Apple has launched iPhone 16e, presenting a successor to iPhone SE from 2022. It comes with the company’s first own modem called C1. At 6.1 inches, the phone’s screen size seems like the perfect medium between too big and too small. Also, it’s good to have Face ID while Apple has done away with the home button that was there on the SE. Whether you are paying for stuff or accessing passwords, facial unlock is faster and more reliable. Here’s more…

The name

It’s called iPhone 16e and it marks the end of the chapter for the iPhone SE era. The new name reminds users of the iPhone series it belongs to and, at the same time, the ‘e’ is a reminder that it’s a slightly different member of the iPhone 16 family.

You may say, it’s costlier than the last iPhone SE from 2022. But when one considers the build quality — comes in 85 per cent recycled aluminium enclosure — chipset and camera, it is impossible to make an apple-to-apple comparison with iPhone SE. Further, the base model now begins with 128GB storage.

Image Playground (left) allows users to easily create fun and unique images or take the emoji game further with Genmoji

Light(s), Camera and Action

Weighing 167g, it’s among the lightest premium phones in the market.

In line with the iPhone 16 series, the Action Button has been included. It can activate a shortcut, like to quickly open the camera or flashlight; switch between ring and silent modes; recognise music with Shazam; activate Voice Memos, Focus, Translate, and accessibility features like Magnifier; or use Shortcuts for more options.

The Action Button can even access in-app functionality like launching the camera in Snapchat, unlocking a car door with FordPass, tracking a child’s sleep schedule with Napper, and more.

Perhaps the most relatable use of the button will be to unlock visual intelligence through Apple Intelligence, which is the company’s bouquet of AI features. Visual intelligence can summarise and copy text, translate text between languages, detect phone numbers or email addresses with the option to add to contacts, identify an animal or plant, and more. With the Action Button on iPhone 16e, users can access visual intelligence to learn about objects and places around them.

On the camera front, the lone 48MP camera can capture 24MP photos with up to 2x optical zoom, supports 4K video recording up to 60 frames per second with Dolby Vision, and offers spatial audio with post-recording Audio Mix adjustments. Shooting landscapes at full 48MP will help crop into parts of a picture without losing clarity.

Significance of C1

In 2019, Apple acquired Intel’s modem business for $1 billion. A significant part of any smartphone is the modem, which helps you connect to networks. One of the most important changes that iPhone 16e brings will be invisible to users.

Inside the phone is Apple’s first in-house cellular modem chip called the C1. It may help Apple to slowly move away from longtime partner Qualcomm.

The modem, when considered with the A18 processor, will help deliver fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity and contribute to big gains on the battery front. Apple is saying it is the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone.

For more than a decade now, Apple has been reaching one new milestone after another in building its own processing chips, which essentially act as the brains of a computer, tablet or smartphone. This is the next step.

Power of iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence

At the heart of iPhone 16e is the A18 chipset, the same chip as the iPhone 16, meaning this is a powerful enough phone to tackle Apple Intelligence. Even the non-Pro iPhone 15 can’t do that. Apple is bringing one important Apple Intelligence feature after another, so the boost is substantial.

iPhone 16e is built for Apple Intelligence, unlocking exciting new capabilities that make iPhone even more helpful and powerful. With the Clean Up tool, it’s easy to remove distracting elements in images, and natural language search in the Photos app allows users to search for just about any photo or video by simply describing what they are looking for.

Users can access Image Playground, create the perfect emoji with Genmoj, and make their writing even more dynamic with Writing Tools. With access to ChatGPT integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, users can choose to access ChatGPT’s expertise without jumping between applications, so they can get things done faster. Further, users can access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, and privacy protections are built in — their IP addresses are obscured and OpenAI won’t store requests.

One more thing: Yay India!

The entire iPhone 16 lineup, including iPhone 16e, is being assembled in India for Indian consumers and for export to select countries.

According to Abhilash Kumar, industry analyst at TechInsights, “the introduction of iPhone 16e is projected to significantly boost performance in the first half of the year”. He also told us that the second half is anticipated to remain robust for Apple, driven by new product releases and seasonal sales.

“iPhone 16e packs in the features our users love about the iPhone 16 lineup, including breakthrough battery life, fast performance powered by the latest-generation A18 chip, an innovative 2-in-1 camera system, and Apple Intelligence,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice-president of worldwide iPhone product marketing.

On January 9, 2007, at the MacWorld Expo, the late Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone that came with a home button

Pricing and availability

iPhone 16e will begin at ₹59,900 and joins the iPhone 16 family as its most affordable member. It will be available on February 28 in two matte finishes — black and white — with colourful cases available to accessorise.

Goodbye to…

Lightning port: Apple has stopped selling new iPhones with Lightning ports with the launch of the iPhone 16e. All new iPhones have a USB-C port.

Home button: Apple has killed the home button after 18 years with the release of the new iPhone 16e. Nostalgia aside, Face ID is the way forward.

No more 64GB storage: Till iPhone SE in 2022, there was a 64GB storage option. The new phone ensures that 128GB is the minimum storage because you need space to accommodate apps that are becoming larger.

What does ‘e’ stand for?

When we had the iPhone SE, most thought ‘SE’ stood for “special edition” but what about the ‘e’ in iPhone 16e? Some may say ‘e’ stands for ‘edition’, meaning it’s ‘iPhone 16 Edition’ but that doesn’t make sense.

Apple has used the ‘e’ in the past on a couple of occasions. In 2002, there was the eMac where ‘e’ stood for “education”. It was clearly aimed at the education market.

Going back to 1983, the company released Apple IIe, the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers. Here, ‘e’ stood for “enhanced”.

Nobody is sure what ‘e’ stands for this time around. How about “exciting”, “essential”, “economy”, “environmental” or “experience”? Let us know what you think ‘e’ stands for in iPhone 16e.