iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: which model is right for you?

The arrival of the iPhone 16e marks the end of an era. No longer will Apple’s entry-level smartphone take its cues from an ancient generation of devices, as was the case with previous iPhone SE models.

That raises an all-new and intriguing conundrum for Apple. Why should it expect its customers to spend more on the iPhone 16 when you have a phone that offers a broadly similar experience in the iPhone 16e?

To help you answer that question, we’ve broken down the key similarities and differences between the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16, paying particular attention to areas like design, display, cameras, and performance.

Both phones fared well in our iPhone 16e review and iPhone 16 review, but which should you buy? Read on for our definitive verdict.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: specs comparison

Before we dive further into a comparison of how these phones match up, let’s run through the core specifications for both models. There are a lot of similarities here straight off the bat.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: price and availability

The iPhone 16e was announced on February 19 and began shipping on February 28, five months after the launch of the iPhone 16, which landed on September 20, 2024.

Pricing for Apple’s new entry-level model starts at $599 / £599 / AU$999 for 128GB, moving up to $699 / £699 / AU$1,199 for 256GB. The range-topping 512GB variant costs $899 / £899 / AU$1,549.

That represents a considerable price bump over its predecessor, the iPhone SE (2022), which started at $429 / £419 / AU$719. However, it’s still markedly cheaper than the iPhone 16.

Apple’s current base-level smartphone starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for 128GB of storage, with that price increasing to $899 / £899 / AU$1,599 for 256GB of storage, and topping out at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,949 for 512GB of storage.

So, you’re paying around a $200 / £200 / AU$400 premium for the iPhone 16. Is it worth it? Let’s find out.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: design

With the iPhone 16e, Apple has finally abandoned the old iPhone 6-through–8 design of the iPhone SE (2022) and iPhone SE (2020) and brought it in line with the rest of the current range.

This inevitably means that the iPhone 16e looks quite a lot like the iPhone 16. Indeed, at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm, the iPhone 16e is almost exactly the same size, while its 167g weight makes it only 3g lighter than the iPhone 16.

Both phones have that signature flat-edged, curved corner design that every other manufacturer seems to be copying these days. You saw it here first – or rather, with the iPhone 12 in 2020.

Apple hasn’t compromised on build quality for its new cheaper model, either. It too is made of aluminum and glass, with a Ceramic Shield covering the display, while both phones are IP68 certified.

What the iPhone 16e doesn’t have are the same colour-infused finishes as the iPhone 16. It only comes in Black or White, while the iPhone 16 comes in Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine.

Perhaps the biggest design difference between the two phones relates to the look of their respective camera modules. The iPhone 16e only has one, while the iPhone 16 has two.

The selfie cameras are also different in appearance, with the 16e going back to the old Face ID notch and the iPhone 16 getting Apple’s Dynamic Island cutout. The latter takes up less space on the display and features a neat animated widget system that provides subtle heads-up information for things like timers and music playback.

There’s also a notable difference on the right-hand edge of these two phones. While both have a remappable Action Button (in place of the old alert switch), only the iPhone 16 has a dedicated Camara Control button for quick and tactile access to core camera functions.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: display

Both the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 pack a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a slightly disappointing 60Hz maximum refresh. There are, however, some subtle points of difference between these two panels.

For one thing, the iPhone 16 gets a slightly higher pixel density than the 16e, which can be attributed to that smaller Dynamic Island component, though it’s barely consequential (460ppi for the iPhone 16, 457ppi for the iPhone 16e).

The more important difference relates to brightness. While the iPhone 16e can hit 800 nits in typical use and 1200 nits in high brightness mode, the iPhone 16 can go well beyond those figures to 1000 nits and 2000 nits respectively.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: cameras

As we mentioned in the design section, the iPhone 16e only has one rear camera to the iPhone 16’s two. Apple has, however, upgraded that single camera since the days of the iPhone SE.

It’s now a 48MP Fusion lens, much like the main camera on the iPhone 16. They’re alike, but they’re not identical – the iPhone 16 also gives you an advanced sensor-shift OIS system, which is capable of keeping shots steadier. This basically means it can take superior nighttime shots and smoother videos.

The iPhone 16’s extra camera is a 12MP ultra-wide, which opens out a whole variety of landscape photography options that the iPhone 16e simply doesn’t grant access to. It also helps the iPhone 16 capture better portrait shots, as it can use the two cameras for superior depth calculations, not to mention macro shots.

Spatial photos and videos are also only available on the iPhone 16, again thanks to the provision of those two cameras.

Both phones feature a 12MP selfie camera on the front, with autofocus for locked-on selfies and integration with Apple’s brilliant Face ID system.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: performance and software

On the performance front, there really isn’t much between the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16. Both run on Apple’s speedy A18 chipset and are backed by the same 8GB of RAM.

But that’s not to say that they’re internally identical. The iPhone 16e runs on a ‘binned’ version of the A18 chipset, with a 4-core GPU to the iPhone 16’s 5-core GPU.

In practical terms, it’s highly unlikely that anyone will notice this difference in performance – especially since both phones share the same 6-core CPU – but on paper, the iPhone 16 has the slight edge for high-end games.

With such similar hardware, combined with Apple’s extensive support for all of its devices, the software provision for both phones is nigh-on identical.

Both run on the very latest version of iOS (currently iOS 18), and the iPhone 16e also supports Apple Intelligence, just like the iPhone 16. That’s significant because you don’t get Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 15, which is actually more expensive than the iPhone 16e.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: battery

Apple never confirms the size of the batteries in its smartphones, but several third parties have now confirmed that the iPhone 16e has a 3,961mAh battery, while the iPhone 16 has a slightly smaller 3,561mAh battery.

The larger size of the 16e’s battery can be attributed to two things: the absence of a second camera, and the inclusion of a new, smaller C1 modem.

Apple says this homemade modem is “the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone”, and while it’s definitely smaller than the Qualcomm modem used in the iPhone 16, our testing showed that the battery life on the two phones is largely comparable.

Apple rates the iPhone 16e for 26 hours of video playback, which is about four hours more than the iPhone 16. In testing, we got around 24 hours of video playback, and sometimes as low as 12 hours when using the 16e more intensively.

So, it really depends on how you plan to use your smartphone. Both the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 boast decent battery life, and while the newer model might last slightly longer, we wouldn’t suggest you buy it for that reason alone.

On the charging front, the iPhone 16 fares slightly better than the 16e. Both phones seem to support 25W wired charging, but when it comes to wireless charging, the 16e only gets 7.5W while the 16 supports 15W MagSafe charging.

In fact, the 16e doesn’t support MagSafe, period, so you’ll have to pick up a MagSafe case if you want to use the phone with MagSafe accessories you already own.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: verdict

So, where does all that leave us?

On paper, the gap between Apple’s two most affordable phones has never been narrower. The iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 look very similar, and they perform at a similar level too.

The iPhone 16 does, however, continue to hold the edge in a couple of ways. It’s got a brighter display, a Dynamic Island notch, superior camera stabilization, and a dedicated ultra-wide lens. It also features a slightly faster version of the A18 chipset, as well as support for MagSafe wireless charging.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 16e holds two advantages. Firstly, you’ll get slightly better battery life from that Apple-made modem, but the second, more significant advantage is that the iPhone 16e is a fair amount cheaper.

It’s still not cheap, but it’s certainly a strong alternative to the iPhone 16 if you’re looking for a no-frills iPhone that’ll last you just as long as Apple’s pricier models.

In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple up its game with the iPhone 17 to better justify the higher asking price of its base models.