Back to Basics

The iPhone 16e is a bit of a conundrum at first glance, intriguing and slightly confusing. It replaces the iPhone SE and the iPhone 14, both launched in 2022, as Apple’s moderately priced (but no longer dated) iPhone and brings the power of the latest A18 chip to a whole new price point. Equally, it takes away core iPhone 16 features to hit that price point, so whether you’ll flock to the 16e (or away from it) really comes down to how much these features matter…to you.

If you’re coming to the 16e from outside the Apple bubble, or even an older iPhone, you’re going to be picking up a relatively modern-looking phone, with du jour flat aluminum edges and a matte glass rear that looks gorgeous – pity it’s only in black and white! Keener eyes will instantly spot the resemblance with the iPhone 14, with the unmissable display notch (housing the Face ID sensors) allowing the 16e to go full screen with the departure of the home button. In the hand, the aluminum frame feels sturdy and is IP68 dust and water protected, with a one-generation old Ceramic Shield display protection. With its 6.1-inch OLED display, the 16e is handy enough for you to comfortably reach the customizable Action Button to invoke the camera, flashlight, trigger shortcuts or launch Visual Intelligence (arriving via a software update soon).

Don’t let the notch in the design fool you – under the hood beats the same A18 chip and 128GB of storage as the iPhone 16, although you get four graphics cores instead of five. In use, there is no discernible difference, be it in everyday tasks, or the fluidity of navigating the interface, or even while playing AAA titles like Death Stranding or Assassin’s Creed Mirage. You’re not only assured of a snappy experience in using the phone for everyday tasks, but of software support for the years to come, not to mention the imminent rollout of Apple Intelligence tools via software update in April. Look out for native, system-wide support for 10 languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Bangla, Kannada and Malayalam – not only can you type in these languages but system settings, calendars, menus will all be contextually available and organised.

Apple’s homegrown C1 cellular chip makes a debut in the 16e and I didn’t notice any issues with cellular connectivity on Airtel’s 5G network. It does deliver on Apple’s efficiency claims, which when coupled with the slightly larger battery (3961 vs 3561mAh) allows the 16e to edge ahead of the iPhone 16 in battery life. Used moderately, the 16e lasts nearly two days, or just past the midnight hour if pushed with maps, 4K videos and the like. Charging speeds are still slow (29W), although the 16e gets USB-C charging. Wireless charging over Qi 7.5W speeds is slower still, and there’s no support for Apple’s MagSafe standard for magnetically attaching the phone to stands, tripods and powerbanks. You’ll also have to make do without the ultra-precise tracking for AirTags, since the 16e forgoes the ultra-wideband chip.

Yet, it’s the single camera on the rear that might have consumers consider the base iPhone 16 instead. As a single camera system, the 16e’s 48-megapixel “2-in-1 camera" system lets you take 24-megapixel or 48-megapixel wide photos, or 12-megapixel 2x in-sensor-crop “zoom” photos, yet the lack of an ultrawide means you have to physically take a few steps back to get those monuments or buildings in the frame. Take the 16e out to shoot and it delivers solidly, with sharp and vibrant images in good light and low. Videos are a tad shakier than the 16, but the 4K resolution/60 frames-per-second video is excellent for its price segment.

With the 16e, the affordable iPhone is now longer a second-class citizen in the iPhone portfolio, even as the price of admission into the iOS party has been bumped up closer than ever to the base iPhone 16.

Rating: 8/10

Price: Rs. 59,900 onwards