Apple just did something unexpected — it launched a budget iPhone that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Enter the iPhone 16e, a device that doesn’t scream “Pro” but still talks the Apple talk with surprising confidence. It’s not a spec-chaser’s delight, but for someone eyeing the Apple ecosystem without crossing the ₹1 lakh mark, this could very well be the most sensible iPhone in years.
Let’s break it down one experience at a time.
First, here’s a quick look at the specs (it’s not chasing):
Design & Display: Familiar face, fresh feels
At first glance, the iPhone 16e doesn’t challenge conventions. It sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with a good ol’ notch, housing Apple’s robust Face ID and selfie camera system. No fancy Dynamic Island here and no fingerprint sensor button from the SE either — and for many, that’s fine. If you’ve never used it, you won’t miss it. If you have, you’ll sigh and move on.
What’s new — and more practical — is the Action Button. Replacing the iconic mute switch, this programmable button can launch your camera, toggle DND, or even, down the line, summon Apple’s Visual Intelligence feature. For a phone that costs less, that’s a smart trade, marking the final end of the mute switch.
In terms of brightness, the 16e is quite capable, both indoors and outdoors. But it lacks the one-nit minimal brightness like the iPhone 16, which also means no Always-on Display feature. If you can look past that, the difference between the 16e brightness and the other iPhones is negligible. But what hurts is the 60Hz refresh rate. Apple has somehow made the screen animations as smooth as they can get despite the hardware limitation, but having used the iPhone 16 Pro this past few months, the difference was evident until it wasn’t anymore. I guess the only piece of advice here is “give it time.”
Lost in the trade-off is the MagSafe compatibility, but you get Qi wireless charging as an effective solution sans elegance.
Finally, USB-C makes its way to this entry-level iPhone, marking the end of the Lightning Connector once and for all. This also helps unify the charging ecosystem, not just across the Apple lineup but in the global landscape.
Performance: Don’t let “e” fool you
Powering the 16e is the Apple A18 chip — the same family as the regular iPhone 16 — but with one less GPU core. But don’t let that one-core-shorter spec worry you. This chip still rocks a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, which enables the much-hyped Apple Intelligence features in its entirety.
Apple is positioning this phone as an ideal upgrade for users on iPhone 11 or older — hence the comparisons to the A13 Bionic. Having used the iPhone 16e, it becomes clear that the upgrade is worthy in every way. After all, the A18 brings an 80% performance bump over the A13, with six times faster Neural processing, essential for on-device AI tasks, according to Apple.
In everyday use — apps, multitasking, some light gaming, internet browsing, IMs and even FaceTime calls — the iPhone 16e doesn’t break a sweat. Even running some graphics-intense games were managed pretty well. And running all those AI (read: Apple Intelligence) features worked effortlessly. More on that bit later.
Since this is the first phone with Apple’s own C1 modem, I tested this with Airtel and Jio side-by-side (the 16e on Airtel, 16 Pro on Jio). Uploads, streaming, even hotspot — the 16e never lagged behind noticeably. Though the new modem lacks mmWave and Wi-Fi 7 support, it’s only a matter of time before Apple catches on. After all, the C1 is not a flagship modem.
Camera: A single eye that sees well
The 48MP “2-in-1” rear camera does a good job (mostly). Apple is calling the 2x zoom “optical-quality”, though it’s still digital.Having tried the Portrait Mode, it was instantly clear that the edge detection was solid. It creates a nice soft bokeh and keeps the subject in crisp focus. That’s the Apple tuning in action.
There’s no ultrawide, which I felt was a major setback being accustomed to it in the Pro and non-Pro lineup of the 16. In fact, Apple traded off macro and Camera Control as well — but that’s to be expected. It would’ve been great if the macro was still included.
But on the plus side, the photographic styles are here, but you cannot tweak tones post-shot. That’s reserved for the 16-series. Sad!
That said, video recording is top-notch. You get 4K, optical image stabilization, and Dolby Vision on the 12MP front-facing camera too — something even some Android flagships miss. Autofocus on the selfie cam is fast and reliable. You can never miss a shot, unless it’s low light and the camera might take few microseconds, just enough to add noise and malfunction your swift muscle memory.
By default, shots are binned to 24MP, but a 48MP toggle is there in the camera interface as
HEIF Max” if you need those extra pixels.
Check out some camera samples below:
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Battery life
Apple is being coy, as usual, about the exact battery size. But it says this is the largest battery ever put in a 6.1-inch iPhone, beating even the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 16. This combined with Apple’s very own C1 modem (replacing Qualcomm modem), which Apple claims is more efficient, battery anxiety is a thing of the past.
Having used the 16e as a primary device, it delivered about 5 hours of screen time throughout the day with 41% battery left. A normal day would involve streaming, FaceTime, camera, uploads, browsing, calls, IMs and all of it was done without hunting for a charger. Moderate users will easily get a full day of use with some juice left and heavy users won’t have to worry with a full charge.
Apple Intelligence: The real USP
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The real reason this phone matters in 2025 is Apple Intelligence. It’s built right in — and on-device. Here’s a glimpse into what all it can do:
Like these, there are many such features, such as using Siri to get around Apple products, summarising notifications, as well as webpages and emails and more. This AI layer is what separates the 16e from its similarly priced older iPhones. If you’re upgrading from an 11 or even a 12, you’re stepping into the AI-first Apple era.
Verdict: A smart, strategic move by Apple
The iPhone 16e is not trying to be your pocket DSLR. It’s not competing with the Pro. It’s not even trying to be everything to everyone. But what it is — is smartly priced, feature-rich in all the right ways, and future-forward with Apple Intelligence.
If you’re on an iPhone 11 or older, or switching from Android and want to finally test Apple’s waters, this is the phone to do it with. Of course, for ₹10K–₹15K more, you’ll get an iPhone 15 with Dynamic Island, MagSafe, and an ultrawide camera — but no Apple Intelligence. Is this the trade you’re willing to make? At this point, I will be leaning towards the former option. But if Apple picks up the pace with new AI developments (WWDC is just around the corner), I might change my mind.
So, it really comes down to this: Do you want a modern iPhone with AI superpowers at the lowest possible entry point? If yes, the iPhone 16e isn’t just the affordable iPhone — it’s the smart iPhone.
iPhone 16e comes in black and white colour options. Pricing as follows:
