The iPhone 16e was released on February 28th, 2025, after being announced a week earlier on February 19th, 2025. It was originally rumoured that the 16e would be part of the SE series, Apple's budget series, and was even nicknamed by fans the iPhone SE 4 for most of its production life. So it came as quite a shock when we heard that the new phone would be branded as the 16e, joining the iPhone 16 series as an alternative version of those recent devices.

Now that the phone is officially available, let’s review it in this blog.

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What is the difference between the iPhone 16 and 16e?

Before we begin, let’s explore the name of this new phone, the iPhone 16e. As we said it’s another version of the iPhone 16 series, so what are the differences?

The iPhone 16e is essentially the budget edition of the iPhone 16, it’s cheaper and has fewer features compared to its older models. There are 3 major differences between the 2 phones, price, camera and battery life.

• Price – 16e is available for £699 whilst the 16 is £100 more at £799.
• Camera – 16e only has 1 rear camera whilst the 16 has 2.
• Battery life – 16e has a better battery life compared to the 16, lasting an additional 30 minutes.

What makes the iPhone 16e special?

The iPhone 16e blends affordability and quality into one. It has a large OLED display and is the first budget iPhone to offer FaceID, and that’s because the iPhone 16e doesn’t have a home button! This may not come as a shock to you considering Apple hasn’t released a phone with a home button since 2022, but the iPhone16e was expected to have a home button, the fact it adopted the look of the modern Apple iPhones was very surprising. Many fans assumed because this phone was marketed as a budget phone, it would follow the looks of the other budget iPhones and still have that little, iconic button. So why could this have been done?

Firstly, with the big name change from SE to 16e we assume the home button was dropped to further emphasise that the 16e is a part of the iPhone 16 range, it’s still got the quality and performance of Apple's best-performing smartphone and that’s why it looks the same.

Secondly, all iOS updates on the iPhone are integrated and compatible with the buttonless phones, the newly added features are designed with that ‘swipe to return’ mindset, if Apple decided to keep the home button these features would have had to be tweaked.

And thirdly, removing the button means more space for the screen! No wonder why the iPhone 16e is 6.1” and the buttoned iPhone SE 3 is 4.7”!

Further iPhone 16e specs:

• Release date – February 28th, 2025
• Display - Super Retina XDR OLED
• Screen size – 6.1”
• Supports iOS 18 – Yes
• Chipset - Apple A18
• Camera: 48MP dual-LED HDR
• FaceID – Yes
• Storage capacity – 512GB
• RAM capacity – 8GB
• Colours - Black/white
• Price - £699.00

Improvements:

Overall, we are very happy with the iPhone 16e, and many other users online agree! It’s great to see Apple make actual changes to their phone's interior and exterior considering we usually never see these alleged ‘updates’. We think the name change was perfect for modernising the phone and will prove to be a great further success in their future mobiles. Another feature we also love is the fact the iPhone 16e has improved features compared to the iPhone 16 like the battery life. It’s refreshing to see a new ‘budget’ smartphone that has some positive differences in comparison to its predecessor that isn’t just down to price changes.

There is only one major upgrade that we are on the fence about. The lack of a home button. When it was first revealed the iPhone 16e wouldn’t have a home button, we were slightly disappointed. The home button was an iconic feature on the SE models, and the 16e was Apple's last chance to bring it back, this could also isolate older audiences who enjoy the use of the home button to make their mobile experience easier. But on the other hand, we understand many reasons Apple decided to make this change. Tech is modernising and we needed to cut off a feature that ended long before 2022 when the SE 3 was released. It allows for improved screens, bigger screens and the opportunity to add more features.

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Conclusion:

But what do you think? We’d love to know your thoughts. Remember to check out our website, we have already had a couple of iPhone 16s in stock. But as soon as they are in… they are gone! So make sure to regularly check in for what’s new in store! Not keen on the iPhone 16 range? Why not shop the iPhone 15 or below on our website? We have something for everyone!