After three years, there's a new affordable iPhone again! But instead of being called iPhone SE, Apple chose the name iPhone 16e. As expected, the old Touch ID has been replaced by Face ID in the notch, so it looks more modern now. Its design is inspired by the iPhone 14, so it has a 6.1-inch OLED screen, instead of LCD. Because of this, some of the former SE fans might not be happy because the smaller screen and eye-friendly display are gone. But somehow, the phone is still light at 167g.
The iPhone 16e has a 2,532 x 1,170 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, which is enough for a more affordable iPhone. Internally, it uses the A18 chip—but it's a bit weaker than the one in the iPhone 16 because it has one less GPU core. Although there are no official specifications, it is said to have at least 8GB RAM, so it is ready for Apple Intelligence. Another highlight is the new Apple C1 5G chip, which is Apple's first self-developed 5G chip. It also supports eSIM, so it will be interesting how this affects Apple and Qualcomm's relationship.
It has IP68 water resistance, customizable action buttons, and a battery that can play for 26 hours video—4 hours longer than the iPhone 16 and 11 hours longer than the iPhone SE 3. It also has a USB-C port and 7.5W wireless charging, but it's a shame it's not compatible with MagSafe. Camera-wise, there's a 12MP selfie camera on the front, and a 48MP main sensor on the back, so even if it's just one camera, it's okay for everyday photos.
