iPhone 16e is launched in elegant matte white and black finishes with a splash-, water-, and dust-resistant design
| Photo Credit: Special arragnement
Apple on Wednesday (February 19, 2025) unveiled its latest smartphone, the iPhone 16e, a budget-friendly addition to the iPhone 16 family. Designed to bring premium features to a wider audience, the iPhone 16e boasts cutting-edge A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, a 48MP 2-in-1 camera system, and enhanced battery life. This new iPhone also debut’s the C1 chip, Apple’s 5G in-house modem.
The iPhone 16e will be available in two sleek matte finishes – black and white – with storage options of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The pricing doesn’t necessarily place this device in an affordable smartphone universe that is dominated by Android devices. But within the Apple universe, iPhone 16e is an attractive option for anyone considering to buy the iPhone 16 – – the base model in Apple’s latest set of iOS devices that were launched in September.
During the launch, Apple also announced that iOS 18.2 will introduce support for multiple Indian languages, including Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. This update, expected in April 2025, will enable users to set their primary iPhone language to their preferred regional language, enhancing accessibility and user experience.
What are the key features in iPhone 16e?
The iPhone 16e comes with Apple’s latest A18 chip, the same one that powers both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plusdelivering top-tier performance and efficiency. The 6-core CPU is up to 80% faster than the A13 Bionic chip (the silicon powering iPhone 11 series), making it good for multitasking and gaming. The device also supports Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system that enhances user experience with features like natural language search, image cleanup, and advanced Siri capabilities.
Notably, Siri can now maintain context across conversations and integrate seamlessly with ChatGPT for enhanced functionality.
This ‘affordable’ iPhone features a versatile 48MP Fusion camera with an integrated 2x Telephoto lens, allowing users to capture photos and videos with optical-quality zoom. The camera system supports Night mode, Portrait mode, and 4K Dolby Vision recording. But this device lacks the camera control button, which a mainstay in the iPhone 16 family.
With the A18 chip and Apple’s power management system, the iPhone 16e offers a better battery life in this 6.1-inch iPhone. The chip is a notch down from the one that goes into the iPhone 16 with a 4-core GPU. This should in turn result in a longer battery life, but with a slightly graded down video output. Apple claims that on a single charge, this phone will last up to six hours longer than the iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than previous iPhone SE models.
Does iPhone 16e support MagSafe chargers?
The device supports Qi wireless charging, but lacks MagSafe wireless charging. That means, one can use their MagSafe chargers to charge the iPhone 16e, but the charging speed will be limited to 7.5W. The phone supports USB-C connectivity. This device will not house the Apple’s Dynamic Island that lets users interact with their iPhone to control sessions.
The iPhone 16e introduces groundbreaking satellite features, including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, and Messages via satellite. These features ensure users can stay connected and seek help even in remote areas without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. Additionally, Crash Detection can automatically alert emergency services in the event of a severe car accident.
The Action button on the iPhone 16e allows users to customise shortcuts for quick access to frequently used functions. It also unlocks Visual Intelligence, enabling users to identify objects, translate text, and search for information using AI-powered tools.
The iPhone 16e comes with iOS 18, offering deeper customisation, improved privacy features, and enhanced messaging capabilities. Users can lock and hide apps, schedule messages, and enjoy richer media sharing with RCS support for non-Apple devices.
How does iPhone 16e compare with iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus?
While the iPhone 16e is part of the latest iOS series, it is clearly an outsider when it comes to camera, chipset and charging features. As we saw earlier, the iPhone 16e only gets Qi wireless charging and the GPU is a notch down from the iPhone 16. The phone also lacks the camera control button, which is Apple’s USP when it comes to the latest generation of iOS devices.
But this phone makes up for its losses through increased battery life and better call qualtity – – the C1 modem could provide a better call quality, particularly when the network is congested. And this is an area Apple has been long trying to wean itself off from Qualcomm. If this works, then it would be an important milestone for the Cupertino-based company.
How to pre-order iPhone 16e and when will it be shipped?
The device will be available in India starting February 28, with pre-orders opening on February 21. Priced at ₹59,900 for the base 128GB variant, the iPhone 16e aims to make Apple’s latest tech more accessible to Indian consumers.
Apple is also offering trade-in options, allowing customers to upgrade to the iPhone 16e by exchanging their existing devices.
Comparing iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e
Published – February 20, 2025 01:58 pm IST
