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Apple iPhone 16e

Apple iPhone 16e

By Apple · Smartphones · Phones & Computers · More from Apple

  • 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, 2532x1170 at 460 ppi, 1200 nits peak HDR
  • A18 chip: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
  • Video playback up to 26 hours (21 hours streamed)
  • 128GB/256GB/512GB storage, dual eSIM (no physical SIM), USB-C, Action button, Face ID

Price not listed

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Used, refurbished, open-box

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

The iPhone 16e is Apple’s entry-level iPhone 16, with the A18 chip, Apple Intelligence and a 48MP camera that doubles as a 2x crop. Check what you pay for it: it launched at $599, Apple discontinued it on March 2, 2026, so units reach the market as used or refurbished hardware.

Strengths

  • Battery life is the headline: PCMag streamed HD video over Wi-Fi at max brightness for 21 hours 39 minutes.
  • CPU performance sits right at iPhone 16 level; PCMag logged Geekbench 6 scores of 3,441 single-core and 8,362 multi-core.
  • The single 48MP rear camera produces good everyday photos, including night mode and a usable 2x crop.
  • Apple’s first in-house C1 modem handles 5G.
  • Compact 6.1-inch body with an aluminum frame and Ceramic Shield glass.

Weaknesses

  • No MagSafe and no Qi2; wireless charging stops at 7.5W Qi.
  • One rear lens only: no ultrawide, no Cinematic Mode, no Action Mode, no Camera Control button.
  • 60 Hz screen with no Dynamic Island and no Always-On display, and dimmer than the iPhone 16 (PCMag measured 800 nits typical).
  • US units have no physical SIM tray.
  • The USB-C port runs USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mbit/s) with no DisplayPort output.
  • The $599 launch price sat $170 above the discontinued $429 iPhone SE, and reviewers did not call it a budget phone.

Verified specifications

ModelApple iPhone 16e (A3202 in the US), the entry-level member of the iPhone 16 family.
ChipApple A18, 6-core CPU (2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.
ModemApple C1, Apple’s first in-house 5G modem; no ultra-wideband chip.
Display6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 2532 × 1170 pixels, 460 ppi, 60 Hz, HDR10/HDR10+/Dolby Vision.
Brightness1200 nits peak HDR per Apple; PCMag measured 800 nits typical and Tom’s Guide measured 1,028 nits peak.
Rear camera48MP Fusion, 26 mm, f/1.6, optical image stabilization, autofocus; 2x Telephoto at 12MP by sensor crop.
Front camera12MP TrueDepth, f/1.9, autofocus.
Video4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps, spatial audio, wind noise reduction and audio mix.
Battery15.55 Wh (4005 mAh) lithium-ion at 3.88 V; up to 26 hours of video playback, 21 hours streamed, 90 hours of audio.
Storage128GB, 256GB or 512GB (NVMe).
Memory8 GB, reported by PCMag and Wikipedia; Apple does not publish the figure or whether it is LPDDR4 or LPDDR5.
ChargingUSB-C (USB 2.0, 480 Mbit/s); Qi wireless up to 7.5W; no MagSafe, no Qi2, no DisplayPort output.
Water resistanceIP68, up to 6 m for 30 minutes (IEC 60529).
Materialsaluminum frame, Ceramic Shield front glass, glass back.
Dimensions5.78 × 2.82 × 0.31 in (H × W × D).
Weight167 g (5.88 oz).
SIMUS dual eSIM only, no physical SIM tray; mainland China dual nano-SIM; elsewhere nano-SIM plus eSIM.
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS/BeiDou/NavIC; no ultra-wideband.
ExtrasAction button, Face ID, Emergency SOS and Messages via satellite, Find My via satellite, Crash Detection; no Always-On display, no Dynamic Island.
SoftwareiOS 18.3 at launch; Apple Intelligence supported.
In the boxiPhone 16e and a USB-C charge cable; no power adapter.
Full research notes and sources

Battery life and charging

Apple rates the phone at up to 26 hours of video playback, 21 hours of streamed video and 90 hours of audio. PCMag streamed HD video over Wi-Fi at max brightness for 21 hours 39 minutes, 3 hours 50 minutes longer than the iPhone 16 in the same test and close to the 16 Pro Max’s 22 hours 5 minutes; the Pixel 8a managed 12 hours 15 minutes. Tom’s Guide ran a different protocol — web surfing over cellular at 150 nits — and got just over 12 hours against the iPhone 16’s 12 hours 13 minutes. Different methods, not a contradiction: the 16e wins on streaming and by a much smaller margin on browsing. CNET found the charge did not drop at all during an hour of video streaming.

Charging is the weak side. The USB-C port is USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/s), wireless charging is capped at 7.5W Qi, and there is no MagSafe or Qi2. Apple says 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or better adapter; CNET measured 59% in 30 minutes with a 30W charger, and PCMag got to 50% in 32 minutes with a 20W adapter and a full charge in 69 minutes. The 15.55 Wh (4005 mAh) cell is larger than the one in the iPhone 16, which is where the extra runtime comes from.

Camera and the single rear lens

The rear camera is one 48MP Fusion main camera at 26 mm, f/1.6, with optical image stabilization and autofocus. There is no ultrawide lens, and the 2x Telephoto is a crop of the 48MP sensor that outputs 12MP. CNET found the photos good for everyday use, including night mode and a decent 2x crop. Tom’s Guide put camera quality close to the iPhone 16 and better than the Pixel 8a in most tests. Video is 4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps with spatial audio, wind noise reduction and audio mix, but there is no Cinematic Mode and no Action Mode. The front camera is a 12MP TrueDepth at f/1.9 with autofocus.

Speed, screen and what’s missing

The A18 has a 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, but its GPU has 4 cores against the iPhone 16’s 5: Apple disables a defective core on chips binned during iPhone 16 production. PCMag ran Geekbench 6 at 3,441 single-core and 8,362 multi-core, Tom’s Guide at 3,328 and 8,132. The CPU gap is small; the GPU gap shows in graphics, where PCMag’s 3DMark Wild Life Extreme run gave 3,041 at 18.2 fps against the iPhone 16’s 4,132 at 24.7 fps.

The screen is where the cost-cutting shows. It is a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 2532 × 1170 and 460 ppi, but it runs at 60 Hz and there is no Dynamic Island and no Always-On display. Apple lists 1200 nits peak HDR, PCMag measured 800 nits typical on the 16e against 1000 nits typical on the iPhone 16, and Tom’s Guide measured 1,028 nits peak.

Is it worth it?

Apple launched the 16e on February 19, 2025 with $599 for 128GB, $699 for 256GB and $899 for 512GB, and offered $24.95 a month for 24 months at the time. That is $170 above the discontinued $429 iPhone SE, and none of the reviewers treated the 16e as a budget phone — it sits midway between the SE and the iPhone 16.

Apple discontinued the 16e on March 2, 2026 when the iPhone 17e arrived. New units are no longer sold by Apple, and the market is used and refurbished hardware. Reviewers put the value line for a used or refurbished 16e at roughly $400; above about $500 used they point you at the iPhone 16, with a brighter screen, an ultrawide camera and MagSafe, or at the newer iPhone 17e. Buy this phone for the battery life, the A18 chip and the long software support, and pay the used price rather than the launch price.

Apple sells AppleCare+ for the 16e, but the length of the standard limited warranty is not stated in Apple’s published material, and self-service repair availability for this model is unconfirmed — treat a dead battery as a shop visit. Nobody has published an independent real-world test of the C1 modem against Qualcomm’s, so Apple’s modem figures stay manufacturer claims.

Which model this is

This page covers the Apple iPhone 16e, the entry-level model of the iPhone 16 family, announced on February 19, 2025 and released on February 28, 2025. It comes in black and white with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage. The US model is eSIM-only with no physical SIM tray; mainland China gets dual nano-SIM and other markets get nano-SIM plus eSIM. Do not mix it up with the iPhone SE (3rd generation), the iPhone 14, the iPhone 16 or the iPhone 17e that replaced it.

The Amazon listing for this page is ASIN B0F4RM7Y2L.

Sources

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