How does the 16e compare to the rest of the iPhone line-up?
19 February 2025, 19:14
Apple has said its ‘more affordable’ handset offers many of the same key features, but at a lower price.
Apple has added a new handset to its iPhone 16 line-up, introducing the 16e as a new entry-level device.
The tech giant said the new phone has many of the same key features as the rest of the iPhone 16 range, but will be “more affordable”.
So how does the 16e compare to the rest of the iPhone line-up?
– Power and performance
Apple said the new 16e is powered by its own A18 processor – the same chip that powers the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus – and has the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display as the 16.
Running Apple’s latest software – iOS 18 – alongside the A18 means the 16e can run Apple Intelligence, the suite of artificial intelligence tools that until now was only accessible to iPhone users with a 16 or a 15 Pro.
Apple claims the battery life on the 16e is the best it has ever offered on an iPhone of this size.
– Camera
Unlike the flagship iPhone 16 devices announced in September, the 16e does not come with a multi-camera system, and only has one rear camera lens.
Apple calls this two-in-one camera system with a 48-megapixel Fusion lens and an integrated 12-megapixel telephoto lens.
However, this short of the dual camera system available on the next cheapest iPhone, the 16, which as well as the two-in-one camera also has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens.
The 16 Pro models have an even more powerful triple camera system.
– Other hardware
As is now the norm for iPhone models, the 16e comes with a USB-C connector for charging and wired data transfer, the same as on most other electronic devices these days, including Apple Mac computers and the iPad.
However, the iPhone 16e does not support the “floating” Dynamic Island at the top of the screen which houses the front-facing camera and can also show small snippets of information, which is found across the rest of the 16 range.
Instead it has the older “notch” at the top of the screen, which still houses the front-facing camera but cannot display any animations or information.
But it does include the Action Button, also found in the iPhone 16 range, which can instantly open a favourite feature instantly, and can be used to launch Visual Intelligence, Apple’s image-based AI search tool for finding out more about subjects and objects spotted through the camera.
– Price
Starting at £599, it the 16e is £200 cheaper than the next cheapest device, the base model iPhone 16.
Prices rise to £899 for an iPhone 16 Plus, £999 for a 16 Pro and £1,199 for the flagship 16 Pro Max.
