Last week, Apple announced the iPhone 16e as a successor to the novel iPhone SE series. While it did introduce a number of improvements over its predecessor, veering closer than ever to the current iPhone 16 lineup, it also introduced a significant price increase.
The 16e’s features were somehow celebrated, however, the price was met with mixed reception. Some found the price a little higher than expected thus defeating the budget aspect. While some found the price alright as it did offer a current gen iPhone experience, not just in terms of performance but also in design.
Now, many are wondering “why buy the 16e when I can buy the iPhone 15?”, and you would be right. But there are a few things to which the 16e cuts above the iPhone 15. Here are a few of them:
- Enhanced performance with the A18 Chip
The iPhone 16e is powered by the same chipset that’s found in the iPhone 16, delivering faster processing speeds and improved efficiency over the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic
- Increased memory capacity
Once again borrowing from its bigger siblings, the 16e comes equipped with 8GB of RAM, boosting overall performance over the 15’s 6GB. It’s what paved the way for the next feature.
- Integration of Apple Intelligence
Whether you like it or hate it, Apple’s direction moving forward is AI-driven, and the 16e is no different. Despite its “budget” pricing, the 16e comes standard with Apple Intelligence previously only found on the 16 series and the 15 Pro and Pro Max devices.
- Introduction of the Action Button
For the 16e, Apple has done away with the slider and instead opted to include the Action Button that was first introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and the entire 16 series.
- Improved battery life
In addition to having a modern design, it also allowed the 16e to feature a bigger battery than its predecessor, and it doesn’t end there. The 16e offers 26 hours of video playback as opposed to the 15’s 20 hours, giving you less time on the charger and more time outside.
Of course, it’s still up to you, the consumer, if these features justify spending $600 dollars on a bare-bones iPhone. I guess, if you’re looking to upgrade from say an iPhone X or an even older iPhone and wants to experience the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer without breaking the bank, then maybe this iPhone is for you.
If you liked this article, check out our other articles on the iPhone.