I switched from the most expensive iPhone to the cheapest and miss (almost) nothing!

Apple's latest iPhone was made for people who don't care about iPhones.

There's a large group of people who have no interest in upgrading their device. Even if it's "old." And a large part of that is because they don't want the hassle and growing pains of switching to a new and unfamiliar device.

The iPhone 16e is a deliberately simple iPhone. It's not made for people who want the latest and greatest device with all the bells and whistles. It's for people who want a simple and uncomplicated smartphone experience.

iPhone 16e Overview

The iPhone 16e keeps things as basic as you want to be. However, there is a little bit of growing space, allowing this phone to tap into the latest features without requiring you to embrace a single one if you choose not to. Here's what you get for your $899 CAD:

Meet iPhone 16e:

If only some of the above stuff sounds familiar or makes sense, don't worry! This article is being written for people who aren't necessarily following all the tech trends, but want some quality information before buying their next iPhone.

I switched from the most expensive iPhone 16 Pro model to the iPhone 16e, and I'm ready to break down the features about the iPhone 16e that I think are most relevant for most people.

Top reasons to buy the iPhone 16e

Apple has kept this phone to be as simple and straight-forward as possible. They stripped away a few capabilities from the iPhone 16, but the stuff they left out aren't necessarily essential features.

These are the best features of the iPhone 16e that may make you consider buying this one over any other iPhone.

iPhone 16e Battery Life

Having a battery that lasts all day is possibly the most important smartphone feature. The iPhone 16e is able to do this so easily that even if you forget to charge overnight, chances are you'll still have a few hours of use before you need to plug it back in.

The iPhone 16e is rated for 26 hours of video playback. That's a standard metric most smartphone manufacturers have been using. If you're on continuous phone calls all day long or non-stop gaming, you'll likely see less battery life, but likely still enough to get through a whole day.

There are a few reasons why the battery life is so good. First, having a 4,005mAh battery (which is bigger than the one in the regular iPhone) goes a long way. But, also, Apple has created their own modem for this phone, which means your device won't use as much power when connected to a 5G network, further enhancing your battery life.

Double Up

Anker 2-Pack

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If you want more for your money and want a trusted, third-party option, Anker has this dual charger option. It gives you two chargers, two 5 foot USB C cables, and the adapters have a spot to plug in an older-style USB Type A cable. If, for some reason, you don't have a charging brick, or just want a few extra, this is a top pick.

• See at Amazon

Plus, if your battery is drained, you can get half a charge in only 30 minutes using a 20 watt charger (which is the basic phone brick you likely already have).

iPhone 16e Cameras

Aside from battery (or maybe right next to it), cameras are a major priority for smartphones. We have these gadgets everywhere, and you never know when you'll want to snap a good photo or shoot a quick video.

While the cameras are certainly scaled back in quality from the iPhone 16 (and significantly from the 16 Pro), they are going to be good or even great for most things you'll encounter.

While there's only one physical camera on the iPhone 16e, it's actually a 2-1 system that simulates having different lenses or cameras built right into your phone.

For selfies, even under challenging lighting conditions (like the one below on a massive stage, with the setting sun, and bright, multi-coloured lights shining on me) I thought the photos look on par with any other selfie.

The rear camera allows you to snap photos at 1 or 2x. The camera doesn't have a Macro mode, but unless you often do artistic, SUPER close-up shots of things, you won't miss it. Above is a quick comparison of a toy (in average to poor lighting) on 1x vs 2x mode.

iPhone 16e Apple Intelligence

The main benefit of this device is this: if you're switching from an older device, it won't feel or act much differently. The exception, though, is with Apple Intelligence.

This is Apple's AI suite of tools. It can do things like generate an image for a birthday party invitation based on a few key words you type (Dinosaur holding a birthday cake and wearing a party hat). It can also do a proofread of an email and give you the option to shorten it or change the tone of voice.

There's much more Apple Intelligence can do right now, and much, much more it's supposed to be able to do in the future. Since the iPhone 16e has the A18 processor, it can run Apple Intelligence, which futureproofs your phone for something that is going to be a huge priority with Apple.

Having said all of that, the big feature of the iPhone 16e is that it's supposed to feel familiar and easy to use, so you can completely ignore every single Apple Intelligence feature, if you want. They're not super obtrusive or in your face. Though, I personally think, at the very least, you should consider the "Clean Up" tool in your photos to easily remove unwanted objects or people.

Top reasons to not get the iPhone 16e

We've covered the pros, now it's time to dig into the cons.

In order to make this a budget-friendly(ish) phone, Apple had to make some choices of where they can save money to make a lower-cost device for consumers.

Overall, I think they made the right choices, for the most part. But there are a few drawbacks you should at least be aware of. That way you can decide if they actually impact how you would use this phone.

iPhone 16e No MagSafe

This was instantly the most frustrating part of using the iPhone 16e for me, though it's quite possible it will make no difference for most people.

MagSafe is a proprietary Apple thing that allows your phone to charge wirelessly and work with certain accessories. MagSafe isn't present on the iPhone 16e.

This would only matter if you have a lot of MagSafe accessories around the house (maybe your car mount or if you have a two-in-one or three-in-one charger). iPhone 16e does support wireless charging (so you could lay it flat on a MagSafe charger and it would still charge at wireless Qi (pronounced "chee") standards.

Clear Case

MagSafe Case

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This clear case allows you to use MagSafe accessories with your iPhone 16e, while also showing off the phone's natural finish.

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Because I have a lot of MagSafe chargers around my house, this was an annoyance for me with this device. However, it can easily be overcome by purchasing a MagSafe case for your iPhone 16e.

iPhone 16e Display

Beautiful screens are expensive. The iPhone 16e has a good display, but this is an area where Apple was able to shave off some cost, trading off a bit of quality.

More expensive phones have displays with thin bezels (the little black outline around the screen) and high refresh rates (how many times per second the image on your screen refreshes…mostly relevant for games and action movies).

If you're migrating from an older-generation iPhone, the screen will likely be an improvement. And comparing a 60 Hz to a 120 Hz display is generally something you only notice if you have two devices side-by-side. But just so you're in the loop of one of the trade-offs, I'd say the display is the biggest compromise with iPhone 16e.

And the fact that the "biggest compromise" is still really good bodes well for anyone upgrading to this phone.

iPhone 16e Price

Wait, wait, wait! Isn't the premise of iPhone 16e supposed to be this is a budget-friendly iPhone?

Well yeah, but at more than $1,000 after tax, it's still a pricey initial cost, especially if you've never bought a phone outright. Which leads me to my next point.

If you're buying the phone outright from Apple and going with a Bring Your Own Device phone plan through your carrier, you'll possibly come out ahead over the long run. You're saving more than $300 off the full-fledged iPhone 16.

If you're "buying" this phone through your carrier and they're subsidizing the cost, averaging it out over your phone bill, you should really look at the price of the 16e vs. a 16 or even a 16 Pro (Pro Max is HUGE, so only consider that if you want a giant phone). If you're planning on keeping the phone for a long time and going through your carrier to get the device, it might actually make more sense to get the "better" iPhone 16 models.

iPhone 16e Is it Worth it?

I switched from the iPhone 16 Pro Max to the iPhone 16e and expected there to be so many pain points that I would be fleeing back to my old phone.

But, actually, I've been dragging my heels because there's not really that much of a reason for me to go back.

For legitimately "pro" work, where I'm actually shooting certain videos that will be broadcast on TV and I have very specific reasons why I need a 5x optical lens, I miss the 16 Pro Max.

But for basically all of other photos and videos (food, family, sunsets, etc.), there's almost no limitations I feel with the iPhone 16e camera.

And a HUGE advantage has been both the great battery life and the smaller size. I knew the iPhone 16 Pro Max was a BIG phone. That's the selling feature for some people. I loved the large screen real estate, especially for gaming.

But gaming on my phone is done so less often compared to everything else that having the MUCH lighter 16e was just so much more convenient and enjoyable for basically everything I use my phone for.

I think the iPhone 16e is the best choice for:

• People who are overdue for an upgrade (iPhone 11 or earlier).
• People who want the simplest technological experience.
  • People who are buying their own device outright and wanting to save some money.

Newest Model

iPhone 16e

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The iPhone 16e is a great phone that is still rich with features but is several hundred dollars cheaper than the iPhone 16. It has great battery life, decent cameras, and works with Apple Intelligence.

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As someone who has used every single iPhone model (all sizes, pros, pluses, and basics) since the 12, I can say that this iPhone has probably impressed me the most. Not because it's the BEST at anything, but because it really distills the smartphone down to, "What are the most essential things people want from an iPhone?" and then delivers on those things extremely well.

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