Opinion: The iPhone 16e Screams That You Are Foolish On So Many Levels

The iPhone SE is dead! Long live the retro-new iPhone.

With the minute-long mourning done, let’s shift our attention to the iPhone 16e – the most affordable iteration of the iPhone 16 lineup. At least that’s what Apple said in its digital launch event! The iPhone 16e is, in essence, the iPhone SE 4 designed to stay in the shadows of the iPhone 16. It’s got a modern-ish design, the newest A18 chipset, enough RAM to support Apple Intelligence features, a big battery and a high-resolution single rear camera system. Yay!

At first glance, the iPhone 16e seems like an exceptional deal. But the elevated price tag of INR 59,999 starts putting off everyone interested. Coupled with the fact that the iPhone 16e promises to deliver the iPhone 16 experience at a much lower price, this baby iPhone struggles to make sense as far as value is concerned. 

With that in mind, it seems that Apple wants to make it absolutely clear that you are foolish on so many levels. 

Surprised? Let me explain!

Take 1: iPhone 16e offers too less for a lot more

As much as Apple would want to draw attention to the glorified features like the 3nm A18 chip, a high-res 48-megapixel single rear camera system, a big battery and FaceID, the iPhone 16e misses out on a lot of basics. 

Basics as far as the iPhone 16 experience is concerned. 

For starters, the iPhone 16e has the following compromises:

- No 12-megapixel ultrawide camera

- No modern-ish Dynamic Island

- No ultrawideband chip (for AirTag and AirPods precision location)

- No MagSafe charging (wireless charging available though)

- A 4-core GPU as opposed to the 5-core GPU

- Older spec Ceramic Shield protective glass

- Only 800 nits in high brightness mode, 1,200 nits of peak brightness

- No sensor shift OIS

- Older-spec portrait photos and Photographic Styles

- No Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E

- No Camera Control

- Thicker display bezels

Hence, when you look at the broader picture, the iPhone 16e doesn’t offer the core features of the vanilla iPhone 16. You miss out on a lot of premium experience despite sharing the chipset. Apple Intelligence is one of the big perks with the iPhone 16e but the rest of the hardware package pales out in comparison. 

What bothers me even more is the price tag. The base 128 GB variant costs INR 59,999, which puts it in close proximity to the iPhone 15 – a much better phone in that price segment. Even the iPhone 16 for just over INR 12,000 makes a lot more sense considering the core premium iPhone experience.

Maybe it would have made more sense if Apple called this the iPhone SE 4th gen rather than a cut-price iPhone 16. 

Take 2: Apple highlights all gimmicks you don’t need

On a positive note for the iPhone 16e, it seems that Apple simply highlighted all the features you can do without on a premium phone. The iPhone 16e and its SE-badged predecessors have been all about offering the essential iPhone experience. A powerful-as-f*** chipset, a single high-res 48-megapixel camera that can do everything and the notch-style FaceID system – that’s all one needs from an expensive iPhone, right?

In fact, the iPhone 16e raises questions about the presence of some premium features on the iPhone 16.

- Why do you need that 12-megapixel ultrawide camera? Just readjust the frame and take the shot. Simple!

- Why the ‘modern-ish’ Dynamic Island? It takes up more space on the display than the notch. Be happy with more bezels and the bathtub notch.

- Why need the ultrawideband chip? Sharpen your memory, try being more careful about your AirPods and save money by not getting the AirTag. See, Apple wants you to improve as a person.

- Why need MagSafe charging? Who uses slow wireless charging? Just borrow a wired charger from someone and use the cheaper and old-school car mount to hold your phone in place. 

- Why need a 5-core GPU when all you do is scroll through Instagram and play Candy Crush?

- Why need the latest Ceramic Shield protective glass? You are going to put a screen guard anyway, aren’t you?

- Why do you need 2,000 nits of peak brightness? It will hurt your eyes and vision in the long term as well as gulp down the battery. Get in the shadows and use your hands to watch the content on the display. 

- Why need sensor shift OIS? You can practice yoga, calm down your mind and gain superior control over your hands! Practice keeping your phone stable on the move and you will be good to go. 

- Why need the latest-spec portrait photos and Photographic Styles? Just use Instagram filters! They are damn good, aren’t they?

- No Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E? Your home and office Wi-Fi router is essentially on much older standards, offering basic 100 Mbps speeds. What waste money on more headroom when you aren’t going to need it in the foreseeable future?

- Why do you need the Camera Control? Just press the Goddamn camera key on the lockscreen and hit the virtual shutter button. 

- Have issues with thicker display bezels? You will get used to it. People complained about the previous iPhone SE too but they all bought it. See, you don’t know what you can live with until you try!

With the iPhone 16e, Apple is simply trying to save you money. You see, Tim Cook and his team of geniuses not only want to make their products carbon-neutral but also make the ownership experience smarter! Since they can’t tell you not to buy the iPhone 16 and save money explicitly, the geniuses created the iPhone 16e to indirectly hint at saving your precious money and living with the essentials. 

Ah, clever and caring! Does Samsung do that? Nah!

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