 6.1-inch display that seems straight from the iPhone 13, which has the exact pixel resolution (1170 x 2532), 800 nits of brightness, and 1,200 nits of peak brightness.
Camera-wise, you’re looking at a similar shooter to the iPhone 16 with a 48-megapixel Fusion camera capable of taking high-resolution photos with 2x zoom. That said, it is missing the ultra-wide camera found on the iPhone 15 and 16.
The handset also has the Action Button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro series. Users can customize the Action Button with tons of functionality, such as toggling mute, activating certain features like Focus mode, activating voice control and more. Plus with the new iPhone 16e you can even use visual intelligence from the Action button.
The iPhone 16e also has the A18 chip with a 4-core GPU, which is one core less than the version of the A18 chip found in the iPhone 16. On a day-to-day basis, this shouldn’t make a difference, but if you play a lot of games, you may want a phone with more GPU power. The iPhone 16e also lacks the Camera Control feature that debuted on the 16 series, but that’s likely not a make-or-break feature for most casual iPhone buyers.
If you were a fan of the iPhone SE you’ll be sad to see Apple has retired the home button and Touch ID. The SE was also the last iPhone device with a Lightning port, which also lays to rest the aging charging spec. Check out a full comparison of the specs below:
iPhone 16e
iPhone SE (2022)
iPhone 13
iPhone 16
Display
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display (2532 x 1170 pixel resolution)
4.7-inch, Retina HD, LCD display, 1334 x 750 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2532 x 1170 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2532 x 1170 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
Processor
A18 Bionic chip
Apple A15 Bionic
A15 Bionic chip
A18 Bionic chip
RAM
N/A
4GB
N/A
N/A
Storage
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Dimensions (in.)
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.80mm
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight
167g
148g
173g
170g
Rear Facing Camera
48-megapixel (f/1.6, 2x optical zoom)
12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle)
12-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra-wide)
48-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra-wide)
Front Facing Camera
12-megapixel (f/1.9)
7-megapixel (f/2.2)
12-megapixel (f/2.2)
12-megapixel (f/1.9)
OS
iOS 18
iOS 15
iOS 15
iOS 18
Battery
Up to 26 hours of video playback
Up to 19 hours of video playback
N/A
Network Connectivity
LTE/ 5G
LTE/ 5G
LTE/ 5G
LTE/ 5G
Sensors
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Touch ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
SIM Type
Nano SIM, eSIM
Nano SIM, eSIM
Nano SIM, eSIM
Nano SIM, eSIM
Launch Date
February 19, 2025
March 18, 2022
September 24, 2021
September 20, 2024
Misc
Colours: Black, White
Colours: Starlight, Midnight, Product Red
Colours: Black, Pink, Product Red, Blue, White |
Colours: Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Display
iPhone 16e
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display (2532 x 1170 pixel resolution)
iPhone SE (2022)
4.7-inch, Retina HD, LCD display, 1334 x 750 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
iPhone 13
6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2532 x 1170 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
iPhone 16
6.1-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 2532 x 1170 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
Processor
iPhone 16e
A18 Bionic chip
iPhone SE (2022)
Apple A15 Bionic
iPhone 13
A15 Bionic chip
iPhone 16
A18 Bionic chip
RAM
iPhone 16e
N/A
iPhone SE (2022)
4GB
iPhone 13
N/A
iPhone 16
N/A
Storage
iPhone 16e
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
iPhone SE (2022)
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
iPhone 13
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
iPhone 16
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Dimensions (in.)
iPhone 16e
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.80mm
iPhone SE (2022)
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm
iPhone 13
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm
iPhone 16
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight
iPhone 16e
167g
iPhone SE (2022)
148g
iPhone 13
173g
iPhone 16
170g
Rear Facing Camera
iPhone 16e
48-megapixel (f/1.6, 2x optical zoom)
iPhone SE (2022)
12-megapixel (f/1.8, OIS, wide angle)
iPhone 13
12-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra-wide)
iPhone 16
48-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, OIS, ultra-wide)
Front Facing Camera
iPhone 16e
12-megapixel (f/1.9)
iPhone SE (2022)
7-megapixel (f/2.2)
iPhone 13
12-megapixel (f/2.2)
iPhone 16
12-megapixel (f/1.9)
OS
iPhone 16e
iOS 18
iPhone SE (2022)
iOS 15
iPhone 13
iOS 15
iPhone 16
iOS 18
Battery
iPhone 16e
Up to 26 hours of video playback
iPhone SE (2022)
iPhone 13
Up to 19 hours of video playback
iPhone 16
N/A
Network Connectivity
iPhone 16e
LTE/ 5G
iPhone SE (2022)
LTE/ 5G
iPhone 13
LTE/ 5G
iPhone 16
LTE/ 5G
Sensors
iPhone 16e
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
iPhone SE (2022)
Touch ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
iPhone 13
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
iPhone 16
Face ID, Three axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
SIM Type
iPhone 16e
Nano SIM, eSIM
iPhone SE (2022)
Nano SIM, eSIM
iPhone 13
Nano SIM, eSIM
iPhone 16
Nano SIM, eSIM
Launch Date
iPhone 16e
February 19, 2025
iPhone SE (2022)
March 18, 2022
iPhone 13
September 24, 2021
iPhone 16
September 20, 2024
Misc
iPhone 16e
Colours: Black, White
iPhone SE (2022)
Colours: Starlight, Midnight, Product Red
iPhone 13
Colours: Black, Pink, Product Red, Blue, White |
iPhone 16
Colours: Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
iPhone 16e pre-orders launch on February 21st, and the phone will be available on the 28th.
Header image credit: Apple
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