ISLAMABAD: Apple has launched the iPhone 16E with an updated design and does away with the iPhone’s classic Touch ID interface.
Instead, the 16E moves to a Face ID-enabled notch and adds the latest A18 chip and support for Apple intelligence beneath the surface, with a starting price of $599.
The 16E is a sort of iPhone SE successor that builds on the design of 2022’s iPhone 14, meaning it fits the front-facing cameras needed for Face ID (and selfies) into a notch that cuts out of the top of the phone, rather than the dynamic island design found on the company’s latest flagship phones.
With a 6.06-inch OLED display, the 16E is now closer to the size of Apple’s standard 6.12-inch iPhone 16, meaning the company is no longer offering a phone that’s significantly smaller than its default model — at least not until the rumored iPhone 17 Air arrives. Measurements of the 16E suggest it’s about 0.1mm narrower and 0.7mm shorter than the standard iPhone 16.
The 16E includes a custom Action Button but not the new camera controls you’ll find on the 16 series. It swaps out its Lightning port for USB-C, which is now required for phones sold in the EU. What it doesn’t have is support for MagSafe accessories or fast wireless charging, as the iPhone 16E only supports Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W, which will power you up more slowly than the 25W charging available on pricier iPhones.
Inside, there’s an A18 chipset, the same chip as the iPhone 16. That makes the 16E powerful enough to run Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools that includes notification summaries. Even the non-Pro iPhone 15 can’t do that, so the 16E is one of the most capable iPhones out there. Apple has previously confirmed that 8GB of RAM was the minimum to get Apple Intelligence support on the iPhone 16 series, so it’s likely that the 16E will have at least that much memory. Even the cheapest version has bumped up to a baseline of 128GB of storage, meaning there’s no longer a 64GB iPhone.
There’s just one 48-megapixel rear camera. The lack of additional cameras is the biggest letdown compared to the company’s other handsets. With support for wireless charging and a water-resistant IP rating, you’ll have to give up somewhere else.
The iPhone 16E is also the first iPhone to include an Apple-made modem. The company has spent years trying to move away from Qualcomm-made modems, and we’re finally seeing the fruits of that labor. The big questions now are how well the new modem performs and whether Apple is ready to roll out its own connectivity components to the iPhone 17 line later this year.
The new iPhone 16E is available for pre-order on Friday starting at $599, a significant price increase from the $429 2022 iPhone SE — though you do get a lot more storage (128GB) and a much more modern design in the base model. The 16E ships on February 28.