iPhone 16e: Why you might be wrong about Apple’s latest “budget” iPhone

Many are simply wrong about the latest iPhone 16e. Here, we explain why.

Apple finally launched the iPhone 16e last week, also referred to as the iPhone SE 4 in leaks. Since then, users and netizens have had mixed reactions. Some praise the iPhone for what it offers at its price, while others argue that it has been priced slightly on the higher side in the Indian market.

Know why the iPhone 16 is a better choice than the iPhone 16e. (Apple)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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Coming in at ₹59,900 for the base 128GB model, is the iPhone 16e not worth the price? It may be too early to reach a conclusion, but here are a few reasons why many users may be overreacting and some aspects of the iPhone 16e that might be misunderstood.

Premium pricing? Yes. Discounts expected? Yes.

The price is certainly on the higher end, but iPhones have been getting discounts lately. Consider this: the iPhone 16 series, especially the vanilla iPhone 16, debuted at ₹79,900, but a few months later, it has consistently been available for around ₹65,000 to ₹70,000. In fact, as of now, the phone is retailing for under ₹70,000 on Amazon after offers.

A few months down the line, it is only natural to expect that the iPhone 16e will also receive discounts in India through bank offers and promotions, making it more affordable.

Single-camera setup isn’t a dealbreaker

Another aspect that many might be misunderstanding is the camera experience. Yes, it features a single-camera setup in 2025, and yes, the ultra-wide-angle lens is missing. However, having a single, reliable camera is often better than multiple mediocre ones.

The iPhone 16e is equipped with a 48MP two-in-one Fusion camera, the same as the one found in the iPhone 16. This enables 2x optical-quality zoom shots using a single camera. We have tested the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 extensively, and we can confidently say that this technology produces far better results than digital zoom. While it may not completely replace a dedicated optical zoom setup, it still delivers detailed shots. We will report more on this once we get our hands on the iPhone 16e.

At first glance, the iPhone 16e instantly reminds one of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, with its ageing notch design. However, if you set that aside and ignore the Dynamic Island on the latest iPhone 16 models, the iPhone 16e looks and feels largely the same, featuring flat sides and a flat front and back. It also comes with Ceramic Shield glass for durability.

Same A18 chip as the iPhone 16

The iPhone 16e is powered by the A18 chip—the same chipset found in the iPhone 16. This means you get excellent gaming performance and the ability to handle performance-intensive tasks like video editing on apps such as LumaFusion.

Considering its starting price of ₹59,900—and potentially lower during future sales—the iPhone 16e could shape up to be a value-for-money device.

However, do note that the iPhone 16e has one less GPU core than the iPhone 16, but this is unlikely to make a significant difference in real-world performance.

No mmWave 5G—does it really matter in India?

The iPhone 16e debuts Apple's latest in-house modem, the C1. It is a 5G-capable modem, and Apple claims it is the most power-efficient modem ever used in an iPhone.

However, when comparing the spec sheet with the iPhone 16, one feature is missing—mmWave 5G, which is available in the U.S. variant. mmWave 5G is considered superior to sub-6GHz 5G in terms of speed. However, unless your area has mmWave 5G infrastructure, having support for it in your phone would not make a difference.

In India, where mmWave 5G is not yet supported, there is no reason to be concerned about its absence in the iPhone 16e. If Apple’s claims about better battery life due to the C1 modem hold true, this could actually be a step in the right direction.