Apple just unveiled a new addition to the iPhone 16 lineup first announced back in September — marking the first time the Californian company has added a new variant to its flagship range after its launch.
iPhone 16e arrives with an all-screen design, single 48MP rear-facing camera, a customisable Action Button, and support for Apple Intelligence. It starts from £599 — that's £200 cheaper than the standard iPhone 16, which was the most affordable handset in the iPhone 16 series until today.
iPhone 16e is a spiritual successor to the popular iPhone SE, which has been discontinued with the arrival of this new model. It brings several of the same features found on its pricing siblings, including Apple Intelligence, an Action Button, and a 48MP Fusion camera system, to a lower price point.
With the introduction of the iPhone 16e, you'll no longer find any iPhone models with the iconic circular Home Button and its built-in fingerprint scanner on shelves in the Apple Store. Every handset that Apple sells now relies on its Face ID system to unlock the device and secure apps, like banking apps.
And it's not the only milestone, with Apple no longer selling any new iPhones with its Lightning charging port.
When it comes to colours, Apple has kept things very simple with the new iPhone 16e APPLE PRESS OFFICE The fresh addition to the iPhone 16 lineup, which already includes iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, appears to be the "newest member of the family" teased by CEO Tim Cook last week.
Under the bonnet of the iPhone 16e is Apple's A18 system-on-a-chip, which promises to deliver speedy performance, on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, and long battery life.
Yes, Apple is making some big claims about the battery life packed inside the iPhone 16e, which it has branded "the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone". According to tests conducted by the firm, iPhone 16e can last up to six hours longer than an iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all iPhone SE models.
In total, iPhone 16e is capable of 26 hours of video playback on iPhone 16e — that means you won't have to pack an external pack even when you're flying from the UK to Australia.
Out of the box, iPhone 16e is powered by iOS 18, which includes a swathe of new customisation options, including the ability to place app icons anywhere on the homescreen and tint their colour
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When the time finally comes to recharge the iPhone 16e, it supports wireless charging and USB-C.
iPhone 16e will only be available in two finishes — Black and White — although Apple has promised that a range of colourful cases are on the way. The new Silicone Case will be available in a choice of Winter Blue, Fuchsia, Lake Green, bBlack, and White. The entry-level iPhone 16e arrives with 128GB of built-in storage, with 256GB and 512GB configurations priced at £699 and £899, respectively.
Interestingly, the A18 chipset is joined by a brand-new component designed from the ground-up by the teams inside Apple. Dubbed C1, this is a custom-designed modem that replaces a part built by US manufacturer Qualcomm in every other model of the iPhone on store shelves today.
Apple has introduced its first in-house modem, dubbed C1, with the introduction of the iPhone 16e. It marks a move away from Qualcomm, which has supplied this critical component in every other iPhone model
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Apple says the C1 is the "most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone" and is partly responsible for the record-breaking battery life of the iPhone 16e. The never-before-seen C1 supports supefast 5G data transfers and calls.
Elsewhere, iPhone 16e includes:
- 6.1-inch OLED display, protected with toughened Ceramic Shield glass
- Case with splash, water, and dust resistance with an IP68 rating
- A18 system-on-a-chip with 80% faster performance than iPhone 11
- Up to 12-hours extra battery life compared to the iPhone SE
- 48MP Fusion camera system with integrated 2x zoom
- Support for Clean Up in Photos to remove unwanted objects from your pictures
- Action button for quick access to customisable functions
- Support for Apple Intelligence features, like Writing Tools and AI Summaries
- Built-in ChatGPT integration with Siri
- USB-C port for wired charging and audio
iPhone 16e offers several features that were previously exclusive to pricier models from Apple APPLE PRESS OFFICE But what is the iPhone 16e missing?
For starters, it doesn't include Camera Control, introduced with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. This touch-sensitive button lets you zoom and tweak common camera settings with your fingertip when looking though the viewfinder. Pressing Camera Control also acts as a shortcut to launch the iPhone camera.
While the iPhone 16e has an all-screen design, it revives the notch that was last seen on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. As such, you'll miss out on the Dynamic Island functionality, which brings live information from processes running in the background — like timers, music playback, and ETA to your destination in turn-by-turn directions — into a pill-shaped interactive area around the front-facing camera.
For those who had been hoping for the introduction of a brand-new iPhone SE with a smaller screen size could be disappointed. iPhone 16e ships with a 6.1-inch display — the same as the least expensive iPhone 16 model. However, this new addition to the lineup is not a return to the form factor last seen with the iPhone 13 mini, which boasted a 5.4-inch screen in a similar edge-to-edge design.
Speaking about the launch, Kaiann Drance, Apple Vice President of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said: "iPhone 16e packs in the features our users love about the iPhone 16 lineup, including breakthrough battery life, fast performance powered by the latest-generation A18 chip, an innovative 2-in-1 camera system, and Apple Intelligence. We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the lineup as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people.”
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iPhone 16e will release in the UK on February 28. Preorders will be available from 1pm on February 21.
Apple has bolstered its Trade In programme ahead of the launch, with up to £110 credit for iPhone 11 trade-ins, or £160 for iPhone 12 models. Silicone cases will be available in five colours - winter blue, fuchsia, lake green, black, and white - priced at £39. Anyone who buys an iPhone 16e will be treated to three months of free Apple services, including Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, News+, and Fitness+.
