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Apple has officially announced the iPhone 16e, a more affordable entry into the iPhone ecosystem, launching at $599 on Feb. 28. Designed to bring Apple Intelligence — its generative AI suite — to a wider audience, the iPhone 16e offers a budget-friendly alternative to the flagship iPhone 16 while still delivering AI-powered features, a powerful A18 chip, and an improved battery life.
Affordable AI: What the iPhone 16e offers
The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch display, about the same size as the smaller option of the iPhone 16. The major drawbacks to the budget phone are the less sophisticated camera lenses and control options and the dimmer screen, but the 16e is a less expensive way to try out Apple’s generative AI.
Pre-orders start on Feb. 21.
“The iPhone 16e generates a new revenue stream for Apple, and this will be particularly noticeable in key markets, where iPhones are out of reach for most people and there is furious low-cost, high-quality Android competition,” said Forrester VP and Principal Analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee in an email to TechRepublic.
AI features: What you get for $599
The iPhone 16e runs on the A18 chip, with a 4-core GPU that enables contemporary gaming. The 16-core Neural Engine supports large language models and machine learning.
Like the mainline iPhone, iPhone 16e offers the generative AI Apple Intelligence. With it, natural language queries about content on the phone or seen through the camera can be answered on the device or through a call out to ChatGPT. It also offers quick photo editing. The ChatGPT connection can be used without an account with OpenAI, is opt-in, and is protected by Apple’s Private Cloud Compute privacy walls.
“We’ve seen a limited appetite among many of the installed base to upgrade from previous versions, but the new phone reduces the cost hurdle of joining the Apple Intelligence bandwagon,” said Chatterjee.
Like the iPhone 16, the 16e includes the customizable Action button. Visual Intelligence, the feature in which Apple’s AI can describe or identify objects in the camera’s view, can be mapped to the Action button.
Apple’s custom C1 5G modem replaces Qualcomm Snapdragon X75
The C1 5G modem is a major change between the iPhone16e and the other phones in its line. It replaces Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75, and, Apple said, contributes to extending the battery life. It follows the trend of Apple moving more and more component-building in-house. As The Verge pointed out, the C1 lacks high-end 5G connectivity; Apple may be using the 16e launch as a test run for how the C1 performs.
Other key features of the iPhone 16e:
- 48MP Fusion camera.
- Satellite features like Messages, Find My, and Emergency SOS.
- Super Retina XDR display with OLED.
- A battery life of 26 hours.
- FaceID.
- Wireless charging.
- A USB-C port.
“We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the lineup as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people,” said Apple vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing Kaiann Drance in a press release.