iPhone 16e Does it make sense for me to buy a 16e?

[42545]

So what do you think about 16e's poor shooting at night or in dim environments? I will generally shoot in daylight or with a softbox. But I don't know, I'm not sure, on the one hand I want to buy it, on the other hand I'm not sure.

 

[Reverend Benny]

For the last few days I've been thinking about this: if I buy the 16 instead of the 16e, so if I pay more $500 extra (prices vary) , what extra do I get? Same screen (except brightness), almost the same chipset, the only difference seems to be the camera, but the 16e's camera is not bad. So what's the difference unless it's a pro model? I'm only worried about the radiation.

The radiation?

 

[42545]

I may have expressed it incorrectly and caused unnecessary suspicion. I was talking about the SAR value being 0.24 higher than the others.:.

 

[saber32au]

Would buying last years pro model (either the 15 pro or 15 pro max) be an option?

Appreciate you’re based in Turkey; if you check website such as FB marketplace, you should be able to buy a second hand 15 pro for the same price (if not cheaper) than a new 16.

I think of phones like cars now - they only modestly change from year to year

Agree! Year on year changes are minimal. Don’t be stupid enough to get suckered into Apple's FOMO marketing nonsense and enjoy your phone purchase (14, 15 or 16 series) for the next several years.

 

[42545]

Would buying last years pro model (either the 15 pro or 15 pro max) be an option?

Even now, the 15 pro is not cheaper than the 16, it is a bit more expensive. The 16e is around 1000 dollars while the 16 is around 1500 dollars.

Maybe I can do this: I'll buy 16e, use it for 3-5 months and if I have enough money I'll sell it and buy one of the new iPhones. That way I'll say goodbye to the perfect looking iOS.
Jokes aside, add Turkish language support for Apple Intelligence was something that made me happy at WWDC 2025.

I agree too. If I hadn't sold my first iPhone, the 13, I probably would have used it until now.

The 16e's camera worries me but I'll check it out. hmm...

 

[vvvvvv]

The radiation?

Think it may have already gotten to him

 

[42545]

I ordered a white iPhone 16e. It's coming tomorrow. I bought Apple's white silicone case. When I thought about it, 16e seemed like a logical option.

 

[EugW]

I ordered a white iPhone 16e. It's coming tomorrow. I bought Apple's white silicone case. When I thought about it, 16e seemed like a logical option.

I got the iPhone 16e for my daughter, but got a third party silicone case that was much, much cheaper than Apple's cases, and which also has (strong) MagSafe magnets built-in so it works fine on a MagSafe charging stand.

 

[iHorseHead]

Hi,
Actually, I wanted to wait for September and buy the 17 Pro, but it's 4 months away. On the other hand, I live in Turkey. 16 Pro is currently around 2000 dollars on Amazon. The government has very high taxes. The 16e is around 1150 dollars.

I stopped by a tech store a few hours ago today and looked at the phones again. 16e is actually not bad. I thought the single camera would be a problem. I'm still not sure.

What do I do with the phone, everything. Social media, producing content for YouTube, playing games, photo and videos... I used to use 13 and 14. I have had a backup of 14 on my computer for 2 years. I will install it.

Actually, one of my dreams is to shoot movies and series on YouTube with iPhone. Maybe it may not be extremely professional in the beginning, but I want to do my best and improve myself. I have experience in shooting and editing videos. I can't shoot log* videos with 16e. Maybe extra apps will allow log video, maybe it is not necessary at the beginning.

I have read some people are concerned about this because the SAR value of 16e is higher than the others. Will I get hurt?

Here, the Galaxy S25 and 16e are sold at the same price. This creates some hesitation. I can get used to the 60hz display, I haven't used 120hz display for a long time. The notch bothers me less than the dynamic island.

What do you think, should I buy 16e? Yes, 17 Pro will be very beautiful like 16 Pro. But constantly thinking about this and waiting keeps my mind busy for no reason. And since $1=₺39 and taxes (tax*tax*tax*tax) on top of taxes make the price more than double, it becomes very expensive. 16 is around 1500 dollars; cheaper can be found, but I don't trust everywhere.

Best

Get a Samsung. Samsung has much better camera than 16e.

 

[iHorseHead]

I ordered a white iPhone 16e. It's coming tomorrow. I bought Apple's white silicone case. When I thought about it, 16e seemed like a logical option.

Big mistake. Trust me. And for camera one would go for Sony Xperia.

 

[TgeekB]

Big mistake. Trust me. And for camera one would go for Sony Xperia.

Not for everyone. The Apple ecosystem can't be beat for many if us.

 

[EugW]

For those buying new, personally I don't think the iPhone 15 is really a very good option overall in 2025. IMO, for new non-Pro iPhones, the best choices are the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16. However, if you need Pro features, then the only new option is the 16 Pro line. (Some carriers still have new 15 Pros though.)

Compared to the iPhone 15, the 16e is missing some features like wide angle lens, but the 16e gets a bunch of advanced features like Photos Clean Up, Audio Mix, Apple Intelligence, and Visual Intelligence that the 15 doesn't have.

 

[jntdroid]

Compared to the iPhone 15, the 16e is missing some features like wide angle lens, but the 16e gets a bunch of advanced features like Photos Clean Up, Audio Mix, Apple Intelligence, and Visual Intelligence that the 15 doesn't have.

And a pretty significant battery bump!

 

[42545]

I got the iPhone 16e for my daughter, but got a third party silicone case that was much, much cheaper than Apple's cases, and which also has (strong) MagSafe magnets built-in so it works fine on a MagSafe charging stand.

I wasn't using Magsafe. On the other hand, Apple's case looks really nice, I love it.

Get a Samsung. Samsung has much better camera than 16e.

I thought about this a lot but I wasn't sure. Even 16e seems to show colors better.

Big mistake. Trust me. And for camera one would go for Sony Xperia.

I'm not sure. I thought of this as an interim device when I bought it. But it's not bad. Sony Xperia is not sold in Turkiye.

Not for everyone. The Apple ecosystem can't be beat for many if us.

Thanks. I'm not currently in the Apple ecosystem. I'm tempted to get a Macbook Air but I'm still looking.

And a pretty significant battery bump!

I charge it every 1-1.5 days.

The 16e's single camera is better than I thought it would be. It just eeh maybe a bit if there's not enough light, but it's not too bad.

I currently have 18.3. Should I update? Sometimes I feel like the battery percentages are draining quickly, but it still holds its charge well.

 

[iHorseHead]

I'm not sure. I thought of this as an interim device when I bought it. But it's not bad. Sony Xperia is not sold in Turkiye.

Burcu has one though 🤔 Weird.
Phone prices in Turkey are insane. I remember I bought an iPhone for my Turkish friend, because she said it's way cheaper here, so I thought it'd be a great birthday present for her and when she got it she was like "I gotta pay taxes on it" 😅
I believe a lot of MacRumors user's don't know what you're going through. Just like I get a lot of 😂 reactions when I say that I could pay 4 months worth of rent in my country for the price of the new iPhone 16 Pro Max and nobody believes me.

 

[42545]

I believe a lot of MacRumors user's don't know what you're going through. Just like I get a lot of 😂 reactions when I say that I could pay 4 months worth of rent in my country for the price of the new iPhone 16 Pro Max and nobody believes me.

I believe you.