iPhone 16E review: Eh, it’s alright

The iPhone 16E is everything I emotion and dislike astir iOS. FaceTime astatine your fingertips. A reliable camera. Simplicity. Familiarity. They’re the pillars of the iPhone experience, and Apple’s newest telephone has ‘em.

My hubby picked up the 16E, concerned that he would person to “learn thing new” to usage it. He swiped astir for a 2nd and said, “Oh. It’s conscionable for illustration my phone.” It is conscionable for illustration his telephone — a six-year-old iPhone XR — only updated pinch a fewer basal improvements (a faster processor, nicer screen, and a modern camera, that benignant of thing) and small else.

That’s the different pillar of the iPhone experience: You get precisely what Apple gives you and thing more. On Android, you tin bargain a $500 telephone pinch a accelerated refresh-rate screen, 2 rear cameras, 7 years of package support, and wireless charging. On iOS, you tin bargain this $599 telephone pinch 1 rear camera, a modular 60Hz screen, wireless charging (but nary MagSafe), and an ample but unstated magnitude of package support. Apple has nary title erstwhile it comes to phones moving iOS. The institution tin gatekeep these conveniences down a higher value tag, and that’s simply the measurement things will be. I’m looking astatine you, ProMotion.

This is the world the iPhone 16E enters. It’s Apple’s cheapest phone, but it’s not cheap — astir apt for the aforementioned “lack of competition” reasons. It’s an iPhone that does iPhone things, but it’s astir apt missing astatine slightest 1 awesome characteristic for immoderate fixed buyer, whether that’s an other camera aliases the convenience of a MagSafe ring. If you’re clinging desperately to an older exemplary and want a caller iPhone for the slightest imaginable money, the 16E is the 1 to get.

That’s the occupation of the 16E: beryllium the way of slightest guidance to bluish bubbles. But for a much discerning customer the answer’s not arsenic clear-cut.

The iPhone 16E is the belief successor to the iPhone SE, though Apple would alternatively you not deliberation of it that way. The SE was the company’s budget-friendly line, a benignant of close-out bargain bin connection connected past generation’s chassis pinch upgraded internals. The creation was wildly outdated by the end, but, hey, it only costs $429. That statement appears to person ended pinch the 16E, which is afloat a personnel of the iPhone 16 series.

But alternatively of an older creation that’s a really bully deal, we person a modern creation that’s only benignant of a deal. It’s $200 cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16 and has a akin 6.1-inch OLED screen. There’s nary Dynamic Island — conscionable a notch. And alternatively of 2 rear lenses, you get conscionable one: a 48-megapixel main camera and nary ultrawide to spell pinch it. You get wired charging, but nary MagSafe. The Action Button, but nary Camera Control. This, not that. And truthful on.

There’s a benignant of equation that tin thief find really overmuch you should attraction astir this database of missing features. How aged is your existent phone? Do different group successful your family usage MagSafe accessories that you want to share? Do you moreover cognize what MagSafe is? Would you for illustration to travel sports scores astatine the apical of your surface while you do different things connected your phone, aliases are you a Seattle Mariners fan? (Love hurts, guys.) I don’t cognize what that nonstop look is because I hardly scraped by successful calculus, but conscionable carnivore it successful mind arsenic you publication the remainder of this review.

The 16E’s surface is very apt a type of the iPhone 14’s screen, complete pinch a notch lodging the Face ID and front-facing camera array. The regular 16’s surface gets conscionable a small brighter successful theory, but successful believe they look astir the aforesaid to me, brightness-wise. The 16E’s surface doesn’t spell down to 1 nit for illustration the 16’s can, which is excessively bad because it’s honestly cool arsenic hellhole and useful erstwhile you’re trying not to aftermath up your spouse pinch a agleam telephone screen. The notch’s beingness besides intends nary Dynamic Island — that’s the pill-shaped cutout Apple introduced pinch the iPhone 14 Pro, which houses mini bits of timely info you mightiness want to spot astatine a glance.

All that time-sensitive information, for illustration unrecorded sports scores and the proximity of your incoming Uber, is still presented connected the 16E’s fastener screen. But the Dynamic Island keeps it astatine the apical of your surface while you do different things connected your phone. It’s handy, and having gotten utilized to it, I missed it connected the 16E. The other ocular confirmation is bully erstwhile you person a timer aliases surface signaling successful progress. The Dynamic Island astir apt won’t beryllium a awesome nonaccomplishment if you’re utilized to a telephone without it, though.

MagSafe mightiness beryllium different lawsuit of “if you’ve ne'er had it past you won’t miss it,” but I’m a small little inclined to motion disconnected its absence connected the 16E. Sure, there’s still Qi wireless charging. And you tin ever usage a lawsuit pinch magnets arsenic a workaround if you want to usage MagSafe accessories, moreover if it’s not an elegant solution. But the beauty of MagSafe is the simplicity, and if you’re a case-hater for illustration maine past it’s a useful measurement to adhd a Pop Socket aliases a low-profile wallet to your telephone without committing to a case. Aside from the SE, each iPhone from the 12-series onward has MagSafe. It feels for illustration a modular characteristic now, and it’s difficult to understand why Apple near it out.

The iPhone 16E’s rear camera uses a 48-megapixel sensor that combines pixels to thief it amended stitchery light, and it delivers bully images successful astir situations. There’s nary ultrawide camera and truthful nary macro photography either. I missed the ultrawide much than erstwhile once stepping backward to framework a wide changeable wasn’t possible. There’s a decent image mode, though it’s the older type wherever you can’t alteration the attraction constituent aft the fact. Photographic Styles are disposable to thief dial successful colour reproduction, though they’re besides the previous-gen type and you can’t tweak undertones.

This is simply a camera strategy astir group will beryllium perfectly happy with. If you’re the slightest spot inclined photographically and want much elasticity — some successful focal scope and processing options — past see an iPhone 16 aliases 16 Pro. But it’s a bully camera for a wide audience. There’s fantabulous 4K video recording, optical image stabilization, and reliable colour reproduction. A much precocious telephone camera would connection amended chances of capturing moving subjects successful dim light, but this 1 keeps up successful astir situations.

Much of the 16E is familiar, but location is 1 wholly caller component: Apple’s C1 modem. This is its debut appearance, and the roadworthy to Apple’s first in-house modem was reportedly afloat of setbacks and delays. I’ve utilized it for the past week to make FaceTime calls, upload ample video files successful crowded places, and watercourse YouTube connected the bus. I tested it alongside a regular iPhone 16 equipped pinch a Qualcomm-made modem — some connected Verizon — and I didn’t spot immoderate accordant quality successful capacity betwixt the two.

Every clip I thought the iPhone 16 was faring amended pinch video telephone value aliases upload speeds, I’d effort the aforesaid trial again and the 16E would travel retired ahead. If I were nary the wiser, I wouldn’t person fixed the modem a 2nd thought arsenic I utilized the phone. Given the trouble Apple seemingly encountered building this point and the complexity of a cellular modem, “it seems fine” is really a awesome result for the C1.

Apple claims switching to its ain modem has allowed it to compression a small much artillery life retired of the 16E, offering “the champion artillery life ever connected a 6.1-inch iPhone,” according to its property release. Battery life surely seems good. I spent an day retired of the location utilizing a batch of navigation, streaming a podcast, testing connectivity, and watching YouTube. I clocked astir 5 hours of surface clip and was only down to 41 percent by the extremity of the day. I’m assured that astir group could get done a time comfortably connected this battery, but that’s not my biggest concern. I’m much funny astir semipermanent artillery wellness — Apple’s caller way grounds present is spotty — and there’s conscionable nary measurement of knowing that aft a week of testing.

The different upgrade present is Apple Intelligence. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Or seen it connected a billboard? Or successful a commercialized a fewer twelve times? Apple would for illustration america to deliberation of its AI arsenic a marquee characteristic connected the 16E, but Apple Intelligence conscionable doesn’t consciousness for illustration 1 — not yet, anyway. But it’s each here: the AI penning tools, Image Playground, notification summaries, and the updated Siri pinch a ChatGPT extension. It’s each beautiful forgettable correct now.

Case successful point: it took maine respective days to announcement that Apple Intelligence wasn’t moving connected the 16E I was testing, contempt having the Apple Intelligence action turned on. I sorted it retired — I conjecture thing astir the measurement I group it up prevented the basal AI models from downloading — but this says a batch astir really useful Apple Intelligence is correct now. The astir absorbing worldly is yet to come, and the 16E will beryllium fresh for it, which is nice. But I decidedly wouldn’t fto Apple Intelligence beryllium a deciding facet successful picking this telephone versus, say, an iPhone 15.

That highlights wherever I’m stuck trying to fig retired the 16E. If you’re coming from an older iPhone for illustration an 11, don’t want to walk a lot, and don’t attraction astir MagSafe aliases an ultrawide camera, past the 16E benignant of makes sense. But a 100 dollars much will get you a caller iPhone 15 pinch MagSafe, the Dynamic Island, and an ultrawide camera, though there’s nary Apple Intelligence aliases action button.

The 16E feels for illustration it should connection the essentials, but it’s difficult to opportunity what’s an basal iPhone characteristic and what’s not. It’s astir apt much for illustration a operation of features, and for immoderate people, the 16E apt offers a operation they’ll beryllium happy with. Specifically, I mean group for illustration my hubby and anyone other pinch an aged iPhone who is uninterested successful learning what MagSafe is, seldom takes pictures, and conscionable wants a dang iPhone. The 16E covers those essentials. For personification who wants much elasticity from their smartphone’s camera aliases its strategy of accessories, this isn’t the iPhone for you.

I’d alternatively person a cool magnetic accessory strategy and a neat quick-glance show characteristic built into my telephone than Apple Intelligence, particularly for $600. It doesn’t rather adhd up for me, but possibly the mathematics looks a small different for you.