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iPhone 16e (Quick Look) - Making Apple More Accessible
This new smartphone is a more affordably priced version of the iPhone 16, which scales back on some core features in favour of hitting a lower price point.
Audio transcription
"Hello everyone and welcome to another Gamereactor Quick Look, a pretty confusing one because it seems that the entire internet and sort of the tech reviewing public is scratching their collective heads these days because of this, the iPhone 16E."
"Now there was a lot of rumors leading up to the launch of the 16E, by then it was called the iPhone SE4 because we believed that they would retain the SE subtitling, but they chose to sort of marry it more directly to the 16 lineup, so 16E is 16 less expensive.
And it is meant to be a more budget-friendly entryway into the 16 lineup, also meaning that you get the latest Apple A18 chip and therefore getting access to Apple Intelligence and a bunch of software features, which is the latest that Apple can do."
"Now, so what this essentially is, is a budget phone, but it's a budget phone that Apple introduces at 600 US dollars starting, where I think that's a 40% increase of where a lot of people thought that the pricing would land.
That obviously comes with extra scrutiny because when you are presenting a budget-friendly phone or the most budget-friendly phone in your lineup, well, then you expect there to be little compromise or very smart compromises."
"While most of the compromises in this are smart, some of them really aren't.
So let's start with those big two.
This phone does not have MagSafe.
It has very slow Qi wireless charging, but it does not have MagSafe."
"Why doesn't it have MagSafe?
Well, I don't know personally, because the wireless charging coil is already there.
It's simply the magnets, which means that it ties directly into that MagSafe standard, which has been omitted."
"Why is this a big deal?
It's a big deal because the deal with cheap iPhones back in the day, like the original SE, was that you paid less, but you still gained entry to Apple's walled garden.
Today, the phone is only one piece of a broader puzzle."
"What Apple wants you to do is that they want you to buy MagSafe chargers.
They want you to buy AirTags.
They want you to buy AirPods and an MacBook and an iPad, because all of those things work so well within Apple's closed-off ecosystem."
"And the only way a cheap iPhone works is that if it gives you full access to all of the things that constitutes that ecosystem.
So a 120Hz display does not matter to a lot of iPhone people.
Getting the newest chip does not matter to all iPhone people, but getting the latest iOS version, getting the latest software features, and getting to purchase all of the lovely accessories that constitutes the walled garden, that is important."
"And here, you're not getting it.
So that also means that it's really problematic to recommend this phone, because you can get iPhones, which still have software support for a long time, that does have MagSafe, for less or the same."
"Like an iPhone 15 from last year, or iPhone 15 from two years ago, it must be because this is a new iPhone year.
Point is, that's a big omission, I think, and one which was foolishly made by Apple.
It also does not have the ultra-wideband chip that means that you can use Find My to ping your AirPods, but usually when you get close, you can use that little ultra-wideband chip to get the little compass with the arrow and the meters to your located device."
"Is that a big deal?
I would say yes.
That is one of the main software features and one of the benefits of having the ecosystem.
This cuts you out of that ecosystem that's not meant to be like that."
"Apart from that, it has all of the bells and whistles that you'd consider to be basic stuff.
You get the action button, that is lovely, USB Type-C charging, the frame from what appears to be an iPhone 16 alongside the screen of an iPhone 14.
That means 2532x1170, which is great."
"It's an HDR-capable 6.1-inch OLED panel, that's also great.
You get the A18 chip, I think with one GPU core missing, which you will never notice.
The overall fit and finish is fantastic.
It looks great."
"It looks pretty nice, I think, with the almost slated back with the single camera lens there.
That camera lens, by the way, is a 148-megapixel sensor that is capable of up to 4K 60fps with Deep Fusion, Photonic Engine, all of the things that Apple has been able to introduce on the software side over the past five years."
"So that means that this takes great images, great photos, no problem.
Great performance, great photos, IP68 dust and water resistance, a lovely, simple iPhone, which is too expensive, but the MagSafe and the ultra-wideband chip, it's their cardinal sins to me."
"MagSafe is the one thing that I would have expected Apple to keep, and they didn't.
So, for all that's worth, we have a full review ready on the site now.
Thank you for watching."
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