A new iPhone in February?! Apple launched the iPhone 16E on its site Wednesday, bringing a much-needed overhaul to the iPhone SE from 2022 with an all-new design, processor and Apple Intelligence features.
The iPhone 16E starts at $599 (£599, AU$999), which is $170 more than the previous SE’s $429 starting price. By contrast, the regular iPhone 16 starts at $799. The price puts the phone towards the higher end of the affordable phone market, between rivals like the $499 Google Pixel 8A and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE, which starts at $650.
The iPhone 16E will be available to preorder this Friday, Feb. 21, and will go on sale on Friday, Feb. 28.
Its design is based on the iPhone 14’s body and in lieu of a mute switch there’s an Action button for activating a shortcut. Since the iPhone 16E lacks a Camera Control button, you’ll be able to trigger Visual Intelligence searches with the Action button. The phone has a USB-C port for charging (instead of the iPhone 14’s Lightning port).
The iPhone 16E marks the end of Apple selling a phone with a home button, which defined the first decade of iPhone designs, dating back to the original one. The iPhone 16E also has a 6.1-inch screen, which means that no longer Apple sells a truly small iPhone option. But the screen, locked at a 60Hz refresh rate, seems like a miss by Apple when the majority of budget Android handsets sport high refresh-rate displays starting at 90Hz.
The iPhone 16E has an Action button that can trigger a shortcut or start a Visual Intelligence search.
At a time when phone-makers have bet their success on implementing custom artificial intelligence features faster than their rivals, Apple makes it clear that its AI isn’t limited to its expensive flagship devices. Powering the iPhone 16E is Apple’s A18 chip (the same one found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus) so it can run Apple Intelligence. This makes the new Apple phone a rarity: a sub-$600 device that can run the same AI features as its more expensive siblings.
The iPhone 16E has something no other iPhone has: an Apple-designed 5G modem. It’s called the C1 chip and in a launch video on Apple’s site, the company claims that it is the “most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone.” Apple also says that the combination of the A18 and C1 chip raises the efficiency and adds up to a longer battery life.
The original iPhone SE launched in 2016 and its design was based on the iPhone 5S. SE stood for “special edition,” though over the years some of us have referred to it as “small edition.” In 2020, Apple launched the second-generation iPhone SE with a design based on the iPhone 8 but with the A13 Bionic processor from the iPhone 11 series. In 2022, the third-generation iPhone SE launched. Its design was largely similar to the 2020 version, but it had the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 series.
With the name change to iPhone 16E, it will be curious to see how Apple handles upgrades. As opposed to the multiple years between iPhone SE releases, will this be a phone that Apple updates yearly? Will there be an iPhone 17E? All this remains to be seen.
This is a developing story.
Apple iPhone 16E Specs vs. Apple iPhone 16, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 15
| Apple iPhone 16E | Apple iPhone 16 | Apple iPhone SE (2022) | Apple iPhone 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate | 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display; 2,556 x 1,179 pixel resolution; 60Hz refresh rate | 4.7-inch LCD; (1,334×750 pixels); 60 Hz | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels |
| Pixel density | 460ppi | 460ppi | 326ppi | 460 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 in. | 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in. | 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in | 2.82 x 5.81 x 0.31 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm | 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 167g (5.88 oz.) | 170g (6 oz.) | 5.09 oz; 144g | 171g (6.02 oz) |
| Mobile software | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 15 | iOS 17 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (wide) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 12-megapixel (wide) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 7-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K at 60fps | 4K at 60fps; spatial video at 1080p at 30fps | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | A18 | A18 | A15 Bionic | A16 Bionic |
| RAM/storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | No | No | None | None |
| Battery | Up to 26 hours video playback, 21 hours streamed video playback, 90 hours of audio playback. 20W wired charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging | Up to 22 hours video playback; up to 18 hours video playback (streamed). 20W wired charging. MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher; Qi2 up to 15W | Battery sized not disclosed (charger not included; supports wireless charging) | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed) |
| Fingerprint sensor | No, Face ID | None (Face ID) | Home button | None (Face ID) |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | Lightning | USB-C (USB 2.0) |
| Headphone jack | No | No | None | None |
| Special features | Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance | Apple Intelligence, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2,000 nits display brightness range, IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, pink, teal, ultramarine. | 5G-enabled; supports 25W wired fast charging; Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging | Dynamic Island; 5G (mmw/Sub6); MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; eSIM; satellite connectivity |
| US price starts at | $599 (128GB), $699 (256GB), $899 (512GB) | $799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB) | $399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB) | $799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB) |
| UK price starts at | £599 (128GB), £699 (256GB), £899 (512GB) | £799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB) | £419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB) | £799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB) |
| Australia price starts at | AU$999 (128GB), AU$1,199 (256GB), AU$1,549 (512GB) | AU$1,399 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB), AU$1,949 (512GB) | AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB) | AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,699 (256GB), AU$2,049 (512GB) |
