The iPhone 16e just outperformed the iPhone 16 with a surprising 5G advantage - wait, what?

The first 5G tests of the iPhone 16e are showing some great news about its C1 modem, the in-house connectivity modem by Apple.


Now, the iPhone 16e internet modem doesn't support mmWave, so the fastest 5G speeds are out of the question. However, mmWave has a pretty limited range so catching a signal on it isn't always easy, even in areas where it's available. In real-world use, you're more likely to rely on mid-band 5G.

If you've been worried that the C1’s lack of mmWave support - and the iPhone 16e's positioning as a more mid-range device - might make it noticeably slower on 5G compared to the iPhone 16, these early tests offer some reassurance (and plenty of excitement).

The Chinese reviewer Geekerwan tested the iPhone 16e's 5G performance and found it pretty much on par with the iPhone 16 in terms of connectivity. But here's the surprise - the C1 is actually more power-efficient! Apple's big claims about breakthrough battery life with the C1 might just hold up.

Geekerwan also took the iPhone 16 models on a subway train journey. Of course, as you might guess, the speeds fluctuated, but all iPhone 16 models achieved very similar results. However, the C1 in the iPhone 16e beat them in efficiency, so there's that!



Judging by the numbers, you can see an average power draw for the iPhone 15 on 5G at 0.88 watts, while the iPhone 16e's was 0.67 watts. A 24% difference, mind you! During the low signal test, the average power draw on the 16 was 0.81 watts, while the 16e's - 0.67 watts - a difference of around 17%.

Yep, breakthrough battery life it is, on the iPhone 16e, from what it seems. Also, the iPhone 16e achieved 7 hours and 53 minutes on the Geekerwan's 5G video streaming test, while the iPhone 16 scored 7 hours and the iPhone 16 Pro (both sporting the same form factor) 6 hours and 54 minutes.

Of course, just by these numbers, it is hard to say how much of a battery life advantage would the iPhone 16e get thanks to the C1. It could just be that the iPhone 16e has a larger internal battery - reportedly 3,961mAh, about 12% larger than the iPhone 16 Pro battery. We'll tell you exactly how the battery life is when we review the phone.

Nevertheless, the good news is that the C1 chip isn't bowing its head to its Qualcomm counterpart in the iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16e is hitting the shelves tomorrow (February 28) and will face the likes of the yet-unannounced Pixel 9a and Galaxy A56 for the title of the best mid-range phone.