iPhone 16E evaluate: Eh, it’s alright

The iPhone 16E is every thing I really like and hate about iOS. FaceTime at your fingertips. A dependable digicam. Simplicity. Familiarity. They’re the pillars of the iPhone expertise, and Apple’s latest cellphone has ‘em.

My husband picked up the 16E, involved that he must “study one thing new” to make use of it. He swiped round for a second and mentioned, “Oh. It’s similar to my cellphone.” It is similar to his cellphone — a six-year-old iPhone XR — solely up to date with a couple of important enhancements (a sooner processor, nicer display screen, and a contemporary digicam, that sort of factor) and little else.

That’s the opposite pillar of the iPhone expertise: You get precisely what Apple provides you and nothing extra. On Android, you should purchase a $500 cellphone with a quick refresh-rate display screen, two rear cameras, seven years of software program help, and wi-fi charging. On iOS, you should purchase this $599 cellphone with one rear digicam, a normal 60Hz display screen, wi-fi charging (however no MagSafe), and an ample however unspoken quantity of software program help. Apple has no competitors with regards to telephones operating iOS. The corporate can gatekeep these conveniences behind the next price ticket, and that’s merely the best way issues can be. I’m taking a look at you, ProMotion.

That is the world the iPhone 16E enters. It’s Apple’s most cost-effective cellphone, nevertheless it’s not low cost — in all probability for the aforementioned “lack of competitors” causes. It’s an iPhone that does iPhone issues, nevertheless it’s in all probability lacking a minimum of one main function for any given purchaser, whether or not that’s an additional digicam or the comfort of a MagSafe ring. In the event you’re clinging desperately to an older mannequin and need a new iPhone for the least doable cash, the 16E is the one to get.

That’s the job of the 16E: be the trail of least resistance to blue bubbles. However for a extra discerning buyer the reply’s not as clear-cut.

The iPhone 16E is the non secular successor to the iPhone SE, although Apple would slightly you not consider it that means. The SE was the corporate’s budget-friendly line, a sort of close-out discount bin provide on final era’s chassis with upgraded internals. The design was wildly outdated by the top, however, hey, it solely price $429. That line seems to have ended with the 16E, which is absolutely a member of the iPhone 16 collection.

However as an alternative of an older design that’s a extremely whole lot, we have now a contemporary design that’s solely sort of a deal. It’s $200 cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16 and has an analogous 6.1-inch OLED display screen. There’s no Dynamic Island — only a notch. And as an alternative of two rear lenses, you get only one: a 48-megapixel important digicam and no ultrawide to go along with it. You get wired charging, however no MagSafe. The Motion Button, however no Digital camera Management. This, not that. And so forth.

There’s a sort of equation that may assist decide how a lot it is best to care about this checklist of lacking options. How outdated is your present cellphone? Do different individuals in your family use MagSafe equipment that you simply need to share? Do you even know what MagSafe is? Would you prefer to observe sports activities scores on the high of your display screen when you do different issues in your cellphone, or are you a Seattle Mariners fan? (Love hurts, guys.) I don’t know what that actual components is as a result of I barely scraped by in calculus, however simply bear it in thoughts as you learn the remainder of this evaluate.

The 16E’s display screen could be very possible a model of the iPhone 14’s display screen, full with a notch housing the Face ID and front-facing digicam array. The common 16’s display screen will get just a bit brighter in principle, however in apply they give the impression of being about the identical to me, brightness-wise. The 16E’s display screen doesn’t go down to at least one nit just like the 16’s can, which is simply too dangerous as a result of it’s actually cool as hell and useful once you’re attempting to not get up your partner with a vibrant cellphone display screen. The notch’s existence additionally means no Dynamic Island — that’s the pill-shaped cutout Apple launched with the iPhone 14 Professional, which homes tiny bits of well timed information you may need to see at a look.

All that time-sensitive data, like stay sports activities scores and the proximity of your incoming Uber, remains to be introduced on the 16E’s lock display screen. However the Dynamic Island retains it on the high of your display screen when you do different issues in your cellphone. It’s useful, and having gotten used to it, I missed it on the 16E. The additional visible affirmation is good when you’ve got a timer or display screen recording in progress. The Dynamic Island in all probability received’t be a fantastic loss in case you’re used to a cellphone with out it, although.

MagSafe is perhaps one other case of “in case you’ve by no means had it then you definitely received’t miss it,” however I’m rather less inclined to shrug off its absence on the 16E. Positive, there’s nonetheless Qi wi-fi charging. And you’ll all the time use a case with magnets as a workaround if you wish to use MagSafe equipment, even when it’s not a sublime answer. However the great thing about MagSafe is the simplicity, and in case you’re a case-hater like me then it’s a useful means so as to add a Pop Socket or a low-profile pockets to your cellphone with out committing to a case. Other than the SE, each iPhone from the 12-series onward has MagSafe. It appears like a normal function now, and it’s exhausting to know why Apple left it out.

The iPhone 16E’s rear digicam makes use of a 48-megapixel sensor that mixes pixels to assist it higher collect mild, and it delivers good pictures in most conditions. There’s no ultrawide digicam and subsequently no macro pictures both. I missed the ultrawide greater than as soon as when stepping backward to border a large shot wasn’t doable. There’s a good portrait mode, although it’s the older model the place you possibly can’t change the main target level after the very fact. Photographic Kinds can be found to assist dial in colour copy, although they’re additionally the previous-gen model and you’ll’t tweak undertones.

This can be a digicam system most individuals can be completely proud of. In the event you’re in the least inclined photographically and need extra flexibility — each in focal vary and processing choices — then contemplate an iPhone 16 or 16 Professional. But it surely’s a superb digicam for a normal viewers. There’s glorious 4K video recording, optical picture stabilization, and dependable colour copy. A extra superior cellphone digicam would provide higher possibilities of capturing shifting topics in dim mild, however this one retains up in most conditions.

A lot of the 16E is acquainted, however there may be one solely new element: Apple’s C1 modem. That is its debut look, and the highway to Apple’s first in-house modem was reportedly stuffed with setbacks and delays. I’ve used it for the previous week to make FaceTime calls, add giant video recordsdata in crowded locations, and stream YouTube on the bus. I examined it alongside a daily iPhone 16 outfitted with a Qualcomm-made modem — each on Verizon — and I didn’t see any constant distinction in efficiency between the 2.

Each time I assumed the iPhone 16 was faring higher with video name high quality or add speeds, I’d strive the identical check once more and the 16E would come out forward. If I have been none the wiser, I wouldn’t have given the modem a second thought as I used the cellphone. Given the problem Apple seemingly encountered constructing this factor and the complexity of a mobile modem, “it appears tremendous” is definitely a fantastic final result for the C1.

Apple claims switching to its personal modem has allowed it to squeeze somewhat extra battery life out of the 16E, providing “one of the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone,” in line with its press launch. Battery life actually appears good. I spent a day out of the home utilizing quite a lot of navigation, streaming a podcast, testing connectivity, and watching YouTube. I clocked about 5 hours of display screen time and was solely all the way down to 41 p.c by the top of the day. I’m assured that most individuals may get via a day comfortably on this battery, however that’s not my largest concern. I’m extra interested in long-term battery well being — Apple’s latest monitor report right here is spotty — and there’s simply no means of understanding that after every week of testing.

The opposite improve right here is Apple Intelligence. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Or seen it on a billboard? Or in a industrial a couple of dozen instances? Apple would really like us to think about its AI as a marquee function on the 16E, however Apple Intelligence simply doesn’t really feel like one — not but, anyway. But it surely’s all right here: the AI writing instruments, Picture Playground, notification summaries, and the up to date Siri with a ChatGPT extension. It’s all fairly forgettable proper now.

Working example: it took me a number of days to note that Apple Intelligence wasn’t operating on the 16E I used to be testing, regardless of having the Apple Intelligence choice turned on. I sorted it out — I assume one thing about the best way I set it up prevented the required AI fashions from downloading — however this says rather a lot about how helpful Apple Intelligence is correct now. Probably the most attention-grabbing stuff is but to come back, and the 16E can be prepared for it, which is good. However I positively wouldn’t let Apple Intelligence be a deciding think about choosing this cellphone versus, say, an iPhone 15.

That highlights the place I’m caught attempting to determine the 16E. In the event you’re coming from an older iPhone like an 11, don’t need to spend so much, and don’t care about MagSafe or an ultrawide digicam, then the 16E sort of is smart. However 100 {dollars} extra will get you a brand new iPhone 15 with MagSafe, the Dynamic Island, and an ultrawide digicam, although there’s no Apple Intelligence or motion button.

The 16E feels prefer it ought to provide the necessities, nevertheless it’s exhausting to say what’s a vital iPhone function and what’s not. It’s in all probability extra like a mixture of options, and for some individuals, the 16E possible affords a mixture they’ll be proud of. Particularly, I imply individuals like my husband and anybody else with an outdated iPhone who’s bored with studying what MagSafe is, hardly ever takes footage, and simply desires a dang iPhone. The 16E covers these necessities. For somebody who desires extra flexibility from their smartphone’s digicam or its system of equipment, this isn’t the iPhone for you.

I’d slightly have a cool magnetic accent system and a neat quick-glance show function constructed into my cellphone than Apple Intelligence, particularly for $600. It doesn’t fairly add up for me, however perhaps the maths seems to be somewhat totally different for you.