Apple Announces the iPhone 16e →

As predicted, there is a new iPhone out today; the iPhone 16e is here:

Apple today announced iPhone 16e, a new addition to the iPhone 16 lineup that offers powerful capabilities at a more affordable price. iPhone 16e delivers fast, smooth performance and breakthrough battery life, thanks to the industry-leading efficiency of the A18 chip and the new Apple C1, the first cellular modem designed by Apple. iPhone 16e is also built for Apple Intelligence, the intuitive personal intelligence system that delivers helpful and relevant intelligence while taking an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. The 48MP Fusion camera takes gorgeous photos and videos, and with an integrated 2x Telephoto, it is like having two cameras in one, so users can zoom in with optical quality. When outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, Apple’s groundbreaking satellite features — including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite — help iPhone 16e users stay connected and get assistance when it matters most.

That’s right — Apple’s in-house cellular modem has finally arrived. The company has been working toward this for years after buying Intel’s smartphone modem business back in 2019.

The 16e starts at $599 for a 128 GB model, and tops out at $899 with 512 GB of space, and replaces the iPhone SE,¹ which started at $429 with just 64 GB of space. That’s a pretty big price bump, even if the 16e modernizes Apple’s cheapest phone in a bunch of ways. The 16e’s 6.1-inch OLED display comes with a Face ID notch, marking the end of Touch ID on the iPhone. That OLED display isn’t as bright as what comes on the mainstream iPhone 16, and doesn’t support the 16’s low-light 1 nit minimum brightness capability.

The phone comes with an Action Button, but no Camera Control.

And of course, the 16e’s A18 processor means this phone supports Apple Intelligence. The A18 in the regular iPhone 16 has a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, while the 16e has just 4 GPU cores. Despite the lack of Camera Control, Visual Intelligence is still present, now through the Action button.

Out back, the 16e has just one camera lens, but does Apple’s zoom/cropping trick to offer both 1x and 2x options.

Sadly, the 16e doesn’t seem to include MagSafe support, but rather just Qi wireless charging up to 7.5 watts. Apple’s own case for the 16e also lack MagSafe, but I’m sure third-parties will come up with solutions.

In the product video, Tim Cook says this phone “completes the iPhone 16 family,” which is interesting positioning. The SE was kind out of there on its own, but what will happen to the 16e once the 17 line rolls out? Will we see an iPhone 17e this fall, or a year from now?

Time will tell what Apple’s plan is here. For now, the 16e offers a slightly cut-down iPhone 16 experience starting at $200 less than the iPhone 16 itself.