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iPhone 16e Review
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Jun 5, 2025
The new iPhone 16e is now the cheapest new iPhone you can get among the best iPhone options, with the latest A18 processor, Apple Intelligence features, and Apple's new C1 modem. However, it gets a higher $599 starting cost and comparing the iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 16, it doesn't come with features like MagSafe wireless charging and Dynamic Island. In this video, John V. will take you through the key reasons to buy or skip based on his full iPhone 16e review.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hey guys, we gotta talk about the iPhone 16e. This is a 599 addition to the iPhone 16 family
0:08
that's meant to make some of the most attractive things about owning an iPhone just a little bit
0:13
more accessible, even if it is $107 more than the previous generation iPhone SE. That's only one of
0:18
the reasons this phone right here has created a lot of controversy online since it was announced
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But I've actually spent time with the iPhone 16e testing it out, so in this video I'll take you
0:29
through my reasons whether it's a buy or skip based on the upgrades. Right off the bat if you're
0:35
comparing this to the iPhone SE from 2022 the design is night and day but Apple calling it the
0:40
iPhone 16e is meant to reflect that it looks more like an iPhone you'd want to buy in the year 2025
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The biggest difference clearly is no more home button with Touch ID. This is a 6.1 inch full
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screen OLED display. No dynamic island is kind of a bummer but at least there is now Face ID
0:57
The iPhone 16e also gets the action button, which I like for the fact that I can map it to just about anything
1:05
Another way Apple has made this a compelling phone is that it's paired by the same A18 Silicon, the same chip you get in the iPhone 16
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The Geekbench score shows that it's basically the same, both with a single and multi-core test
1:16
However, the GPU underperforms by little. I know the scrolling isn't as fluid
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It's not terrible, but that's just one of the small differences I notice. But it's worth pointing out that the 680 has one less GPU core than the iPhone 16
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But more importantly this phone gets Apple Intelligence and it's now officially the most affordable entry point to Apple Intelligence on iPhone
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Some of my favorite Apple Intelligence features include writing tools photo cleanup and Siri with chat GPT integration We actually have a full video dedicated to the new Siri experience on this channel so be sure to check that out if you haven already We can talk about performance without talking about battery life I just want to remind you
1:56
that the 16e has the same size display and A18 chip as a standard iPhone 16, but it seems to
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benefit from the new Apple C1 modem and as a result gets a little bit better battery life
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actually averaged 12 hours and 41 minutes versus the iPhone 16's mark of 12 hours and 13 minutes
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And it's also better than the Pixel 8a and iPhone SE 2022 by a wide margin
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So I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. So far, the iPhone 16e sounds pretty good, right
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Now, for those who have been to this channel before, welcome back. You already know that the cons are coming up next
2:29
If this happens to be your first time here, I'm John V. I review phones for a living and often here on this channel
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So if you're liking this video so far, consider hitting that subscribe button
2:39
Back to the iPhone 16e, and here's where I'm going to express a lot of disappointment
2:44
You guys know I love doing photo face-offs, and you guys always say I'm biased towards iPhone
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but that's not the case with the iPhone 16e. Although we do get an upgraded 48MP camera, when I compare it to a phone like the Google Pixel 8a
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I think for $600, a single camera is hard to convince people it's as versatile as other phones
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However, the performance is really good. I was surprised. I'm going to throw an example up on the screen I shot of with the iPhone 16e at the beach
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So in these first shots, I do notice that the iPhone 16e does a better job of boosting the shadows
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You can see that on the wooden railing here. And as far as details are concerned, I'd give it to the iPhone for being a little bit sharper
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And here's another with their main cameras. I like the iPhone 16e more because again it boosts the shadows So it a lot brighter image overall At the same time too there more detail especially around the rocks near the gazebo For a phone that technically doesn offer a dedicated macro mode like the iPhone 16
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the 16e takes outstanding images. You've got to go a little bit further
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I don't get quite as close compared to the 16, but check out the details of this image here
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When you zoom in, you can see more definition with the iPhone 16e
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And now let's take a look at night mode. It's much improved over the iPhone SE 2022, in my opinion
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And it's also better than the Pixel 8a and iPhone 16. That's a big deal
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So against the iPhone 16, I gotta say, the 16e does a great job of brightening the scene
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I wanted the exposures the same. There's a little bit of difference of color temperature. You get slightly warmer tones with the 16e
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But the big difference here is when I zoom in, check out the details of the tree and the branches
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There's more definition with the 16e. And against the Pixel 8a, when it comes to night mode, I gotta say, it's a big jump over the iPhone SE 2022 because I shot the same photos and the iPhone SE 2022 was dark, but look at this
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The iPhone 16e is just as bright as the Pixel 8a, if not brighter, but it has a lot more detail too
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Of course, that's just my opinion, but you be the judge. Check the link in the description to read my full written review that's packed with a ton of side-by-side comparisons
4:50
Besides the camera limitations, what are some of the ways that Apple has decided this phone is $200 less than the iPhone 16
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No MagSafe, no Dynamic Island, no camera control, no spatial video, and fewer video modes
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But it does get Apple's new C1 modem. And while I'm happy about all this, I was just hoping to get a little bit more battery life
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What's the deal with the $599 price? it more than the previous iPhone SE 2022 and more than the Pixel 8a You need to pay a lot more now to get the cheapest iPhone and I think that tough but it really forces you to think more about what features matter most
5:29
You could pay $200 more to get the missing features I've mentioned with the iPhone 16
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And even though it's $50 more than the iPhone 16e, Samsung's Galaxy S24 FE has extra features that I love
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for the extra costs, like Samsung Dex for that PC-like experience and a more versatile triple camera system
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Look, you guys know that I'm furthest thing from being a flagship snob. I'm always the first person to tell you to get the standard iPhone instead of the iPhone Pro Max
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considering the price difference. I genuinely love the value phones, but the iPhone 16E isn't a value phone
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Don't get me wrong. It's a well-rounded phone. Not a bad phone at all, in fact, but it's not a value phone
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Our best cheap phones guide that I link in description only considers phones under $500
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so the iPhone 16E is priced out. leaving a lot of confusion as to who this device is actually for
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But that's not to say you shouldn't get it. If you're itching to pay as little as possible
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the iPhone 16e is still an excellent choice, just as long as you're willing to make those compromises
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I personally like the extra utility that the iPhone 16 offers with its dual cameras and dynamic island
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but you're saving yourself $200 by sticking with the iPhone 16e. So what do you guys think
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Is there enough to convince you that the iPhone 16e is worth it? Let me know in the comments
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and if you feel that paying $200 more for the iPhone 16 is better
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Don't forget to follow us on social, at Tom's Guide, and I'll see you in my next video
7:03
You know, there are some magnets up in there, but not the correct ones
7:09
Oh
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