.svg) | |
 iPhone 16e in White | |
| Developer | Apple |
|---|---|
| Type | Smartphone |
| Series | iPhone |
| First released | February 28, 2025; 8 months ago (2025-02-28) |
| Predecessor | iPhone SE (3rd generation) |
| Related | iPhone 16 and 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max |
| Compatible networks | 2GGSM/EDGE,3GUMTS/HSPA+,4GLTE,5GNR |
| Form factor | Slate |
| Colors |
|
| Dimensions | 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.8 mm (5.78 × 2.81 × 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 167 g (5.9 oz) |
| Operating system | Original:iOS 18.3 Current:iOS 26.1, released November 3, 2025[1] |
| System-on-chip | Apple A18 |
| Modem | Apple C1 |
| Memory | 8 GBLPDDR5X[2] |
| Storage | 128, 256 or 512 GBNVMe |
| SIM |
|
| Battery | 15.55 W⋅h (4005 mA⋅h)Li-ion @ 3.88 V |
| Charging |
|
| Rear camera |
|
| Front camera | 12 MP,f/1.9, 23 mm (wide) |
| Display | 6.1 in (150 mm) 2532 × 1170 resolution at 60 Hz |
| Sound | Dolby Atmos-tuned Spatial Audio |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) dual-band Bluetooth 5.3 (A2DP,LE) NFC (reader mode, Express Cards) USB-C:USB 2.0 480 Mbit/s GPS,GLONASS,Galileo,QZSS,BeiDou,NavIC |
| Water resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 min) |
| Other | Emergency SOS, Messages andFind My via satellite, Action Button |
| Website | apple |
| This article is part ofa series on the |
| iPhone |
|---|
 Telephones portal |
TheiPhone 16e is asmartphone developed and marketed byApple as part of itsiPhone series. It is part of theeighteenth-generation iPhone line-up, together with theiPhone 16, theiPhone 16 Plus, and the Pro models, theiPhone 16 Pro andiPhone 16 Pro Max.[3] Announced on February 19, 2025, as part of the iPhone 16 line-up, the iPhone 16e was released with a starting price of US$599, marking a US$170 increase over the starting price of theiPhone SE (3rd generation), or a US$120 increase over the price of the comparable 128 GB of storage version of that iPhone.
The iPhone 16e is the entry-level model of the iPhone 16 line-up, featuring an edge-to-edge display (albeit retaining theiPhone 14's notch instead of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro andiPhone 15 and 16 lines),Face ID, and aUSB-C port instead ofLightning. It shares its dimensions and front design with the 2021iPhone 13,iPhone 13 Pro, and 2022iPhone 14. Compared to thestandard iPhone 16 andiPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e omits features such as Camera Control, an ultra-wide camera, anultra-wideband chip, and support forQi2 andMagSafe charging. The iPhone 16e is positioned similarly to the entry-leveliPhone 5c, which launched alongside theiPhone 5s with fewer features, and subsequentiPhone SE models.[4]
Powered by theA18SoC (with 4GPU cores instead of 5, unlike the regular iPhone 16), it features an action button replacing the mute switch, a single 48 MP Fusion camera with optical zoom options (1x and 2x), a customApple C1 cellular modem, and support forApple Intelligence.[5][6]
Following the iPhone 16e's announcement, theiPhone 14,iPhone 14 Plus, andiPhone SE (3rd generation) were discontinued, completing the transition fromLightning toUSB-C across all iPhone models starting with theiPhone 15.[7]
The successor to theiPhone SE (3rd generation) was originally rumored to be named as "iPhone SE 4", but was later renamed as "iPhone 16e".[8]
On February 19, 2025, Apple announced the successor to thethird generation iPhone SE, being named as "iPhone 16e", which serves as the entry-level model of the iPhone 16 series.[9]
Apple started taking pre-orders on February 21, 2025, with general availability on February 28, 2025.[10]
The iPhone 16e features analuminium frame with a glass front and matte finished back glass featuring a ceramic protective coating. It also shares the same physical sizes and dimensions as theiPhone 13,iPhone 13 Pro andiPhone 14.
The iPhone 16e is available in two colors: Black and White, reminiscent of theiPhone X,iPhone 3GS,iPhone 4 andiPhone 4s.
The iPhone 16e incorporates the Apple A18system on a chip (SoC) with 4-core GPU. It is available in three internal storage configurations: 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. It has 8 GB of RAM, twice that of the third-generation iPhone SE's 4 GB of RAM.[11] The iPhone 16e also has anIP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
The iPhone 16e also features an Apple-designedmodem, theApple C1, instead of theQualcomm modem found in all iPhone models since theiPhone 12 and including the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. However, this resulted in the iPhone 16e not supportingmmWave 5G, unlike its flagship counterparts.[12][13]
Like the previousSE models, the iPhone 16e lacks theultra-wideband features enabled by theU2 chip which is found in other iPhone models since theiPhone 11.
The iPhone 16e International model has Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM support, whereas the US model is eSIM only and the Chinese model does not have any eSIM support.[14][15]
The iPhone 16e has been designed with a USB-C port rather than the older and proprietary Lightning port. However, the iPhone 16e's USB-C port does not supportDisplayPort video output.[16]
Like the iPhone 15 Pro and all models of the iPhone 16 and 17 series, the iPhone 16e features the action button replacing the mute switch.
Unlike the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e lacks the Camera Control, so Visual Intelligence can only be triggered using the Action Button, or with the default button in the Control Centre.[17]
The iPhone 16e features aSuper Retina XDR display, using anOLED panel rather than the iPhone SE line'sLCD. The display has a resolution of2532 × 1170 pixels, with a diagonal size of 6.1 in (150 mm) and a pixel density of 460 PPI. It can playHDR10 andDolby Vision content. The display panel is identical to the one found on the iPhone 14 and is cross-compatible.
Unlike the other models of the iPhone 16 series, the iPhone 16e maintains the notch (a narrower notch design found on theiPhone 13,iPhone 13 Pro andiPhone 14, first introduced with theiPhone X in 2017) instead of the Dynamic Island (first introduced with theiPhone 14 Pro in 2022).
The iPhone 16e has a 2-in-1 rear 48 MP Fusion camera with a single lens. Like theiPhone 15 andiPhone 16, it has optical-quality zoom in up to 2x, done by cropping a portion of the sensor. It is capable of recording4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps, 1080p HD video at 25, 30 or 60 fps, or 720p HD video at 30 fps. The camera has an aperture of f/1.6,autofocus,optical image stabilization, and a dual-LED True Tone flash. The front camera is a 12 MP TrueDepth module with anaperture of f/1.9 and autofocus, capable of shooting4K video at 25, 30 or 60 fps and slow-motion video at 120 fps.
The iPhone 16e adds several camera functions enabled by the A18 with 4-core GPU (an entry-level successor to theA15 Bionic with 4-core GPU).[18] Like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the rear camera supports Smart HDR 5, spatial audio recording, wind noise reduction, audio zoom and audio mix. Both the front and rear cameras of the iPhone 16e support Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting. However, the 16e's implementation of Portrait mode only supports human faces and lacks an option to change the focus point. Like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, Portrait mode has depth control and an advancedbokeh effect (blurring effect of theout-of-focus background around the portrait). The iPhone 16e supports Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Photographic Styles, and Night Mode but lacks some features such as Cinematic Mode and Action Mode.
The iPhone 16e has a video playback duration up to 26 hours and an audio playback duration up to 90 hours.[19]
Unlike other models in the family, the iPhone 16e does not haveMagSafe connectivity. However, the iPhone still supports standard wireless charging up to 7.5 W, via theQi standard.[20]
The iPhone 16e was originally supplied withiOS 18.3 for release on February 28, 2025, with a day one update available to iOS 18.3.1. It also supportsiOS 26.
Like both theiPhone 16 andiPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 16e supportsApple Intelligence.
iPhone 16e received generally positive reviews, with many praising the Apple C1 modem and battery life, but criticizing the price and compromises, particularly at the lack ofMagSafe.[21]
Patrick Holland atCNET gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10. Holland conducted a head-to-head test between iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 Pro Max to compare the download and upload speeds of iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem and iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem. Holland conducted the test on AT&T's 5G network in both indoors and outdoors in San Francisco. Holland published the results of the test in a comparative table that shows iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem was able to match the download speed of iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem, and iPhone 16e's Apple-designed C1 modem had a faster upload speed than iPhone 16 Pro Max's Qualcomm-designed modem.[22]
The Verge gave it a score of 7 out of 10, calling the device familiar, but when compared to the iPhone 16, video call quality and upload speeds on the 16e "would come out ahead", although there wasn't a consistent difference.[23]
Julian Chokkattu atWired, also giving a score of 7 out of 10, was slightly more critical. Chokkattu said theUS$599 price of the iPhone 16e felt $100 too high, and was for anyone who wanted a new phone that "just needs to be an iPhone." Chokkattu concluded that the 16e was perfectly reliable, but not a good value.[24]
| Preceded by | iPhone 18th generation alongsideiPhone 16 / 16 Plus andiPhone 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max | Succeeded by most recent |
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