Apple iPhone 16e vs iPhone SE (2022): The new kid on the block
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Intro
Apple just released its brand-new iPhone 16e, a surprising new entrant in the iPhone 16 range that takes the reins from the iPhone SE (2022) as the most affordable new iPhone in the lineup. Well, by affordable, we mean "$599 affordable", which is a significant departure from the unbeatable $429 price tag the iPhone SE (2022) carried at launch.
The new iPhone 16e definitely feels like a severely toned down version of the iPhone 16, but with a not-so-reduced price tag, making it weirdly positioned between the latest iPhone SE and the iPhone 16. It comes with the latest A18 chip and has full support for Apple Intelligence, a single 48MP Fusion camera, Face ID, and potentially the best battery life on a 6.1-inch iPhone so far.
Let's see how this compares to the older iPhone SE fan-favorite.
Let's see how this compares to the older iPhone SE fan-favorite.
iPhone 16e vs iPhone SE (2022) differences:
| iPhone 16e | iPhone SE (2022) |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16-like design with a notch and flat aluminum frame | Classic iPhone 8-like design with a home button |
| 6.1-inch OLED display with 60Hz | A 4.7-inch LCD screen |
| Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Face ID biometrics | Touch ID biometrics |
| Apple A18 chip with 8GB of RAM | Apple A15 Bionic with 4GB RAM |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Customizable Action Button | Standard ring switch |
| Apple Intelligence support | No Apple Intelligence support |
| Larger 3,961mAh battery with drastically better battery life (26 hours video playback) | Smaller 2,018mAh battery with worse battery life (15 hours video playback) |
| 20W wired charging (up to 50% charge in 30 min) 7.5W Qi wireless charging NO MagSafe | 20W wired charging 7.5W Qi wireless charging |
| USB-C port, USB 2 speeds | Lightning port |
| Satellite features, Apple C1 5G modem | - |
| A 48MP wide-angle camera | A 12MP main camera |
| More durable (IP68 water and dust resistance) | Slightly less durable (IP67 water and dust resistance) |
| Black and White colors | Black, White, and Red colors |
| $599 starting price | $429 price at launch |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
A major difference if we've seen one
Apple's most affordable phones so far (Image by PhoneArena)
The biggest difference between the two phones, however, is the design itself: the iPhone 16e ditches the aged large-bezel, home-button-clad design language of the iPhone SE for a more modern one.
Coming in hot with an iPhone 16-like aluminum design with flat sides and a display notch, the iPhone 16e is a 6.1-inch device that is a major departure from the 4.7-inch iPhone SE (2022), which will go down in history as the last compact iPhone.
We also get a display notch on Apple's newest pride and glory, which houses the Face ID modules. That's the biometric tech of choice on this new phone, so wave goodbye to the Touch ID-toting home button.
The iPhone 16e isn't that sleek, but packs a larger battery (Image by PhoneArena)
There's also a big change on the side: the Action Button that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max has trickled down to this affordable iPhone, allowing users to map different features and functionalities. So, wave goodbye to the good ol' ring switch as well. The only thing missing here from the iPhone 16 is the Camera Control button, but we say good riddance.
At the bottom, the new iPhone 16e is equipped with a USB-C port, but Apple being Apple, it's once again limited to just USB 2.0 speeds, which makes us feel second-hand embarrassment for Apple.
There's IP68 water and dust resistance on the iPhone 16e, a slight but important upgrade from the IP67 splash resistance on the iPhone SE (2022).
The new Cupertino trooper is available in two colors only, black and white, while the iPhone SE was available in black, white, and red colors.
Display Differences
Two different design eras (Image by PhoneArena)
As mentioned, the iPhone 16e features a 6.1-inch display at the front, an increase over the 4.7-inch one on its predecessor.
The display technology is the entirely different as well: the new device boasts an OLED XDR screen, capable of hitting 800 nits of peak brightness in regular use cases and up to 1,200 nits in HDR mode. The older SE was using one of Apple's classic 4.7-inch IPS LCD displays.
Both displays are 60Hz, so no, Apple hasn't magically decided to put ProMotion on an entry-level iPhone.
Aside from being much larger, the iPhone 16e boasts significantly better screen properties like color accuracy, contrast, and overall brightness in direct comparison with the iPhone SE, so if the screen is something very important to you, then the iPhone 16e is a much safer bet for the modern times.
Biometrics-wise, there's a major difference between the two phones. With the iPhone 16e, Apple relies on the tried-and-tested Face ID biometrics, with all the sensor and hardware tucked in the display notch, while the older phone relies on Touch ID embedded straight into the capacitive home button.
Performance and Software
Why, hello there, A18
Surprisingly, Apple went all out on Apple Intelligence in 2025 and put inside the iPhone 16e a slightly-detuned version of the same flagship Apple A18 Pro chip that clicks and ticks in the iPhone 16 series. Aptly named just A18, the second-gen 3nm mobile chip in Apple's arsenal is still a true powerhouse yet features one less GPU core than the rest of the iPhone 16 series.
There's also double the RAM, 8GB on the iPhone 16e versus 4GB on the iPhone SE (2022), which means that the former is fully locked and loaded with Apple Intelligence in mind. Storage-wise, the iPhone 16e starts with 128GB and goes up to 512GB, a welcome change over the iPhone SE's 64GB-256GB loadout.
In terms of overall performance, we get significantly better performance out of the newer phone, which is totally natural.
CPU Performance
It beats the iPhone SE in both the CPU and GPU tests we ran, and the ample headroom of performance in the graphics test reveals that the lack of one GPU core isn't such an issue here.
GPU Performance
Yes, the iPhone 16e fully supports Apple Intelligence, but what's surprising here is that one of the seemingly exclusive Apple Intelligence features that utilize the iPhone 16's new Camera Control button is available on the iPhone 16e.
Visual Intelligence allows you to tap the camera-centric key on the new iPhone 16 series and receive quick info about the subject you're pointing at, but the iPhone 16e has Visual Intelligence as an available option for the Action Button. Cool.
In terms of support, the iPhone 16e will be supported far longer than the latest iPhone SE, which is already halfway through its lifetime. This means that the iPhone 16e will also receive all the upcoming Apple Intelligence features, which are a part of its staged rollout.
Camera
Quadruple the megapixels!
The iPhone 16e comes with a single 48MP Fusion camera at the back, but thanks to clever trickery and sensor-cropping, we magically get a lossless 2X shooting mode, which allows a slight zoom without losing too much image quality. That's great, and honestly, the only thing missing here is the ultrawide camera, which might or might not be a big issue with you.
Just like the regular iPhone 16 generation, we can take either 24MP or 48MP photos, but there's no support for the new Photographic Styles announced with the latter. The iPhone 16e also can't take spatial videos.
Just like the regular iPhone 16 generation, we can take either 24MP or 48MP photos, but there's no support for the new Photographic Styles announced with the latter. The iPhone 16e also can't take spatial videos.
At the same time, the iPhone SE (2022) is equipped with a single 12MP camera, offering only the essentials and not having much in terms of image quality.
Main Camera
You get a much better image quality out of the newer phone, as well as significantly better dynamics.
Zoom Quality
Selfies
Battery Life and Charging
Major improvements and an odd omission
The iPhone 16e comes with significantly better battery life: Apple claims 26 hours of video playback, which is an enormous change over the merely 15 hours of video playback the iPhone SE achieves. What's more, that's nearly as good as the iPhone 15 Plus, which surely comes with a much larger battery. Impressive!
Those battery life gains are likely achieved by the more efficient A18 Pro chip, but also possibly thanks to Apple's first in-house 5G modem on board, the C1. A little here and a little there lead to a much better battery life.
At the same time, the compact size of the iPhone SE (2022) is its biggest weakness when it comes to battery life. Equipped with a measly 2,018mAh battery, it's hardly capable of delivering acceptable battery life in 2025, and things are only going to get worse as battery health degrades further.
PhoneArena Battery Test
In our custom battery tests and coming as no surprise that the iPhone 16e fares significantly better in all our three battery tests, surpassing the smaller iPhone by a significant margin. All our tests are conducted at 200 nits of brightness.
Moving on to the charging, the iPhone 16e supports 20W wired charging, a slight improvement over the 18W wired charging on the iPhone SE (2022). Still, both phones charge at a fairly similar rate.
But get this: while the iPhone 16e scores slow-ish 7.5W Qi charging, it doesn't have MagSafe, so you can't use any and all MagSafe accessories natively. That's similar to the 7.5W wireless charging on the iPhone SE (2022).
Specs Comparison
Here's how the iPhone 16e vs the iPhone SE (2022) pan out.
| iPhone 16e | iPhone SE (2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm, 167 gr | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm, 144 gr |
| Screen | 6.1" OLED 60Hz | 4.7" IPS LCD 60Hz |
| Processor | A18 Pro 3nm | A15 Bionic 5nm |
| RAM, Storage | 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB 8GB/512GB LPDDR5 | 4GB/64GB 4GB/128GB 4GB/256GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras | 48MP F1.6 wide 12MP front | 12MP F1.8 wide 7MP front |
| Battery | 4,005 mAh | 2,018 mAh |
| Charging | USB-C port 20W wired 7.5W wireless charging | Lightning port 18W wired 7.5W Qi wireless charging |
Summary
The iPhone 16e isn't the clear-cut successor to the iPhone SE (2022) you've been waiting for. It's bigger, it's more modern, more powerful, and has a significantly higher price tag.
So, if you've been patiently waiting for another cheap small-sized iPhone, then you're out of luck.
On the other hand, everything else about the iPhone 16e is great and could potentially make it another success on the $600 market.
With Apple intelligence support, a future-proof chipset, and arguably the most balanced display in terms of size and portability, the iPhone 16e shapes up to be a great addition to Apple's device roster.
Should you upgrade? It's too early to say for certain, but currently, we are leaning towards a resounding "YES"!
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