As is often the case these days, the rumours about Apple unveiling its new iPhone SE sometime in March or April were mostly accurate. The iPhone 16E features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display and a design largely inspired by the iPhone 14. This is a significant improvement, especially considering how outdated the previous iPhone SE looked.
What are the new changes in the iPhone 16E?
The iPhone 16E has a 6.1-inch OLED display like the iPhone 16 but with some differences.
The changes are twofold: the Touch ID button is gone, replaced by a notch at the top of the display housing the Face ID module. The body is made of aluminium, and on the side, you’ll find an Action button that can be customised for nearly any function. However, the iPhone 16E doesn’t include the Camera Control button – this is reserved for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The phone also features a USB-C port supporting speeds of up to 480Mbps.
With the Action button on iPhone 16e, users can also access visual intelligence to learn about objects and places around them.
As anticipated, the iPhone 16E comes with a single camera: a 48MP Fusion camera with a 2x telephoto mode. It includes Night Mode (a feature missing in the iPhone SE) and supports 4K Dolby Vision video recording.
Big changes lie beneath the surface. The iPhone 16E is powered by Apple’s A18 chip, though it differs slightly from the version found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. The 16E variant has four GPU cores, compared to the five in the higher-end models. While this is not a huge difference, it is worth noting. More importantly, the A18 chip enables Apple Intelligence, bringing features such as Writing Tools, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, and more to the iPhone 16E.
iPhone 16e features USB-C, so the same cable can charge iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods, and other devices.
Also new inside is Apple’s C1 chip, the company’s first in-house 5G modem. Apple claims it’s the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone, contributing to the iPhone 16E’s impressive battery life of up to 26 hours. Remarkably, this is 4 hours more than the iPhone 16, despite the two phones having nearly identical dimensions and weight.
When will the iPhone 16E be launched in stores?
On paper, the iPhone 16E looks like a solid option, and it will be interesting to see if its starting price of $949 proves compelling enough for the market. Pre-orders begin on 21 February at 9pm SGT, with the phone available in stores on February 28.
What is the difference between the iPhone 16E and iPhone 16?
iPhone 16E on the left, iPhone 16 on the right
The iPhone 16E is Apple’s newest entry-level iPhone, and it marks a clear departure from the model it replaces: the third-generation iPhone SE from three years ago. Gone are the bulky bezels and the outdated Touch ID button, replaced by a more modern design with Face ID and Apple Intelligence.
Display
While the iPhone 16E also features a Super Retina XDR OLED display, it doesn’t get quite as bright as the iPhone 16. The maximum brightness of the 16E’s display is 800 nits for standard content, reaching up to 1,200 nits for HDR content. In comparison, the iPhone 16 boasts a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits for standard content, peaking at 1,600 nits for HDR and 2,000 nits in direct sunlight.
Beyond brightness, the iPhone 16E lacks the iPhone 16’s Dynamic Island. Instead, it has a simple notch housing the Face ID module.
Processor
The iPhone 16E's A18 chip is missing one GPU core.
The iPhone 16E’s A18 chip is slightly less powerful than the one in the iPhone 16. Though both chips have six CPU cores, the iPhone 16E’s A18 has just four GPU cores, compared to the five found in the iPhone 16. How this affects performance remains to be seen. Below is a quick overview of the A18 chips in the iPhone 16 family.
Camera
The iPhone 16E only has a single rear 48MP camera.
The iPhone 16E features a single 48MP Fusion camera that shares several similarities with the one in the iPhone 16. Both cameras have the same resolution, f/1.6 aperture lens, and 2x zoom option. They also support photography technologies like Deep Fusion and Photonic Engine and both use the Smart HDR 5 image processing pipeline.
However, the iPhone 16E’s camera lacks some advanced features, such as the ability to change focus in post-production and the latest Photographic Styles, which allows for greater control over tones, colours, and highlights. Additionally, the iPhone 16E, with its single camera, lacks the ultra-wide mode and macro mode found in the iPhone 16.
Camera Control
The iPhone 16E has an Action Button, but no Camera Control.
The iPhone 16E comes with an Action Button but lacks Camera Control. Some may see this as a gimmick, but I personally found it genuinely useful – especially on a recent holiday. It’s also helpful for triggering Visual Intelligence, an Apple Intelligence feature that provides information about the world around you.
Connectivity
C1 is the first modem designed by Apple to be used in an iPhone.
The iPhone 16E supports 5G, thanks to Apple’s new C1 chip, the company’s first in-house modem. However, it doesn’t support the newer and faster Wi-Fi 7 standard. Additionally, it lacks the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, so it doesn’t support Precision Finding with a compatible Apple Watch.
Colours
For those who enjoy colourful phones, the iPhone 16E might be a letdown – it only comes in black and white. In contrast, the iPhone 16 offers five colours: black, white, silver, pink, and ultramarine.
This article is adapted from stories that first appeared in HardwareZone