The iPhone 16E: Everything You Can’t Get for $599.
Apple’s latest low-cost phone has many high-end features and tools, but it also leaves out a lot of stuff in order to keep the price under $600.
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Preorders for Apple’s iPhone 16E are now open, with prices starting at $599. Perhaps the most appealing feature of the new phone, which launches on Friday, February 28, is that it starts at less than $600, $200 less than the iPhone 16. An A18 chip, a 48-megapixel primary camera, iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, and access to Apple services like Facetime, iMessage, and Emergency SOS via satellite are just a few of the top features included on the more costly iPhone 16E.
I mean, what more could you ask for?
Compromises were made in order to achieve that reduced pricing, just like with other reasonably priced phones. You may learn a lot about Apple’s principles from these exclusions, such as Apple Intelligence. The greatest budget phones always offer far more than just their low sticker price, and I’ve tested more of them than I can remember. When a business like Google, Motorola, or OnePlus strikes the right mix between what to include and what to leave out, it’s a welcome surprise. How did Apple fare, then?
Until I test and review the iPhone 16E, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself. But for the time being, let’s examine the characteristics that the iPhone 16E lacks.
Qi2 and MagSafe
It’s crazy that the iPhone 16E lacks MagSafe, which has grown to be a popular feature of iPhone ownership. Using magnets inside the phone to assist it wirelessly charge by making sure it’s in the best posture, MagSafe made its debut on the iPhone 12 in 2020. The ability to secure your iPhone to mounts, such as one in a car, and attach magnetic accessories, like a wallet or power pack, is an extra advantage of the magnets.
Wireless charging speeds of 25 watts are supported with the iPhone 16’s MagSafe. However, the iPhone 16E does not support Qi2 rates of 15W; instead, it only supports 7.5W wireless charging, the old Qi standard.
Macro and ultrawide cameras
In 2025, the iPhone 16E is quite unique in that it just has one rear camera. However, as I’ve stated in previous articles and evaluations, I would much prefer have one excellent camera than the two or three average ones that are frequently found on phones under $300. Although it is not exactly the same as having a second camera, the 48-megapixel sensor on the 16E’s primary camera has enough resolution for sensor cropping to provide a 2x magnification.
The iPhone 16’s specialised ultrawide camera, which also functions as a macro camera to focus on close-up subjects, such as food shots, cannot be replaced by sensor cropping.
Three grammes
With a weight of 167 grammes, the iPhone 16E is 3 grammes less than the iPhone 16. Hey, not everything that gets left out is terrible.
Island of Dynamic
The screen notch, a cutout at the top of the screen that houses the phone’s FaceID and selfie camera, is returning on the iPhone 16E. However, it is devoid of the iPhone 16’s Dynamic Island cutout, a smaller, oval-shaped hole at the top of the screen. Apple displays system notifications and background chores, such as music playing, in the screen area surrounding the Dynamic Island cutout. The absence of a Dynamic Island will obviously not stop the 16E from displaying alerts, but it still loses out on a useful software interface.
mmWave and Qualcomm 5G modem
Apple proudly highlighted the iPhone 16E’s in-house-designed 5G modem, C1, in its debut trailer. The Qualcomm 5G modems used in previous iPhone models are not included in the new Apple modem. Apple is able to customise the modem for their phones by designing it itself. The iPhone 16E’s battery life, according to Apple, is longer than that of other iPhone 16 models thanks to the upgraded modem.
Five cores for the GPU
Like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16E includes the A18 chip and can run Apple Intelligence, which is one of its greatest features. The chip isn’t precisely the same, though. The A18 chip in the iPhone 16 has five GPU cores, however the 16E chip only has four. What exactly does that mean, then? The good news is that using the iPhone 16E on a daily basis probably won’t be significantly impacted by the change. However, the iPhone 16 might have a small advantage if you spend a lot of time playing graphics-intensive games.
Button for Camera Control
Given that the 16E only has one camera, Apple’s decision to exclude the Camera Control button—which also initiates Visual Intelligence searches—makes logical.
Thread, Wi-Fi 7, and ultra-wideband
Because the iPhone 16E does not have Apple’s ultra-wideband processor, you will not be able to use Find My for AirTags’ Precision Tracking feature. Wi-Fi 6 is supported by the phone, but not the more recent 6E or 7 standards. Wi-Fi 6 speeds are good, but the 16E won’t be able to benefit from better peak speeds when more Wi-Fi 7 routers become available. Additionally, some smart home devices with an integrated Thread border router cannot be directly connected to the 16E, and it does not support Thread radio.
