The iPhone 16E is here, and Apple has managed to up the ante once again.
Priced at $600 (AED2,600), the iPhone 16E serves as a spiritual if not linear successor to the iPhone SE series, but with a host of modern tweaks and twists.
Say goodbye to the home button, a mainstay in Apple’s design philosophy for ages, as the company firmly shifts to Face ID. Housing all the wizardry beneath a 6.06-inch OLED display, the phone is every bit the size of its pricier cousin, the iPhone 16. But hold on, it’s not all rosy here—the 16E has no MagSafe technology and fast wireless charging, offering only Qi charging that tops out at a modest 7.5W.
Under the hood, the iPhone 16E is powered by the A18 chip, aligning it with current-generation processing speeds. It’s got muscle, and with Apple Intelligence at play, users can expect notification summaries (this functionality isn’t even available on last year’s non-Pro iPhone 15 lineup). All signs suggest 8GB of RAM, though that’s yet to be confirmed, alongside a decent 128GB of storage as a base configuration.
Down to Apple’s knack for simplicity, color fans might have to temper their excitement. Your options are stark and straightforward: black or white. Also notable is the redesigned Action Button, although the Camera Control feature available on higher-end models is absent.
Another notable shift is the addition of USB-C. European Union regulations pretty much nudged Apple out of its Lightning port obsession, but for users, this change simplifies accessory compatibility. The lack of additional camera lenses stands as a noteworthy departure from the multi-camera trend, though the 48-megapixel rear camera should suffice for everyday photography.
The phone promises to be available for preorder this evening, with the first units likely shipping by the end of next week. Units will be available in stores on February 28.