iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: All specs and features compared

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Need-to-knows

• iPhone 16 has two camera lenses capable of ultra-wide photography, the iPhone 16e only has one 48MP main camera
• No MagSafe on the iPhone 16e, but still Qi wireless charge compatible
• Both phones have the same A18 processor, but the 16e has one less GPU core
• 16e has a dimmer screen than the 16

If you’re thinking about buying a new iPhone, Apple has made the decision slightly more complicated with the introduction of the iPhone 16e. This new device is akin to the iPhone SE series it replaces but positioning it as part of the iPhone 16 range immediately draws direct comparisons to the standard iPhone 16.

These comparisons raise further questions like is the camera as good on the iPhone 16e? Is there a significant difference in performance? And does it matter if the 16e doesn’t have MagSafe?

Ultimately, this all ends in the biggest question of all; is it worth spending extra to buy the iPhone 16, or should you save some money and get the iPhone 16e? I’m here to help by answering all of the above and more!

Performance – same processors, different GPU cores

I’m not sure how much people really care about smartphone performance these days because pretty much all of them are brilliant. The only way you can push them is by playing intensive games. But still, the iPhone 16e’s performance matters. Here’s the headline; the internal hardware is much the same as the iPhone 16 with a few minor differences.

Both phones use the A18 chip and both phones have a 6-core CPU. That means general performance, such as doing things like scrolling apps or messaging, will be virtually the same. They also both have the same 16-core Neural Engine which is responsible for all of the AI stuff that happens on-device.

The major difference is that the iPhone 16e only has four GPU cores compared to the iPhone 16’s five GPU cores. In day-to-day life, this has no tangible impact on your usage. You simply won’t notice that missing GPU core unless you’re doing graphically intensive things like gaming.

And even then, you likely won’t perceive a significant drop in performance compared to the iPhone 16.

In short, differences in performance between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16e will be minor. They’ll show up on benchmarking tests but in everyday life, there won’t be a major drop-off with the 16e.

Camera – the most noticeable difference

From a feature that you won’t bat an eyelid about to one that you will. If you take one look at the iPhone 16e, you’ll notice that it only has one camera lens. The iPhone 16 has two. Immediately, that means you get less functionality with the iPhone 16e.

You get the same 48MP main camera that’s inside the iPhone 16e which means that the quick point-and-shoot photos you take will largely be the same in both of these phones. The iPhone 16’s second lens is a 12MP Ultra Wide camera which doesn’t exist on the iPhone 16. That means you can’t take higher-fidelity ultra-wide photos on the 16e.

That has a knock-on effect because the iPhone 16e only has 1x and 2x optical zoom capability whereas the iPhone 16 also has 0.5x for those wide shots. But the fact you get 1x and 2x on the 16e is a plus.

There are a few other minor differences. For example, the iPhone 16 has sensor-shift optical image stabilisation whereas the iPhone 16e has a more basic stabilisation feature. In practice, this means the iPhone 16e may be slightly worse at capturing sharper images when taking photos on the move.

You also can’t take spatial photos on the iPhone 16e which is mainly used for Apple Vision Pro and there’s no macro photography.

That extra lens on the standard iPhone 16 is nice to have and adds a layer of dynamism to your photography that the iPhone 16 can’t give you. But for bog-standard, point-and-shoot photos using the main lens, there shouldn’t be a massive difference between the two phones.

Design and display – iPhone 16e presents good value here

The iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 have exactly the same display in terms of dimensions and but one major spec difference.

Both have a 6.1-inch XDR OLED display with a 2532×1170 pixel resolution and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. So far, so good for the iPhone 16e. They both have the same colour ranges too. The iPhone 16e falls away however when brightness is considered.

The iPhone 16 has a respectable 1,000 nits typical brightness and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The iPhone 16e only has 800 nits typical brightness and a peak of 1,200 nits. Yes, the 16e’s max brightness only just tips that of the standard 16.

This is almost an unforgivable step from Apple. They already lag far cheaper Android phones in terms of display technology, and the iPhone 16e’s display takes that divide even deeper. For comparison, the OnePlus 13R costs about the same as the 16e but has a whopping 4,500 nits peak brightness. And it has a 120Hz refresh rate compared to the increasingly unimpressive 90Hz that Apple insists with on both the 16e and 16.

All of this means that the iPhone 16e’s display is noticeably less vibrant and harder to use in the sun than the iPhone 16.

As for the design, the iPhone 16e is 1mm shorter and weighs 3 grams (0.12 ounces) less than the iPhone 16. So the 16e isn’t really a smaller version than the 16 in any meaningful way. Both have aluminium frames and glass backs with IP68 dust and water resistance. Oh, and the 16e only comes in black and white whereas the 16 comes in Ultramarine, Pink and Teal as well.

Overall, it’s a win for the iPhone 16 which has a definitively brighter display and a bit more in the way of personalisation related to the colour options.

Battery and charging – MagSafe is gone on the 16e

In a statistic that can only be the result of efficiency savings found somewhere, likely Apple’s new custom C1 5G modem, the iPhone 16e has 26 hours of video playback battery life. This is four more hours than the iPhone 16’s 22 hours.

Therefore, in a (slightly) smaller phone with the same battery size, you get more juice. It is also consequently the longest battery life in a 6.1-inch iPhone to date. How this really stacks up in the real world remains to be seen.

Both models support wired charging via a USB-C port, delivering a 50% charge in approximately 30 minutes, however, their wireless charging features differ notably.

The iPhone 16 supports MagSafe, enabling 25W wireless charging with compatible MagSafe chargers. Those are chargers that attach magnetically to the back of your iPhone if you didn’t know. The iPhone 16e still allows Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W but there is no MagSafe support.

MagSafe is better because it allows for faster charging speeds and the attachment of various accessories like wallets or stands. It is therefore a significant downgrade compared to the iPhone 16.

In reality, the battery lives of these two phones will likely be negligible. But if you want a bit more, the iPhone 16e wins out albeit at the sacrifice of MagSafe.

Buttons – both have the Action Button

All the normal buttons, like the volume and lock buttons, are there on both the iPhone 16 and 16e. The iPhone 16e and standard 16 also have the Action Button included which used to be a premium-only feature in the iPhone 15 series.

You can use the Action Button as a shortcut to open certain apps like the camera or perform functions like turning the torch on.

The main difference here is that the iPhone 16 comes with the new Camera Control button which isn’t present on the iPhone 16e. Whether that matters to you is down to how much you value having a button that allows you to adjust camera settings without interacting with the screen.

It wasn’t Mark’s cup of tea in his iPhone 16 review to say the least.

Other than that, the two are the same.

Price and storage – is the $200 saving worth it?

This is the big point of comparison and ultimately determines the value for money you et out of each phone.

The iPhone 16 starts at $799/£799 for 128GB of storage, rises to $899/£899 for 256GB and maxes out at $1,099/£1,099 for 512GB.

The iPhone 16e starts at $599/£599 for 128GB, rises to $699/£699 for 256GB and maxes out at $899/£899 for 512GB. That means, if you buy the base model for each device, you save $200/£200 with the iPhone 16e. That’s a lot of money.

It means the iPhone 16e is the cheapest way to get access to iOS and the wider Apple Ecosystem. If that is all you want, and you don’t necessarily care about having the second camera lens and MagSafe, then the iPhone 16e could be a good value choice.

The problem is, it quickly begins to offer less value when compared to non-Apple devices, or even older iPhones. For example, you can find a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro for around the $600/£600 mark or less. That is undeniably a better phone than the 16e with a much more complex camera system.

Or you could go Android and buy the Nothing Phone (2) or Samsung S24 for around the same price. There are a multitude of options concerning the value of the 16e, all of it comes down to how much you want an Apple device.

Conclusion

There you have it, the major differences between the iPhone 16 and 16e are the lack of a second camera lens, the removal of MagSafe and the display brightness. The iPhone 16e has Apple’s new and first-generation C1 modem which is nice to have but not a game changer when compared to the iPhone 16.

For some, these are major reasons not to buy the iPhone 16e and make the extra $200/£200 you might spend to get the iPhone 16 seem more attractive. Overall, the iPhone 16e isn’t massively different from the iPhone 16 and whether $599/£599 is cheap enough to justify the sacrifices remains an entirely personal choice.