They actually do sell last year's phone (15) at the same price. It's crazy.
Interesting note about the feel... that's exactly how the base iPad feels: cheap.
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Review: A Week With iPhone 16e
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Interesting note about the feel... that's exactly how the base iPad feels: cheap.
I'm at the same point. I kind of regret splurging on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. It was nice that it also got the apple intelligence features, but I'm really thinking about dropping down to the regular models when it's time to replace this one.
I picked up an iPhone 16e and a 17$ ESR case that puts MagSafe RIGHT back on the phone. Works with all my MagSafe stuff JUST FINE. Oh and it still does that sideways charging thing with the alarm clock and the calendar in red at night on my Anker MagSafe charger. (I traded in a 12 mini for the 16e through TMO for 0$ out of pocket). If you have an 11 Pro or 12 series, it will have 0$ in trade in come fall when the 17 lineup comes out.
It's been a week since Apple released the iPhone 16e, its new low-cost (but not as low-cost as before) smartphone. The iPhone 16e has many of the same capabilities as Apple's flagship iPhones, but it is lacking in some key areas to save money. So, is it worth the savings? MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera spent a week with the iPhone 16e as his main iPhone to see what he could live without.
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At $599, the iPhone 16e is quite a bit more expensive than the iPhone SE 3 that it replaces, but it offers a current-generation A18 chip, an all-display design with Face ID instead of Touch ID and OLED technology, a 48-megapixel single-lens rear camera, long battery life, USB-C, and safety features like Emergency SOS via Satellite and Crash Detection, all of which were not in the iPhone SE.
Most iPhones have had two or more cameras for several years now, so the single-lens camera on the iPhone 16e is surprisingly subtle and makes for a clean, minimal design where the camera isn't the dominant feature drawing the eye. There's also less weight with the slimmed down camera setup, so it doesn't feel heavy in the hand. You can only get the iPhone 16e in black or white, but they're classic colors.
Since Apple slimmed down the bezels with the flagship iPhone 16 lineup, the bezels on the iPhone 16e are more noticeable, but that's something that will mostly only come up when it's right next to an iPhone 16. Apple modeled the iPhone 16e after the iPhone 14, so it's also got a notch instead of a Dynamic Island. The OLED display doesn't support 120Hz, and it's not quite as bright as what you get with the iPhone 16. You're also not going to get the always-on display, and if that's something you're used to, you might miss it. But if you've never had that functionality, you won't know the difference.
There's no Camera Control button, but you do get an Action Button and support for all of the Apple Intelligence features, including Visual Intelligence. It's just activated from the Control Center or Action Button instead of Camera Control. The Camera Control button isn't something most people will likely care about. The A18 chip is basically the same chip you get in the iPhone 16, but with one less GPU core, a change that's not super noticeable.
Apple added a USB-C port for charging, but one major absence is support for MagSafe and Qi2. There is no magnetic ring in the iPhone 16e, so it does not work with all of the magnetic accessories that have come out for iPhones over the last several years. It's also limited to 7.5W charging speeds instead of the 15W you can get with MagSafe or Qi2, and that's a big downside.
If you've never had MagSafe, you won't mind charging primarily with a cable, but if you have MagSafe accessories already, it's going to be a downgrade.
The 48-megapixel camera is about the same as the camera in the iPhone 16, and it can take 1x and 2x photos. You don't get a Telephoto lens with 5x zoom or an Ultra Wide lens with 0.5x zoom and macro photo capabilities, but those are more niche camera features that are more nice to have than essential.
The iPhone 16e has one unique component, and that's Apple's C1 modem. So far, it seems to be performing about the same as Qualcomm's modem chip, though there is no support for the faster mmWave 5G networks. We didn't see any notable speed difference between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16e when testing the devices on Verizon's network, but the C1 modem actually seemed to be more reliable in some instances where signal was low.
Did you get an iPhone 16e? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
Article Link: Review: A Week With iPhone 16e
just got one … my 15 pro feels like a brick compared to this. I can also go case-less without too much worry.
This is the smallest/lightest phone I can get with apple I guess.
This is the smallest/lightest phone I can get with apple I guess.
The Pro is also $100 more, so you're still dealing with a $400 gap
The 15 and 16 are $100 and $200 more respectively, and they also have USB2 speeds. I get that's a frustration for some, but faster USB speeds should not be an expectation for this phone.
That’s good to know. My next iPhone will likely have an Action Button and I was wondering if it was going to be any use at all.
Nice phone at a questionable price. I’ll probably say the same when they raise prices on the Pro models.
Same here. My previous 3-4 iPhones had MagSafe (as does my current phone), but never used it. And have no desire to. Same with my wife.
I wouldn't be shocked if people looking for a basic well-priced iPhone care either. It's an excellent value.
Same for me. I’m still thinking about getting it and just using a case that has it. Ugh.
I use cables to download all pictures off of the phone in image capture. MUCH faster than trying to WiFi it
Since Tim Crook raised the price substantially from that of the iPhone SE 3, the least he could've done was to include exact same main camera with the exact same and same-sized sensor of the iPhone 16 Pro's camera. But instead, Tim Crook, in his typical fashion, raised prices while giving customers less value for their money in order to maximize profits.
This might be why some people are a little confused by your questions and responses about what Magsafe is good for:
You tell us you have no use for Magsafe, which is reasonable, and ask what it is about Magsafe that other people find useful, hoping someone will come up with a reason that you might also find useful that you’re not aware of. That’s a good question, and when people describe uses for it that work for them, it’s reasonable to say those things wouldn’t be useful for you, but you also seem to be dismissing the reasons other people find Magsafe to be useful for themselves, as if these reasons are frivolous since you don't find them useful.
why not have a case with a magnetic ring. Who cares if the actual phone has MagSafe?
No need for a charger to get it to do the sideways thing. I just plug in the USB cable, then prop it up sideways against books or other things I have on my nightstand, and the clock / calendar view comes up. Well, I have it set to show the clock and weather.
And for people who don't want to put their iPhone into a case, they can just buy a magnetic ring and stick it on the back of their phone. Though I'm guessing many people prefer the smooth back of an unadorned iPhone.