The iPhone 16e has been launched in India, starting at Rs 59,900 for the 128GB variant. The A18 processor powers it, comes with Apple Intelligence and offers better battery life than the previous version. Here's a quick look at what it offers.
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00:00The iPhone 16e is finally here and I bet a lot of people are excited about the new iPhone.
00:09Now, a lot of people call this one the budget-friendly iPhone, but the question here is, is it really?
00:15Now with the starting price of 60,000 rupees in India, the iPhone 16e is relatively almost
00:2215,000 more expensive than the 2022 SE version.
00:27Yes, I understand the 16e was long overdue as the market share for the 2022 SE version
00:33was almost down to 1%, so Apple was waiting eagerly to launch this device.
00:39But is the 16e really what the customers want?
00:42Is the $100 difference, the price difference between the iPhone 15 and the 16e compelling
00:49enough for you to buy the 16e instead of the 15?
00:53And where has exactly Apple cut corners here to make sure that you get the iPhone 16e,
00:59all of the features, Apple Intelligence, the A18 chipset, at a budget-friendly cost?
01:06Let's talk about all of that.
01:09Okay, first off, the iPhone 16e seems an exact copy of the iPhone 14 from the front, with
01:16the notch and the chunky bezels being continual.
01:19Now compared to the iPhone 16 series, you can clearly see that the bezels are relatively
01:25quite thick.
01:26Now, it's using ceramic glass, which by the way is Apple's strongest glass till now, weight
01:32is almost the same as the 16, and you even get IP68 water and dust resistance.
01:39So the 16e is a robust smartphone.
01:42Now there is the action button which has been continual on this one, which means you can
01:46customise it for a lot of the features.
01:48You also get this feature on the 15 Pro and the 16 series, and overall, I think the 16e
01:54design-wise is a solid proposition.
01:56But, but, but, are you okay with a notch in 2025?
02:01Remember, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, and even the 2022 SE.
02:08So this new SE kind of is the entry point for a lot of the people who are wanting to
02:12get into the Apple ecosystem, but it's not really a forward-looking device in terms of
02:18the design, because you're still holding on to the old design.
02:22However, if the customers do not really have a problem with that, and if they're okay with
02:27a phone in 2025 that looks like the older iPhone, I think the design should not be a problem.
02:34Now remember, the iPhone 16e is powered by the A18 chipset.
02:39Now this is the same chipset that is on the iPhone 16 as well.
02:43It even offers support for Apple Intelligence, which is great.
02:48Now you get access to all of these nifty AI features like object erasing, summaries, etc.
02:54And remember, the iPhone 15 does not have that kind of an advantage, which I'm sure would
02:59confuse a lot of people when they are trying to choose between the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 16e,
03:04which one should you buy?
03:07We'll talk about that later.
03:08However, remember, this is not the exact same A18 chipset that you are getting on the 16,
03:13because it has one lesser GPU core, which will definitely have an effect if you are
03:18looking for high-definition gaming on the 16e, but apart from that, everything in terms
03:24of handling complex tasks and multitasking, this is ideal and almost equally capable as the 16.
03:31Remember, you are getting an entry into the Apple ecosystem and also 6 to 7 years of software
03:37and security support with Apple iOS.
03:41So I think you're getting a comprehensive deal with the 16e.
03:45But the real game-changer here is the C1 modem that Apple is using this time.
03:50Now, this new 5G modem has been built by Apple, which means it not only saves up on power,
03:57but also works seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, offering you better connectivity and performance.
04:05However, it is noteworthy to mention that it does not support millimeter wave,
04:12and it's mostly for lower band frequencies.
04:14And millimeter wave, by the way, is available on the iPhone 16 series.
04:18While a lot of the countries are still exploring 5G, there is not a lot of bandwidth
04:23for millimeter wave rollout, the higher 5G speeds, which I think is a good move from Apple
04:29to launch the 16e with the C1 modem.
04:31You're getting very better battery here.
04:34And not a lot of countries, especially the target audience for the 16e,
04:38have millimeter wave or higher 5G speed.
04:41So I think the combination with C1 helps Apple sell this device better.
04:46Not to mention, another tech that it's missing is the support for ultra-wideband,
04:51which is important for people who use AirTags, smartphone, and even the AirDrop.
04:56It's not going to be a big difference if you use it on a daily basis and don't use these utilities,
05:02but I'm just mentioning, this feature is missing.
05:04Storage options start from 128 GB and go all the way up to 512 GB,
05:09and there's also 8 GB of RAM, which is now standard across all of the iPhone 16 series,
05:13and I think it's great. 8 GB in 2025 for Apple devices is a bare minimum.
05:18Overall, I think the phone delivers good performance.
05:21We haven't tested it yet, but again, the A18 chipset is what we have tested on the 16 series,
05:27and it is a capable device.
05:30So assuming that the core definition of the 16e chipset is similar to what we get on the 16,
05:37you will get optimum performance. Now moving to the camera,
05:40there is a single 48 megapixel shooter on the rear of the 16e that supports 2x telephoto zoom,
05:46which primarily is software enhanced, looks optical quality,
05:51but isn't optical. Now there is support for 4K 60 FPS recording,
05:55but it misses out on some of the unique camera UI features,
05:59which we see on the 16, like the real-time tone adjustment,
06:03and obviously functionalities of the camera control button,
06:05which you get with the 16. That's missing on the 16e.
06:08Those standard images will be clicked at 24 MP.
06:11You can pump up the resolution to 48 MP on the 16e,
06:13so that definitely enhances your photo experience. On the front,
06:18you're getting a 12 megapixel camera, which is the same as what you get on the 16,
06:22and the missing ultrawide sensor on the rear is the only deal-breaker for a lot of people,
06:28could be a deal-breaker for a lot of people,
06:30but I think despite that, 48 MP on the 16e, budget-friendly iPhone,
06:35I think still works because you're getting 4K recording as well with the smartphone.
06:40However, we will reserve our judgment for later
06:43because when we get the phone, when we review it, when we test out the camera,
06:46that is when we will give our verdict on how good the camera really is.
06:50Battery-wise, Apple is not giving out official numbers for the 16e battery.
06:55It never does for the iPhone,
06:56but it is saying that you are getting enhanced battery life with the 16e
07:01because of the more power-efficient C1 modem
07:04and, let's just say, an underpowered GPU
07:07because 26 hours of video playback is what Apple is claiming,
07:11which is 6 hours more than the previous model.
07:14So, definitely, you are getting exemplary battery performance with the 16e
07:19and people who prioritize battery on the iPhone should consider this one when it is launched.
07:24Remember, you're getting USB-C, the charging speed almost remains the same as the 16,
07:29so, you're not really compromising a lot in the battery department.
07:32Okay, so to conclude this one, it's a bit tricky.
07:35You see, the iPhone 16e starts in India at Rs 60,000 for the 128GB variant.
07:41Now, this is relatively more expensive than the 2022 version,
07:45which was launched at somewhere around Rs 45,000.
07:47Now, compared to the 15 in India, which is currently priced at Rs 70,000,
07:54do you really think that the Rs 10,000 difference makes it worthy to go to the 15?
07:59Remember, look at the pros that the iPhone 16e offers.
08:03You're getting Apple Intelligence, better battery,
08:05thanks to the new C1 modem and also the A18 chipset.
08:09Honestly, I don't really find the purpose to buy the 15 instead of the 16e
08:15just for the difference of Rs 10,000 because, yes, if you really need the ultra-wide camera
08:21and also the display on the front looks similar to the 2025 and the future versions of the iPhone,
08:28I think the 16e is a better deal here.
08:32Sure, one can say that the 16e doesn't offer a lot of colour options,
08:36you just have the white and the black,
08:37but you can always slap on those fancy covers because most of the people do that, right?
08:42But then, I'm telling you, this whole aura of a budget-friendly iPhone dies with the 16e.
08:49I mean, if it would have been priced around Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000,
08:52then we can say this is truly a budget-friendly iPhone,
08:56but Rs 60,000, Rs 10,000 difference,
08:59I won't really now put it in the budget-friendly category.
09:01So, yes, those dynamics now really change for the 16e, the SE series, as we can say.
09:08Remember, the iPhone 16e will be available in India starting the 28th of February,
09:12you can go online and pre-orders will open the 21st of February.
09:17Remember, we'll be having the device with fibre very soon,
09:20so stay tuned for all of the reviews and first look of the device when we get them,
09:24but let us know in the comment section how excited are you for the iPhone 16e.
09:29Till the next time, this is Cyrus signing off,
09:31I'll be back with another interesting tech video.
09:34Take care.