Apple iPhone 16e quick review: Apple Intelligence on the cheapest iPhone is something

Apple's cheapest iPhone –– the iPhone 16e –– is not exactly cheap. It has a lot of the old design and features, but it also comes with some of the best new ones from the iPhone 16 series.

In Short

• The iPhone 16e is priced in India starting at Rs 59,900
• The iPhone 16e will support Apple Intelligence and Visual Intelligence features
• Apple claims that the iPhone 16e has the biggest battery ever in a 6.1-inch iPhone

Apple’s cheapest iPhone is not cheap. In India, the iPhone 16e is priced starting at Rs 59,900 for the base variant, while the iPhone 16 is priced starting at Rs 79,900. The world thinks the iPhone 16e is the spiritual successor of the iPhone SE 3 –– Apple’s most affordable iPhone lineup –– but Apple has said nothing of the sort officially. However, a quick look at the iPhone 16e and you are immediately reminded of a design you have already seen on the iPhone XR and the iPhone SE series. But while retaining some old design language, the iPhone 16e also comes with some new features from the iPhone 16 series, which in my opinion, are some of the best ones.

The iPhone 16e is now on sale in India and after getting I have briefly used and experienced the new iPhone 16e. The hardware upgrades were obvious and already known: a 6.1-inch OLED display, a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, FaceID, action button, USB-C charging port, A18 chip (the same used on the iPhone 16 series), and from what Apple claims, the biggest battery on a 6.1-inch display iPhone. This means that the iPhone 16e has a better battery than the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 16. We will be testing that claim in our detailed review soon.

Look and feel of the iPhone 16e

Compared to the iPhone 16, which also sports a 6.1-inch display, the iPhone 16e is both light and lite. The 16e weighs 167g and the 16 is 170g. Just 3 grams, I know. But I think it also seems visually lighter. It has a single camera setup, which Apple says has a 2-in-1 camera capability. It has a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, the same as the main camera on the iPhone 16, but the sensor on the 16e is smaller. Apple has also tuned in telephoto capabilities on the phone, which allows up to 2x “optical-quality” but digital-in-reality zoom. However, Apple says it is the 2-in-1 camera that allows for a bigger battery on the phone.

I will be testing the phone’s camera a bit more closely in my review, but so far from how much I got to use the device, the iPhone 16e camera seems to be taking quite advantage of iPhone software. I couldn’t test the camera outdoors, but in controlled indoor lighting, the colours looked natural, and the phone was able to generate a good bokeh in portrait shots.

The device is also really comfy to grip on to. The matte finish on the rear panel of the phone is endearing. It’s soft to touch, yet gives you a good grip. From the front, if not for the missing dynamic island, the device looks exactly like the iPhone 16. The OLED seemed bright enough for both daily use and for consuming video content on it.

Apple and Visual Intelligence on iPhone 16e

Hardware aside, when I briefly experienced the device, there were a few features that left me wanting to spend some more time with the iPhone 16e, and you guessed it right, they were mostly to do with Apple Intelligence and Visual Intelligence. I saw a bunch of AI features in the Notes app, Messages app, Playground, along with Visual Intelligence –– which is mapped on the Action button.

Apple has confirmed that Apple Intelligence will be rolling out in India by April. However, Apple gave us a sneak peek of how the features would work on the iPhone 16e. I will talk about these features in detail in my review of the iPhone. But for now, I can tell you that Apple Intelligence features will be integrated systemwide on the device. Which means, as I experienced it, you can use a combination of simple keywords to create your own genmoji. For example, in the messages app, simply typing “chef elephant”, generated an emoji of an elephant with a chef's hat. You can also give the emoji more character in the Playground app. Or you can copy and paste this genmoji over to your Notes app, and use ChatGPT to generate a fantasy piece about it.

The Notes app is already one of the best iOS apps and the ChatGPT integration within it is even cooler. You can adjust writing style, tone, or prompt what is needed from a text, and the device triggers ChatGPT to generate the content for you. You don’t need a standalone ChatGPT app for this. How I plan to try out the feature is taking down notes from a meeting or interview, and turning it into a more legible text. I use Notes for extensive note keeping already.

It's also worth noting that Apple has announced system-wide support for 10 Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, and Marathi, on the iPhone 16e and other iPhone 16 devices. This means you'll not only be able to type and chat in, say, Tamil, but the device will also display all system settings — including the Calendar, Settings app, and lock screen date and time — in your selected language.

That said, I have reviewed a bunch of devices in the past year that come with AI features that are really cool at first. However, a few days into using the features, their novelty soon wears off. When I review the iPhone 16e, that will be an important focus for me to see if these iPhone AI features still feel just as cool a few weeks later.

What to look forward to in the iPhone 16e review

As the iPhone 16e goes on sale, there have been mixed reactions about the device. However, as I test the device, I am interested in finding out how trimmed down the experience really feels over the iPhone 16. Is it worth the price gap of around Rs 20,000? Does the iPhone 16e make sense over last year’s iPhone 15 Pros? Stay tuned for answers.