Apple has a new iPhone 16e, but not the one you would expect.
Apple CEO Tim Cook referred to the iPhone 16e as “the newest member of the family” when the device debuted on Wednesday.
This implies the iPhone SE, which was much anticipated for today, has been replaced by the iPhone 16e. And it’s perhaps really large. Let’s begin, then, to discuss the phone itself.
Though it has a 6.1-inch OLED display and a notch on top instead of the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 16e is exactly the same size as the iPhone 16 and features just one camera on the rear. Apple refers to the camera as a 48-megapixel 2-in-1 camera system, as it functions as both a 2x telephoto and a standard camera.
Inside, the Apple C1—the first cellular modem Apple developed in-house—along with Apple’s powerful A18 CPU, defines the iPhone 16e. Like its other iPhone 16 siblings, this may also enable Apple Intelligence.
Starting at 128GB, the iPhone 16e comes with 256GB or 512GB of storage as well.
Given Apple’s assertion that the iPhone 16e offers “the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone,” battery life will be a major selling feature. That’s 12 hours longer of battery life than the previous iPhone SE. .
In terms of colours, you find few: Given the significantly more colourful iPhone 16, the odd option is that the iPhone 16e only comes in matte white and matte black.
Other odd items of interest: This iPhone is dust, water, and splash proof. Like the other iPhone 16 variants, it features an Action Button; furthermore, it also boasts satellite connectivity.
Why is its launch a major event? The iPhone SE was always in its own world, doing its own thing, generally unconnected to whatever the main iPhone range was at any one moment. With the iPhone 17e following the iPhone 16e next year and so on, Apple may turn this late winter introduction into a regular occurrence, the new iPhone implies, though.
Furthermore, more potent than imagined is the phone itself, which more closely resembles the iPhone 16 range. Another significant shift is that from now on, there will always be a “cheap” but current iPhone you may select if the main lineup is too costly (remember, a new iPhone SE only came up every couple of years, like a comet).
Starting at $599, the Apple iPhone 16e will be pre-ordered on February 21 and accessible Friday, February 28.2025
Related topics: