iPhone 16e

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<div style="font: bold 2em/1.2 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'SF Pro Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: var(--wiki-color); margin-bottom: 0.8em;">iPhone 16e</div>
<span style="color: #555; font-weight: bold;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-muted);">Latest iPhone. Greatest price.</span>
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| colspan="2" style="padding: 0;" | <div style="max-width: 300px; margin: 5px auto;">![[iphone_16e.webp]]</div>
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| style="width: 50%; background-color: #3c4042; color: #fff;" | '''Black'''
| style="width: 50%; background-color: #fafafa; color: #000;" | '''White'''
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| colspan="2" style="background-color: #333; padding: 8px;" | [https://support.apple.com/en-us/122208 <span style="color: #fff;">iPhone 16e — Technical Specifications (Apple Support)</span>]
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{{iPhone lineup Navbox}}

The iPhone 16e is a [[smartphone]] designed and marketed by [[Apple|Apple]], announced on February 19, 2025, and released on February 28, 2025. It retired the [[iPhone SE]] name and formula together: instead of resurrecting a classic chassis, the "e" model was a stripped edition of the current [[iPhone 16]] — the same 6.1-inch OLED size and USB-C-era design language, the A18 chip (with one GPU core fewer), 8 GB of RAM, and full [[Apple Intelligence]] support — at $599, $200 under the 16.

Its most historic component was invisible: the Apple C1, the company's first in-house cellular modem, ending exclusive reliance on Qualcomm after years of development and litigation history — debuted deliberately in the lineup's lowest-stakes slot. The cuts that funded the price: a notch instead of the Dynamic Island, a single 48-megapixel camera, no MagSafe (Qi wireless only), no Camera Control, and two colors.

The 16e served thirteen months as the entry iPhone before the [[iPhone 17e]] succeeded it in March 2026, establishing the annual "e" cadence.

= Design =

The 16e reads as an iPhone 14-adjacent silhouette in the 16 era: flat aluminum sides, Ceramic Shield front, a notched 6.1-inch OLED (the last new iPhone with the notch), single rear lens without a plateau, Action Button (inherited) but no Camera Control, USB-C, IP68 — in matte Black or White at 167 g. The starkness was the design statement; reviewers called it the most anonymous iPhone in years, which its buyers counted as a feature.

= Hardware =

{| style="max-width: 500px; border: 2px solid #555; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;"
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! style="color: #555; text-align: left; width: 22%;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Developer
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Apple|Apple]]
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Generation
| style="text-align: left;" | 18th (entry tier)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Announced
| style="text-align: left;" | February 19, 2025
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Released
| style="text-align: left;" | February 28, 2025
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Discontinued
| style="text-align: left;" | March 2, 2026
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Predecessor
| style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone SE]] (3rd generation)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Related
| style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone 16]] · [[iPhone 16 Plus]]
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Successor
| style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone 17e]]
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Display
| style="text-align: left;" | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED<br>2532 × 1170 (460 ppi) · notch<br>(no Dynamic Island)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Chip
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Apple A18]] (4-core GPU variant)<br>· 16-core Neural Engine
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Modem
| style="text-align: left;" | '''Apple C1''' — first Apple modem
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | RAM
| style="text-align: left;" | 8 GB
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Storage
| style="text-align: left;" | 128 GB · 256 GB · 512 GB
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Rear camera
| style="text-align: left;" | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.6, OIS<br>(2× crop tier — "2-in-1" system)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Front camera
| style="text-align: left;" | 12 MP TrueDepth, f/1.9, autofocus
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Battery
| style="text-align: left;" | 4,005 mAh — largest 6.1-inch iPhone<br>battery to date · Qi 7.5 W (no MagSafe)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Connectivity
| style="text-align: left;" | USB-C · 5G (sub-6 only) · Wi-Fi 6<br>Bluetooth 5.3 · satellite SOS<br>US models eSIM only
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Colors
| style="text-align: left;" | Black · White
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Launch price
| style="text-align: left;" | $599 (128 GB) · $699 (256 GB) · $899 (512 GB)
|-
! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | OS
| style="text-align: left;" | iOS 18.3 ~ current
|}

The C1 modem — sub-6 GHz only, no mmWave — benchmarked slightly behind Qualcomm on peak speed and ahead on power, contributing to the 16e's standout spec: a 4,005 mAh battery (the largest ever in a 6.1-inch iPhone) delivering the best endurance of any 6.1-inch model, entry tier included. The A18's four-GPU bin and full 8 GB kept Apple Intelligence intact at $599 — the strategic point of the whole configuration.

= Camera =

The single 48 MP Fusion camera used its resolution as versatility — binned 12/24 MP output plus the optical-quality 2× crop marketed as a "2-in-1" system — with Night mode, Photographic Styles, and 4K 60 Dolby Vision. No ultra-wide, no macro, no spatial capture; the one-lens cut was the clearest tier line, and for the point-and-shoot audience the 48 MP main covered the overwhelming share of real shots.

= Software =

Shipped with iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence enabled out of the box — the cheapest device to run it at release. Current release train since.

= Release and reception =

Reviews centered on one argument: at $599 the 16e was $170 over the old SE's price, drawing "the cheap iPhone isn't cheap anymore" takes — against which its actual contents (current chip, OLED, AI support, class-leading battery) made the SE look like the false economy in hindsight. The C1's smooth real-world debut was the quarter's quiet engineering story. It sold to the fleet, first-phone, and value segments it aimed at, and was discontinued on March 2, 2026, when the [[iPhone 17e]] took the slot.

= Legacy =

The 16e ended the SE era's recycled-body formula in favor of "last year's phone, simplified" — the annual e-tier the [[iPhone 17e]] confirmed. Historically it will be remembered as the C1's carrier: the modest phone that began Apple's modem independence, the last major radio in the iPhone to come in-house — and the last iPhone notch.

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{| style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #333; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;" |- | colspan="2" style="padding: 28px 20px 42px;" | <div style="font: bold 2em/1.2 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'SF Pro Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: var(--wiki-color); margin-bottom: 0.8em;">iPhone 16e</div> <span style="color: #555; font-weight: bold;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-muted);">Latest iPhone. Greatest price.</span> |- | colspan="2" style="padding: 0;" | <div style="max-width: 300px; margin: 5px auto;">![[iphone_16e.webp]]</div> |- | style="width: 50%; background-color: #3c4042; color: #fff;" | '''Black''' | style="width: 50%; background-color: #fafafa; color: #000;" | '''White''' |- | colspan="2" style="background-color: #333; padding: 8px;" | [https://support.apple.com/en-us/122208 <span style="color: #fff;">iPhone 16e — Technical Specifications (Apple Support)</span>] |} {{iPhone lineup Navbox}} The iPhone 16e is a [[smartphone]] designed and marketed by [[Apple|Apple]], announced on February 19, 2025, and released on February 28, 2025. It retired the [[iPhone SE]] name and formula together: instead of resurrecting a classic chassis, the "e" model was a stripped edition of the current [[iPhone 16]] — the same 6.1-inch OLED size and USB-C-era design language, the A18 chip (with one GPU core fewer), 8 GB of RAM, and full [[Apple Intelligence]] support — at $599, $200 under the 16. Its most historic component was invisible: the Apple C1, the company's first in-house cellular modem, ending exclusive reliance on Qualcomm after years of development and litigation history — debuted deliberately in the lineup's lowest-stakes slot. The cuts that funded the price: a notch instead of the Dynamic Island, a single 48-megapixel camera, no MagSafe (Qi wireless only), no Camera Control, and two colors. The 16e served thirteen months as the entry iPhone before the [[iPhone 17e]] succeeded it in March 2026, establishing the annual "e" cadence. = Design = The 16e reads as an iPhone 14-adjacent silhouette in the 16 era: flat aluminum sides, Ceramic Shield front, a notched 6.1-inch OLED (the last new iPhone with the notch), single rear lens without a plateau, Action Button (inherited) but no Camera Control, USB-C, IP68 — in matte Black or White at 167 g. The starkness was the design statement; reviewers called it the most anonymous iPhone in years, which its buyers counted as a feature. = Hardware = {| style="max-width: 500px; border: 2px solid #555; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;" |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left; width: 22%;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Developer | style="text-align: left;" | [[Apple|Apple]] |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Generation | style="text-align: left;" | 18th (entry tier) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Announced | style="text-align: left;" | February 19, 2025 |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Released | style="text-align: left;" | February 28, 2025 |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Discontinued | style="text-align: left;" | March 2, 2026 |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Predecessor | style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone SE]] (3rd generation) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Related | style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone 16]] · [[iPhone 16 Plus]] |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Successor | style="text-align: left;" | [[iPhone 17e]] |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Display | style="text-align: left;" | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED<br>2532 × 1170 (460 ppi) · notch<br>(no Dynamic Island) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Chip | style="text-align: left;" | [[Apple A18]] (4-core GPU variant)<br>· 16-core Neural Engine |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Modem | style="text-align: left;" | '''Apple C1''' — first Apple modem |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | RAM | style="text-align: left;" | 8 GB |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Storage | style="text-align: left;" | 128 GB · 256 GB · 512 GB |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Rear camera | style="text-align: left;" | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.6, OIS<br>(2× crop tier — "2-in-1" system) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Front camera | style="text-align: left;" | 12 MP TrueDepth, f/1.9, autofocus |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Battery | style="text-align: left;" | 4,005 mAh — largest 6.1-inch iPhone<br>battery to date · Qi 7.5 W (no MagSafe) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Connectivity | style="text-align: left;" | USB-C · 5G (sub-6 only) · Wi-Fi 6<br>Bluetooth 5.3 · satellite SOS<br>US models eSIM only |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Colors | style="text-align: left;" | Black · White |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | Launch price | style="text-align: left;" | $599 (128 GB) · $699 (256 GB) · $899 (512 GB) |- ! style="color: #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-color);" | OS | style="text-align: left;" | iOS 18.3 ~ current |} The C1 modem — sub-6 GHz only, no mmWave — benchmarked slightly behind Qualcomm on peak speed and ahead on power, contributing to the 16e's standout spec: a 4,005 mAh battery (the largest ever in a 6.1-inch iPhone) delivering the best endurance of any 6.1-inch model, entry tier included. The A18's four-GPU bin and full 8 GB kept Apple Intelligence intact at $599 — the strategic point of the whole configuration. = Camera = The single 48 MP Fusion camera used its resolution as versatility — binned 12/24 MP output plus the optical-quality 2× crop marketed as a "2-in-1" system — with Night mode, Photographic Styles, and 4K 60 Dolby Vision. No ultra-wide, no macro, no spatial capture; the one-lens cut was the clearest tier line, and for the point-and-shoot audience the 48 MP main covered the overwhelming share of real shots. = Software = Shipped with iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence enabled out of the box — the cheapest device to run it at release. Current release train since. = Release and reception = Reviews centered on one argument: at $599 the 16e was $170 over the old SE's price, drawing "the cheap iPhone isn't cheap anymore" takes — against which its actual contents (current chip, OLED, AI support, class-leading battery) made the SE look like the false economy in hindsight. The C1's smooth real-world debut was the quarter's quiet engineering story. It sold to the fleet, first-phone, and value segments it aimed at, and was discontinued on March 2, 2026, when the [[iPhone 17e]] took the slot. = Legacy = The 16e ended the SE era's recycled-body formula in favor of "last year's phone, simplified" — the annual e-tier the [[iPhone 17e]] confirmed. Historically it will be remembered as the C1's carrier: the modest phone that began Apple's modem independence, the last major radio in the iPhone to come in-house — and the last iPhone notch.