iPhone 16e: 5 Reasons to Buy, 5 Reasons to Skip, and 4 Alternatives to Consider

Are you on the fence about purchasing Apple’s affordable iPhone – the iPhone 16e? The internet is full of polarized opinions, with some dubbing it e for economical while others calling it e for e-waste edition. We are here to provide a balanced and informed take. Whether you are upgrading from an older iPhone or looking for a gateway to Apple’s walled but reliable ecosystem, here are five reasons to buy the iPhone 16e and five reasons why you should skip it. If you do skip it, we have 4 alternatives that offer more bang for your buck.

Table of Contents

5 Reasons to Buy iPhone 16e

Here’s our take on why you should get the iPhone 16e.

1. Apple Intelligence

The iPhone 16e is currently the most affordable iPhone to come with support for Apple Intelligence. Unlike the iPhone 15 or older models that lack Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16e has a complete suite of features. You get Image Playground to generate images, Visual Intelligence that works similarly to Google Lens, Writing Assist to spruce up your emails, and more.

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2. A18 Chipset

The Apple A18 chipset is the same one found in the more expensive iPhone 16, however with one small change. It has one less GPU core. This means you get almost the same processing power, including the ability to play AAA titles on your mobile phone. From AC Mirage to Death Stranding, iPhones have become powerful enough to run these natively on devices without any streaming services. It is one of the main reasons to buy the iPhone 16e.

3. Action Button

Introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro series, the iPhone 16e is the cheapest model to offer the Action button. It replaces the traditional mute switch with a customizable button. You can launch apps, open the camera, toggle the flashlight, or assign a custom shortcut from the Control Center or Accessibility setting to it. Even the iPhone 15 doesn’t have it and the Action button is quite useful.

4. Longer Software Support

iPhone 16e ships with iOS 18.3, which means it receive more updates in the future compared to older iPhone models. While Apple does not specify the exact number of OS updates, it usually offers five to six years of support. Compared to hot-selling models like the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and even the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16e does have an edge with its longer software support.

5. Better Battery Life

iPhone 16e is one of the most efficient iPhones in recent years, with 26 hours of video playback time. It outperforms the more expensive iPhone 16, which can only last 22 hours of continuous video playback. Furthermore, it is even better than the iPhone 15 Pro, which lasts 23 hours and matches the iPhone 15 Plus with its 26-hour promise. Overall, you won’t be disappointed with the battery thanks to the power-efficient A18 and the compact screen size.

5 Reasons to Skip iPhone 16e

Here are our reasons why you may consider skipping the iPhone 16e and getting something else. We share our recommendations in the next section.

1. No Ultrawide Angle Camera (Less Camera Features)

The biggest letdown of the iPhone 16e is its lack of an ultrawide angle sensor. As part of the cost-cutting measure, Apple only offers a single sensor This means you can’t take ultrawide or macro shots. Furthermore, there is no Spatial Video recording and few photography styles on the iPhone 16e. It also trades the Sensor-Shift OIS on iPhone 16e for a traditional OIS setup. There is no Action Mode and Cinematic mode is also missing.

2. No Camera Control Button

The iPhone 16e despite being a part of the new iPhone 16 series lacks the Camera Control button. While not exactly a popular feature, Camera Control lets you quickly take photos while having more granular control over your shots.

3. No Dynamic Island And Outdated Notch

Given the e for the economy in iPhone 16e, Apple decided its budget iPhone doesn’t deserve the new Dynamic Island. The old-school notch looks similar to the almost decade-old iPhone X so it isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This means you also miss out on cool features like Live Activities and pop-up notifications.

4. No MagSafe, UWB And Sensor Shift OIS

MagSafe, first introduced in 2020 with the iPhone 12 series, is missing from Apple’s latest budget offering. This means you miss out on all cool accessories and convenient charging methods. However, since it supports Qi wireless charging, you can still use a third-party case with magnets to get Qi wireless charging (7.5W speed) and magnetically attachable accessories like wallets. Another major feature lacking is the UWB (Ultra Wide Band). This uses precision finding tech to locate your accessories and other iPhone users with pinpoint accuracy.

5. Lower GPU Core Count, No mmWave Support

Last but not least, the iPhone 16e has one less core in the GPU compared to the A18 found on the iPhone 16. It means that you can theoretically expect less performance while gaming and performing other GPU-intensive tasks. Apple is using a binned version of the A18 to save costs here, which is the reason behind the missing core. The iPhone 16e also lacks mmWave connectivity (lower cellular 5G speeds) and has Wi-Fi 6 instead of Wi-Fi 7 found on modern iPhones.

Verdict: Should You Buy iPhone 16e?

Well, the answer is simple: if you want to buy your first iPhone and wish to get a taste of the Apple ecosystem, then the iPhone 16e can be a good entry point. It uses the latest A18 chipset and comes with Apple Intelligence and an Action Button. However, its current price feels a bit too steep, and it’s only worth buying if you can get a discount with trade-in offers or during a sale. The ideal price should be somewhere between $399-$499, given it’s a mix of iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14.

iPhone 16e Alternatives to Consider

We recommend the below smartphones as an alternative to the iPhone 16e in case you have decided to skip it.

Google Pixel 8a: Google Pixel 8A is the most affordable phone from the company and it offers a smoother 120Hz, better design, improved cameras, and more.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is another great option with all the Galaxy AI features, 7 years of updates, amazing cameras, and design.
Apple iPhone 15: What better than another iPhone to beat the iPhone? The iPhone 15 has better Dynamic Island, ultrawide angle lens, MagSafe support as well as UWB.
Apple iPhone 14: Last but not least, the now-discontinued iPhone 14 is also a decent option if you want an ultrawide angle lens, MagSafe charging, and UWB support. Although it’s only worth buying at a discounted price since it has an old lightning port.