iPhone 16e review: The 2025 budget iPhone — A18, USB-C, single 48 MP, Apple Intelligence.
The cheapest way into Apple Intelligence.
iPhone 16e replaces the SE with a modern A18, USB-C, a 48 MP camera and the first in-house C1 modem. The 60 Hz screen and single camera are the cost-cutting tells.
01Display
76/10076/100 is one of the weaker display results among premium phones of 2025 — 9 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.
02Camera
80/10080/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2025.
03Performance
88/100At 88/100 this is one of the strongest performance showings among premium phones of 2025 — 7 points above the cohort average.
04Battery
84/10084/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2025.
05Build
84/10084/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2025.
06Value
80/10080/100 trails the 83-point cohort average for premium phones of 2025.
- A18 + Apple Intelligence at $599.
- Best-in-class battery life for the size.
- First Apple C1 in-house modem.
- 48 MP main with 2× crop.
- 60 Hz display in 2025.
- No MagSafe, no Dynamic Island.
- Single rear camera.
- No ultrawide.
How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 36-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .