With the iPhone 16e, Apple has forever changed the meaning of an affordable iPhone. If you’re considering upgrading from a two- or three-year-old handset, here are several reasons why the iPhone 16e should be on your list.

iPhone 16e Has a Compact Form Factor

If you’re in the market for a compact flagship with a premium build, the iPhone 16e shouldn’t disappoint you. The handset is about the same size as the vanilla iPhone 16, which makes for comfortable one-handed usage.

With an aluminum frame, Ceramic Shield front, and a glass back panel, the affordable iPhone has a relatively modern design. While the budget iPhone has a notch up top (borrowed from the iPhone 14), there’s one camera and the company’s mascot on the back panel.

Apple also took a page off the iPhone 15 Pro’s recipe and added the Action Button on the entry-level iPhone. Everything else, like the side button and volume rockers, IP68 dust and water resistance rating (up to 6m for 30 minutes), and the USB-C port on the bottom, is the same as the vanilla iPhone 16.

A Sharp, Bright, and Reliable Display

Even though there are several handsets in the segment that offer a 120Hz refresh rate screen, the iPhone 16e’s 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen is stuck at 60Hz in 2025 (but so is the iPhone 16). Beyond that, though, the budget iPhone’s screen is decently bright (up to 1,200 nits) and crisp.

I’ll admit that these specifications aren’t exceptional; they won’t appeal to enthusiasts. However, iPhone displays are known to produce accurate colors, have excellent viewing angles, and respond well to touch inputs. Together, these qualities make up for a reliable visual experience.

The notch at the top reminds me of the time when the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 were in fashion. It houses the required Face ID sensors, allowing you to access your phone securely and the front camera.

iPhone 16e Supports Apple Intelligence

The cheapest iPhone gets one of the most powerful mobile processors of all time: A18 (3nm) chip. It comprises a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Together with 8GB of memory, the chipset provides unmatched performance for its price.

Whether you want to play AAA video games at the highest graphics settings (except higher frame rates), edit 4K videos, or handle intricate Lightroom workflows, the iPhone 16e can take it all. It is, without a doubt, one of the most benchmark-friendly handsets at the price.

All the raw processing power makes room for Apple Intelligence. That’s right. The $699 iPhone 15 doesn’t get a piece of Apple’s GenAI features, but the $599 iPhone 16e gets all of them. Writing Tools, Notification Summaries, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence; you name it, and the cheapest iPhone can do it.

All the GenAI features currently available on iOS 18.3, and the ones coming in the future will be available on the iPhone 16e.

12MP to 48MP: The Camera Gets a Major Upgrade

The latest entrant into the iPhone 16 lineup borrows its camera from the flagships. Instead of a 12MP (f/1.8) camera on the iPhone SE 3, you get a 48MP (f/1.6, OIS) sensor on the iPhone 16e.

The increase in megapixels not only improves the overall sharpness and picture quality but also enables 2x in-sensor zoom. If you’re into creating videos, the handset can record 4K Dolby Vision footage at up to 60 fps.

You also get features like Smart HDR 5, portrait mode, night mode, Photographic Styles, spatial audio recording, wind noise reduction, and Audio Mix. On the front, the iPhone features a 12MP (f/1.9) shooter with autofocus.

If you’re not hardcore into smartphone photography and can’t see yourself using the secondary ultra wide camera the flagship iPhones offer, the iPhone 16e allows you to capture excellent pictures and videos in almost every scenario.

Battery Life Shines

When it comes to battery life, the cheapest iPhone outperforms its flagship sibling by a significant margin. The iPhone 16e offers up to 26 hours of video playback, which is four hours more than the iPhone 16 and only one hour shorter than the iPhone 16 Pro.

It doesn’t get faster MagSafe charging, but the budget iPhone still supports Qi wireless charging. You can charge it up to 50% in 30 minutes via the USB-C port using a 20W adapter or higher.

Reliable 5G Connectivity

The iPhone 16e features Apple’s first in-house modem, the C1 subsystem. It doesn’t support mmWave connectivity but provides up to 4Gbps of download speed on sub-6 GHz 5G networks. You also get Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.3, GPS, NFC with reader mode, and a USB-C port.

A Huge Upgrade for iPhone SE or iPhone 13 Owners

All things considered, the $599 iPhone 16e (128GB) is like an affordable version of the iPhone 16. It lacks some nice-to-have features, like the Camera Control button, a Dynamic Island on the front, a secondary ultra wide camera, and faster MagSafe charging.

However, if you’re okay with not having those features (I know a bunch of people who have already placed their pre-orders), you can’t go wrong with the design, performance, battery life, and camera quality of the iPhone 16e.

Check out the best iPhone 16e MagSafe cases of 2025 to protect your investment. Thinking about buying a used iPhone? Here’s 11 things you should check before getting a used iPhone.