The iPhone 14 and the iPhone 16 had a baby and we got this phone, the iPhone 16e. And it’s fair to say that this is currently the most hated iPhone in 2025. If you watch all the reviews of this device on the internet, they have been pretty negative and I can’t say I don’t agree with them. $600 or some NPR 109,990 (when it comes here) for a single camera, 60 Hz screen, no magsafe, does seem like a lot.
And If you catch a good deal, we can actually get the iPhone 15 or 16 or something like the OnePlus 13, which is a proper flagship phone for a similar price. So, on today’s date, as we speak, Apple’s cheapest iPhone in 2025 is not worth its price!
iPhone 16e Specifications
- Display: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED
- Chipset: A18 chip with a 16-core neural engine
- Camera: 48MP wide, 12MP front
- Battery: Up to 26 hours of video playback
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
- Operating System: iOS 18
- Water Resistance: IP68
iPhone 16e Review
But let’s imagine we are in the year 2026 and at this time, the iPhone 16e makes more sense. So, if you look at Apple’s history of all their base products, iPhones, Macbooks and even iPads, Apple drastically drops their prices at the end of the year sales. Like this year, the iPhone 15 was available for 40,000 rupees, which is a great price.
And I am sure this phone will also experience good price drops eventually. So, I am going to skip a year and review this phone as a $450 or a 40,000 Rupee phone, because I am 100% sure, the iPhone 16e will be available for a better price, it has to be!
Design
Okay, first of all, the thing I love about base iPhones is their size. The iPhone 16e is the exact same size as the iPhone 14, the same body, same dimensions and I have to give it to Apple, this is one handy phone to use. Apple did tweak the back material a little bit, it’s more of a matte finish like the iPhone 16, but besides that, the hands on feel, the heft, everything resembles the iPhone 14 here.
Apple has cheaped out on the glass protection though – the iPhone 16e features the last gen Ceramic Shield glass, which is not as robust as the newer iPhones. But I am happy that the action button made its way here, so rather than just working as a mute switch, you can customize it for other functions as well. Plus, you also get the IP68 rating as the iPhone 16! Second angle—There is no camera button here, but I am sure no one is going to miss it anyway!
Display
The display side on the iPhone 16e is the exact replica of the iPhone 14. You get the same notch, same display quality, same 800 nits peak brightness, similar bezels and the same 60Hz screen.
In terms of quality, this is a great screen though, it’s really responsive, it’s well calibrated, it supports Dolby vision HDR, so quality-wise, I won’t complain.
My only gripe is with three things, first is the notch. I’ve gotten used to the dynamic island overtime, so that big notch looks a bit ugly and intrusive to me.
Second is the brightness, in sunny or extremely well lit conditions, visibility on the iPhone 16e is not the best, especially if you put it against the iPhone 16.
And third, no points for guessing, it’s the 60 Hz screen. I reviewed the S25 series and the OnePlus 13 before this, and that lag while app opening or the little micro stutters while scrolling is quite noticeable.
Battery
On the brighter side, that 60 Hz screen combined with a slightly larger battery on the iPhone 16e means that you can get great battery life on this phone.
And if you didn’t know, Apple had been relying on Qualcomm for their 5G modems previously, but on the iPhone 16e they have used their own C1 modem, which Apple claims is the most efficient 5G chip to ever be used on any iPhone. And in my testing, I can say that it’s true.
I am someone who is on mobile data all the time and on a typical day, I have been able to get around 7 hours of Screen on Time from the iPhone 16e, which is the most I have ever gotten from a base model iPhone. In comparison, the iPhone 16 gave me only 6 hours on a similar usage pattern, so battery life definitely is one of its strong suits.
Performance
Next, the performance is also something I am happy about on the iPhone 16e. Apple has used the same A18 chip on the iPhone 16e like we get on the iPhone 16, which means you get almost similar performance on both. Yes, you get one less GPU core on the iPhone 16e, but I haven’t experienced any difference in performance when comparing the 16e and 16 side by side.
Here are some screenshots of my gaming tests and you can see, PUBG runs very similarly on both, even the fps numbers in games like Genshin Impact is not that different.
It’s only when you run a GPU intensive benchmark that you will see a little bit of difference, but other than that, the variation is marginal, especially in day to day performance.
And because you get the latest A18 chip here, the iPhone 16e has support for Apple intelligence too – all the writing tools, clean up tools, everything, which is something you don’t get on older iPhones.
The only thing you have to know is that the thermal management on the iPhone 16e is a tad bit weaker than the iPhone 16.
Camera
Ok.. Next camera! And I have to say I am a bit disappointed to see the lack of an ultra wide camera here. Personally, it makes a lot of difference to me, I like shooting videos for my Instagram page from the ultra wide lens for that wider perspective and on the iPhone 16e, I cannot do that at all.
It’s got a single 48MP camera at the back and that’s all! And if you are wondering if this is the same sensor as the iPhone 16, well it’s not, it’s actually a much smaller sensor.
Now, that does not mean you will get drastically inferior photos from the iPhone 16e though. In broad daylight conditions, I got very similar photos from the iPhone 16 and the 16e. There is a little difference in the color tone, but besides that, the difference in details and dynamic range is quite small too.
The portraits look almost alike, you also get 2x lossless digital cropping option here, which means you can get good subject focus here. And in terms of the selfies, since you are getting the same camera as the iPhone 16, hence the output is identical.
However, I found 2 differences between the iPhone 16 and 16e’s cameras. First is, since the iPhone 16e has a smaller sensor, during night time, I have noticed more grains in the images, a lot more than the iPhone 16.
Second is, the iPhone 16e only has regular OIS and not sensor shift OIS like the iPhone 16, so when you shoot videos, you can notice a little more wobble. That’s not to say the footages lack stabilization completely, but as you can see in these samples, there is a difference!
Plus, you don’t get the option to shoot cinematic or portrait videos and you don’t have photographic styles like we get on the newer iPhones too.
Charging
Moving on, besides the camera, one of the other things I am not so happy about is the charging support. Wired charging is still the same at 20 watts, which is not a problem, but for some reason, there is no magsafe charging here.
There is wireless charging and you can get a magsafe compatible case if you absolutely want magnetic charging, but the speed is limited to just 7.5 watts, which is incredibly slow by 2025 standards.
iPhone 16e Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Compact design
- Good battery life
- Solid performance
Cons:
- overprice
- No MagSafe (slow wireless charging)
- 60Hz display
- Lacks ultra-wide camera and low-light performance
- Weaker glass protection
iPhone 16e Review: Conclusion
So, in the end, I know all of you might be asking the same question MKBHD asked, who the hell is the iPhone 16e for? In 2025, for over 1 lakh rupees, this is sadly not the budget iPhone we expected Apple to launch!
- Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 16e
