Apple has launched its cheapest new iPhone, with many of the same key features as the rest of the iPhone 16 range.
So what should you know before buying one? Here, we take a look at some of its key components.
Price
First off, while it is billed as “more affordable”, this is still Apple we’re talking about.
The iPhone 16e will set you back £599 which, while £200 cheaper than the base model iPhone 16, is hardly budget when compared to Android models.
It replaces the £429 iPhone SE as the cheapest handset in Apple’s lineup – a considerable price increase.
Prices rise to £899 for an iPhone 16 Plus, £999 for a 16 Pro and £1,199 for the flagship 16 Pro Max.
Hardware
Say goodbye to the home button. With the replacement of the iPhone SE, its slow death has finally come to an end.
And as is now the norm for iPhone models, the 16e comes with a USB-C connector for charging and wired data transfer.
But it holds on to the older “notch” at the top of the screen that houses the front-facing camera.
The rest of the iPhone 16 range have a floating island where the camera can be found that displays small icons, animations and snippets of information.
The 16e does come with the action button found on other 16s, which opens a favourited feature or Apple’s camera-based AI search tool.
Performance
The 16e is powered by the same chip in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, an A18 processor, and the latest software, iOS 18, meaning it can run Apples AI tools.
Until now, they were only accessible to iPhone users with a 16 or a 15 Pro.
It also has the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display as the 16.
Apple claims the battery life on the 16e is the best it has ever offered on an iPhone of this size.
Camera
This is where the lower price point starts to make a difference.
Unlike the flagship iPhone 16 devices, the 16e only has one rear camera lens.
Apple has called this a two-in-one camera system with one 48-megapixel lens and an integrated 12-megapixel telephoto lens.
It lacks the 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens available on the next model up.
The 16 Pro models have an even more powerful triple camera system.
