The ‘e’ Is for Elemental

Source: Apple.

For the past 10 days, I’ve been testing the iPhone 16e – but not in the way I typically test new hardware. You see, I didn’t buy the iPhone 16e to make calls, send email, surf the web, post to social media, or anything else, really. Instead, I got it for one thing: the camera.

Last fall, we started publishing a video version of NPC: Next Portable Console on YouTube. AppStories and MacStories Unwind followed not long after. At first, I recorded my video with an Elgato Facecam Pro, which is considered one of the better webcams out there, but I didn’t like the video it shot. The colors were off, and the footage looked mushy.

It didn’t help that I was comparing the output of the Facecam to video from Federico’s Sony ZV-E10 II. It’s a great camera, and I was sorely tempted to get one for myself. But I have limited space on my desk, and I didn’t want to add more bulk to my bag when I travel.

Also, I’m just over DSLRs. They can’t be beat for image quality, but the simplicity, portability, and flexibility of recording iPhone video have won me over.

I knew from tests I’d done with my iPhone 16 Pro Max that its 48MP camera is better than the Elgato Facecam Pro. The trouble with using it to film podcasts, though, is that I wanted a camera that could stay mounted at my desk most of the time but still be easy to grab and take with me now and then. So when the rumors started swirling that an anticipated update to the iPhone SE would feature a 48MP camera similar to my iPhone 16 Pro Max, I waited as patiently as I could.

What I didn’t anticipate was that Apple had something different in mind. Instead of a new SE, we got the 16e, which is fundamentally different from the iPhone SE that the company discontinued. Instead of a lightly “remastered” version of an iPhone from a couple of years ago, we got a stripped-down iPhone 16 that now anchors the budget end of the iPhone 16 family. The result is similar to what was expected from an SE, but by coming at the 16e from the perspective of the current generation of iPhones, Apple introduced some fundamental differences between it and previous SEs that I find fascinating.

My black iPhone 16e.

The first thing that stood out to me about the iPhone 16e when it arrived on my doorstep a couple of Fridays ago was its elegant design. Because the SE that came before it was based on an older model of iPhone, it looked dated. By contrast, the 16e is thoroughly modern.

Sure, once the screen turns on and you see the notch instead of a Dynamic Island, you know it isn’t an iPhone 16, but the hardware itself looks amazing. The back has a matte finish and a single small camera lens lending to a look that I find far more sleek than a Pro phone with its giant camera bump. The 16e is also far more pocketable than my 16 Pro Max; I’ve found its size to be a nice break from the very capable yet chunky Pro Max. The difference isn’t massive, but when you’re planning to travel light, like I did at CES this year, every ounce counts.

I love the matte black finish on the back of the 16e.

As I turned the 16e over in my hand for the first time, what struck me about its design was that everything about the device is an exercise in whittling away at the iPhone 16’s features in a way that preserves its essential nature but allows for a lower starting price. The 16e is the answer to the question, “What is the least iPhone that is still an iPhone?”, and for the most part, I think Apple has succeeded.

The iPhone 16e isn’t about the latest bells and whistles. It’s about features with a proven track record that appeal to the broadest audience. That makes it a boring iPhone to some but right-sizes it for others by eliminating complexity and unwanted features in exchange for cost savings.

Nowhere is that more evident than with the iPhone 16e’s camera. Its 48MP sensor has similar specs to the 48MP sensor on my iPhone 16 Pro Max but with a slightly wider aperture and optical image stabilization instead of sensor shift optical images stabilization.

The 16e may not have a wide-angle lens or the same zoom as the Pro Max, but that’s okay for anyone who simply wants to take snapshots without fiddling with multiple lenses and other controls. In fact, it’s more than okay given the quality of the 16e’s camera, serving to both simplify photography on the iPhone and deliver video that exceeds the output of high-end webcams.

Another iPhone 16e win that anyone can appreciate is its battery life. The phone has Apple’s first cellular modem, which the company specifically called out as one of the reasons it has the best battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone and up to 12 hours more than the iPhone SE. Another contributing factor is its lack of a large multi-lens camera module, which allows for a bigger battery than other 6.1-inch iPhones.

Unfortunately, though, the iPhone 16e misses in a couple of pretty significant ways. The first is its lack of MagSafe. Apple says the feature was removed because most iPhone SE owners use a cable to charge their phones. I’m sure that’s correct, but I still find it hard to believe that many of those same customers don’t use MagSafe for accessories like car mounts and PopSockets.

I’m only adding apps to the 16e as needed, so my Home Screen is pretty minimal so far.

Personally, it was the removal of MagSafe that gave me the most pause about buying the 16e for recording video. There are a lot of camera accessories that rely on MagSafe, and having it would allow me to remove the 16e from my video setup more quickly and easily. Instead, I’m using a spring-loaded clamp that works well but makes removing the phone from my Elgato Prompter setup more difficult. It’s an issue that can be solved with a case, but I prefer to use my phones caseless.

The other point of friction with the iPhone 16e is its price, which is higher than I expected. When I was thinking of the 16e as an iPhone SE update, I assumed the price would be around $550. Instead, it’s $599 for the base model. That’s a lot for the lowest tier iPhone 16, but it’s also not too surprising given Apple’s past pricing strategies and the device’s faster chip, additional memory, and improved camera. Regardless, it’s a shame that there’s no longer an iPhone that can be purchased new for under $500.

Still, there’s something about the iPhone 16e that I love. Part of it is the care that has been taken to constrain the 16e to its core elements without making it a meaningfully worse choice for most people. It’s a device that projects a confidence in the core iPhone experience and what most people want from their smartphones.

So even though Apple says the ‘e’ in 16e is meaningless, I think of it as ‘elemental’ – an iPhone stripped to its core in a (mostly) uncompromising way that may not excite gadget nerds but exudes a quiet elegance for half the price of a flagship Pro Max. That makes the 16e an iPhone I’ll absolutely recommend to anyone who wants to spend less on a new iPhone and doesn’t care about having the latest features.

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