After months of speculation and rumors, it’s official, Apple has revealed the iPhone 16e. We thought for a while it might have been the iPhone SE 4, but no, Apple’s latest mid-ranger is seemingly an extended part of the iPhone 16 series. After just a quick look at the specs on offer, the 16e could spell serious trouble for the wealth of mid-range Android phones out there, seemingly offering flagship performance for a lower price than a lot of the competition.
Coming in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage variations, the iPhone 16e is Apple’s most affordable device since the iPhone SE 3, ranging from $599 to $799, depending on how much storage you need. It boasts a bunch of upgrades on the last mid-range Apple cell phone, including the same performance-boosting A18 chip as the iPhone 16, one of the top picks from our guide to the best iPhones for gaming, making triple-A gaming a reality. That isn’t to mention the new Action Button, Face ID compatibility, and all the Apple Intelligence capabilities.
Still, the biggest difference between the iPhone 16e and the iPhone SE 3 is the size. The new mid-ranger is much bigger than its predecessor, matching the iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch display. As big iPhone gaming fans, this is the rumored upgrade we were most hoping for, as it gives much more space for the best Apple Arcade games, such as Vampire Survivors and Stardew Valley, to shine. Combine that larger screen size with the performance boost from the A18 processor – which Apple weirdly assures is 80% faster than the iPhone 11, a five-year-old cell phone – and this could soon be a fresh entry for our guide to the best gaming phones.
Not only is the iPhone 16e’s display bigger than the SE 3’s, but it’s an OLED, which means you can expect more vivid colors in all the best iPhone games. In all honesty, the iPhone 16e looks a lot like the iPhone 14, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and we won’t miss the Home button at the bottom of the iPhone SE 3’s screen. It also has an IP68 rating, the gold standard for waterproofing as far as we’re concerned, plus a new 48MP Fusion camera that should be more than capable of capturing some social media-worthy shots.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16e begin on February 21, before the official release date of February 28. In terms of colorways, you can only pick between black and white, which is a bit more limiting than the rest of the flagship iPhone 16 devices. However, the brand is introducing a range of colorful cases, including winter blue, fuchsia, lake green, black, and white designs, which you should be able to pick up alongside the device when pre-ordering.
Of course, we’ll be eager to get our hands on the iPhone 16e to see how it compares to its more expensive siblings, such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as well as the selections from our guide to the best mid-range phones, so watch this space for our full review. If you want to pick up some more Apple devices in the meantime, check out our guides to the best iPads and the best Apple Watches.