iPhone 16e: HUGE Upgrade for Older iPhones at Just $599!
I’ve been using the iPhone 16e full time for the last two weeks. If you’re on an iPhone 16, 15, 14, 13 or even 12, this may not be for you. But if you’re on an iPhone 7, 8, X, XS, XR, 11, or an SE, there are so many upgrades here.
One of the most interesting things is the price. At $599 in the US, that’s what the iPhone 3GS cost back in 2009. And through a carrier, you can probably get it for free.
Design
You get a flatter, more modern design. If you go without a case, your older, rounded iPhone may actually feel better in your hand, but rounded iPhones always felt slippery to me. The flat edges give me more to grip. The back is a matte glass that’s much less fingerprint-prone, and the single-camera design is simple and clean.
Performance
Inside is the A18 with six CPU cores and four GPU cores. In CPU benchmarks it’s 1.9× faster than the iPhone 11 Pro, 3× faster than the iPhone X, and 6.3× faster than the iPhone 7. In GPU it’s 1.7× faster than the 11 Pro and 5.4× faster than the iPhone 7. In everyday use, apps open faster, games run smoother, and 8 GB of memory means fewer Safari tabs reload. It also brings Apple Intelligence: Genmoji, writing tools, email summaries, and possibly future Siri updates, though I’m not holding my breath.
Display
Most older iPhones max out around 625 nits. The 16e hits 800 nits normally and 1,200 nits for HDR. I’ve used it a lot outside in direct sun, even with sunglasses, with no trouble reading it. At 6.1 inches it sits between the 5.8-inch X/XS and the 6.5-inch 11 Pro Max, and it’s much bigger than a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 or SE.
Coming from Touch ID, Face ID is super fast. You pull it out, swipe up, and you’re in. And if you think you’ll hate the notch, it disappears after a day.
Action button and USB-C
The mute switch is now the customizable Action button. I’ve tried most things, including opening my garage and unlocking my car, but I settled on the flashlight. Looking for a dropped screw, something in the attic, or walking to get the mail at night, it’s super convenient. If you miss the silent switch, add it to Control Center.
The Lightning port is now USB-C. If you have a pile of Lightning cables, I feel your pain, but the new standard is more versatile going forward. There’s also 7.5 W Qi wireless charging.
Camera
If you have a dual-camera iPhone, you might worry that a single lens is a downgrade. The 16e’s 48 MP Fusion camera crops part of the large sensor to give you a 2x shot that isn’t a digital crop, and that beats the slower, lower-quality 2x lenses on older iPhones. If you’re coming from an iPhone 11 with an ultra wide, though, you lose that; you’ll just have to take a few steps back.
Battery
It’s crazy good. Over my last 10 days I’m averaging over five hours of screen time, using 50–60% during the day and going to bed with 40–50% left. Apple rates it at 26 hours of video playback versus 13 on the iPhone 7, 15 on the SE 3, and 20 on the 11 Pro Max. On top of that, your old battery has degraded. You might go from charging multiple times a day to almost two days.
There’s no MagSafe fast charging, but with a MagSafe case (I like this blue FNT case) my bedside charger and MagSafe battery work fine, and 7.5 W is fine overnight. Wired, you get 50% in 30 minutes.
Everything else
5G with Apple’s first C1 modem. The best compliment I can give it is I never noticed a difference from any other modern iPhone. The speakers are louder and clearer than my iPhone 11 Pro. You also get emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, better water resistance, Ceramic Shield (no scratches after two weeks), and Wi-Fi 6.
If you’re on a five-year-old iPhone and want your next one to last five years without breaking the bank, the 16e has a lot going for it. You could pay a lot more for a 16 or 16 Pro for slight upgrades, or a superfluous button to control the stupid camera, but everything you want from a core iPhone experience is here.
Links
In this video
- 0:00 got an old iPhone?
- 0:28 interesting price
- 0:58 design
- 1:43 A18 chip and performance
- 2:49 apple intelligence
- 3:08 display upgrade
- 4:09 faceID and notch
- 4:35 action button
- 5:42 usb-c
- 6:17 camera and zoom
- 7:31 one possible camera downgrade
- 7:49 battery life is awesome!
- 9:01 wireless charging and MagSafe
- 9:41 5G and C1
- 10:13 speakers
- 10:26 other things
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