Apple iPhone 16e (2025): Specs, Price, Release Date

Apple has launched a new iPhone, but what was expected to be a new iPhone SE announcement this morning has turned into a completely new product line: the iPhone 16e. This isn’t exactly a follow-up to the iPhone SE from three years ago, though it officially replaces it. Also gone is the iPhone 14, meaning Apple’s iPhone lineup now consists of the iPhone 16e, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 series. Apple announced the new device online without much fanfare.

The iPhone 16e is available for preorder starting on February 21 for $599, which effectively eliminates the option of a sub-$500 iPhone. Official sales kick off on February 28. Here’s what’s new with Apple’s latest iPhone.

A Modern, ‘Cheaper’ iPhone

The new iPhone 16E, which is a spiritual successor to the iPhone SE, says goodbye to hallmarks like the Touch ID-infused home button and thick bezels around the display in favor of the modern look that’s been headlining Apple’s iPhones for the past few years. That means an all-screen front, now employing an OLED panel, with Face ID baked into the camera notch.

Unlike the current iPhone 16 lineup, this iPhone does not use the Dynamic Island system of a floating bar around the front-facing camera that shows live information from apps like Maps and Uber. Here, the camera notch is just a static void. The screen is 6.1 inches, the same size as the iPhone 16, a big leap from the 4.7-inch screen on the third-gen iPhone SE. This is not a tiny phone anymore, a blow to anyone hoping for another small iPhone—especially since Apple killed off the iPhone Mini series a few years ago.

Annoyingly, this iPhone is still stuck with a 60-Hz screen refresh rate even though most other smartphones at this price feature a 90- or 120-Hz refresh rate. A higher rate means a smoother experience using the phone with fluid animations. Apple calls this ProMotion, and it’s still only available in the iPhone Pro series, though it’s expected to arrive in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus later this year for the first time.

Also notable is the switch from a Lightning charging port to a USB-C port. Apple first switched to the universal port on the iPhone 15 range in 2023, and this update means the entire iPhone lineup finally features USB-C. Unfortunately, like the iPhone 16, the port’s data transfer speeds remain the same at 480 Mbps. For faster speeds, you’ll need to buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

Apple stopped selling the 2022 model of the iPhone SE and other Lightning-based devices in the European Union in December 2024 to comply with regulations that required the universal USB-C port on devices like phones and tablets. The earlier-than-expected release of the iPhone 16e suggests Apple wanted to quickly fill in the gap and bring a low-cost iPhone back to that market.

Apple’s A18 chipset sits inside with 8 GB of RAM, meaning you get the same power as the iPhone 16. Nearly. This chipset has one less GPU core than the A18 inside the iPhone 16, meaning there may be a slight hit to graphics performance when playing games. Naturally, the A18 chip brings access to Apple Intelligence. It’s the most affordable iPhone with the suite of AI features, though it’s not the cheapest way to access it. That would be the $499 iPad Mini.

While Apple has brought over the Action Button from the higher-end iPhones—this user-customizable button replaced the mute switch and debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro—the 16e is missing the Camera Control button found on those flagship devices.

Camera Control is the fifth physical button on the iPhone 16 lineup. It enables quick access to the camera and allows users to slide a finger on it to change shooting modes. Pressing and holding the button activates Apple’s Visual Intelligence, which lets Siri understand what it’s looking at, provide context, and take action. Apple initially restricted the feature to the new iPhone 16 range which has the physical Camera Control button, even if the iPhone 15 Pro was capable of this computer vision trick. However, the iPhone 16e can now make use of Visual Intelligence through the Action Button. It’s unclear yet if this functionality will make its way to the iPhone 15 Pro.

Speaking of the camera, it’s been upgraded to a 48-megapixel sensor, and Apple touts that the higher megapixel count allows the camera to crop in and offer a 2X optical-like image quality—effectively giving you the experience of two camera lenses in one. The selfie camera is the same 12 megapixels as the rest of the iPhone 16 series.

The other big introduction is Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, the C1. This new chip further reduces the company’s dependence on external chip suppliers like Qualcomm. This modem won’t allow the iPhone 16e to connect to millimeter-wave 5G—the superfast 5G speeds you’ll find in certain locations, like dense urban areas, airports, or stadiums. This is a common omission on phones within this price range, which rely on the more widespread sub-6 GHz 5G spectrum.

Apple says the new C1 modem helps improve battery life. The iPhone 16e’s battery can last 21 hours when streaming videos, which is 11 more hours than the iPhone SE, and it’s even better than the 18-hour claim for the same-sized iPhone 16. Bizarrely, Apple did not add Qi2 and MagSafe functionality to this iPhone, gatekeeping its magnetic accessory system to pricier devices. The iPhone 16e still supports Qi wireless charging, which is slower and doesn’t have the benefits of magnets.

What it does retain are the satellite communication features that debuted in the iPhone 14—when you’re away from cellular coverage and Wi-Fi, you can message friends and family via satellite and also connect to emergency services and roadside assistance. You can also share your location via satellite through the Find My app. The iPhone 16e also includes Apple’s Crash Detection, which can contact emergency services if the device detects you’ve been in a car crash.

The iPhone 16e makes the iPhone lineup a little confusing because Apple still sells the iPhone 15 ($699) and iPhone 15 Plus ($799), which are more expensive but have a weaker processor that lacks access to Apple Intelligence. Unless you really want an ultrawide camera, MagSafe, or the Dynamic Island, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to buy them anymore.