iPhone 16e Review: An Excellent 'Basic' iPhone

The iPhone 16e (released February 2025) is Apple’s newest member of the iPhone 16 family. Apple kindly lent me an iPhone 16e for review; since its release, I’ve spent a little over a month using the iPhone 16e as my daily driver and have enjoyed the experience much more than I ever thought I would. The speaker quality is head and shoulders above my much larger (and much more expensive) iPhone 16 Pro Max. VoiceOver performance is fast and responsive. Battery life is strong and better than anything I ever thought possible on a handset of this size. In short, the iPhone 16e is a very nice phone, and it is a joy to use.

As with any product, the iPhone 16e isn’t perfect; it lacks some pro (and, unfortunately, some not-so-pro) features. Those who need MagSafe charging should definitely look elsewhere. If Precision Finding for AirTags and AirPods is important to you, the same applies. And while it can’t be helped, like all other iPhone models now, the iPhone 16e does not have a Home Button and instead relies on Face ID.

But if all you need is a modern iPhone to do the basics today, tomorrow, and for years to come, the iPhone 16e is great in day-to-day use and may very well be the phone for you. I didn't think I would like it—but I did.

A Quick Note About Sources

Unless otherwise indicated, all technical/device specifications for iPhone models are taken from the below pages on Apple’s website:

• iPhone 16e - Technical Specifications
• iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max - Technical Specifications
• iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus - Technical Specifications
• iPhone SE (3rd generation) - Tech Specs

Size, Weight, and Feel

The iPhone 16e is now the smallest phone that Apple sells. While it is no iPhone Mini, the iPhone 16e feels good in my hand and is, I think for most people, the right combination of screen size and portability.

If you are at all familiar with the base-level models of the iPhone 11 through 16 (or the iPhone 11 through 15 Pro), the size of the iPhone 16e will be familiar to you, though the iPhone 16e is slightly shorter and lighter. The iPhone 16e is 5.78 inches (146.7 millimeters) high and 2.82 inches (71.5 millimeters) wide and weighs 5.88 ounces (167 grams). For comparison, below are the sizes of other relevant iPhone models:

• iPhone 16: 5.81 inches (147.6 millimeters) high, 2.82 inches (71.6 millimeters) wide, and weighs 6.00 ounces (170 grams).
• iPhone 16 Pro: 5.89 inches (149.6 millimeters) high, 2.81 inches (71.5 millimeters) wide, and weighs 7.03 ounces (199 grams).
• iPhone SE (3rd generation): 5.45 inches (138.4 millimeters) high, 2.65 inches (67.3 millimeters) wide, and weighs 5.09 ounces (144 grams).

Screen sizes for phones are measured diagonally—that is, top left to bottom right or top right to bottom left. The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch display, as does the iPhone 16. The iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly larger display at 6.3 inches. The iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is in a league of its own at 6.9 inches.

On a practical level, the iPhone 16e feels great in my hand. It isn’t too big, but it isn’t too small, either; though when coming from my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max, the size difference is much more noticeable. For most people, I think the iPhone 16e strikes the right balance between size and battery life; anything smaller, and compromises would have to be made somewhere.

Face ID

In 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X, its first device without a Home Button or Touch ID. In its place was Face ID, a biometric authentication system which allows users to unlock or authenticate their device, simply by looking at the screen. Fast-forward seven-and-a-half years, and the Home Button has been completely phased out of all current iPhone models—including the iPhone 16e.

From the start, Face ID has been accessible to blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users. When VoiceOver is enabled during setup, the requirement for the user to actively be looking at the screen—“Require Attention”—is turned off by default; this means that Face ID will authenticate and unlock your device once your face is in full view, without requiring you to actively be looking at the device. While helpful and a setting I keep disabled, it does raise some potential security concerns; having the ‘Require Attention’ feature disabled could, in theory, allow anyone to authenticate your device just by holding it in front of your face. Is this something I personally worry about? No. But my goal is to provide objective information so that you can make an informed decision based on your priorities, individual circumstances, and what works best for you.

While Face ID represents a better experience for most, I believe it is a regression for blind and DeafBlind users. Incorporation of Touch ID on a modern iPhone is not impossible; Apple sells iPad models, including the latest-generation iPad Mini, with Touch ID built into the Side Button. If they really wanted to, Apple could make an iPhone with Touch ID. And I think they should, if for no other reason than to ensure that their products are as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. With the best will in the world, a tactile-based authentication system is going to be inherently more easily usable for someone who is blind or DeafBlind than is a facial-based system.

Transitioning Away from the Home Button

As big of a shift as the switch to Face ID was, the removal of the Home Button is perhaps even more impactful. The Home Button and Touch ID offered blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users something tactile and familiar in an otherwise smooth, gesture-based interface. For many, the Home Button was an anchor. It was not just how you went to the Home Screen, but how you woke your device; got out of an unfamiliar place if you got lost; used Touch ID; opened the App Switcher; talked to Siri; and toggled VoiceOver and other accessibility features. And I am probably missing some things.

While many blind and DeafBlind users have made the transition to a Face ID-equipped device with little or no difficulty (I count myself among them), there is a subset of people who have not yet done so for a variety of reasons. In our 2024 Apple Vision Accessibility report card, an AppleVis community member very eloquently shared their concerns about switching to a new device without a Home Button. Reading that user’s comment was eye-opening for me; it has led me to the conclusion that not enough has been done to address and talk about what is, for many, a monumental (and, dare I say it, intimidating) change in the user experience. It does not have to be so, and this section is my humble attempt at filling that void.

Modern iPhone models, including the iPhone 16e, have an edge-to-edge screen design. In practical terms, this means that all surface areas of the screen are available for viewing and touch gestures.

If you are coming from an iPhone SE or earlier, one of the first things you will likely notice is that the Status Bar is at the very top—and by that I mean the tippy, tippy top—of the screen. If you want to find the Status Bar, put your finger as close to the top edge of the screen as you can; the reverse applies if you are accessing items at the bottom of the screen, like the bottom row of the keyboard or apps in the Dock.

On Face ID-equipped devices, there are new gestures for Home Screen, App Switcher, Control Center, and Notification Center. Below is a list of the gestures, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to perform them:

• Home Screen: Slide up from the bottom edge of the screen until you feel one haptic vibration and/or hear a sound. Then, lift your finger.
  • Place one finger at the very bottom edge of the screen. VoiceOver will play a sound. If you hear VoiceOver speak an item, such as an app in your Dock, try the gesture again—placing your finger as close to the edge of the screen as possible.
  • Slide your finger up until you feel a single haptic vibration and/or hear a sound. Be sure to keep your finger in contact with the screen while you are performing the gesture.
  • Once you feel the first haptic and/or hear the first sound, lift your finger. If you hold your finger on the screen, VoiceOver will say, “Lift for Home.”
• App Switcher: Slide up from the bottom edge of the screen until you feel 2 different haptic vibrations and/or hear 2 distinct sounds. Then, lift your finger.
  • Place one finger at the very bottom edge of the screen. VoiceOver will play a sound. If you hear VoiceOver speak an item, such as an app in your Dock, try the gesture again—placing your finger as close to the edge of the screen as possible.
  • Slide your finger up, just as you would when going to the Home Screen (discussed above). This time, you are going to continue going further up the screen until you feel a second haptic vibration and/or hear a second distinct sound. Be sure to keep your finger in contact with the screen while you are performing the gesture.
  • Once you feel the second haptic and/or hear the second sound, lift your finger. If you hold your finger on the screen, VoiceOver will say, “Lift for App Switcher.”
• Control Center: Slide down from the top edge of the screen until you feel one haptic vibration and/or hear a sound. Then, lift your finger.
  • Place one finger at the very top edge of the screen. VoiceOver will play a sound. If you hear VoiceOver speak an item, such as a piece of information in the Status Bar, try the gesture again—placing your finger as close to the edge of the screen as possible.
  • Slide your finger down until you feel a single haptic vibration and/or hear a sound. Be sure to keep your finger in contact with the screen while you are performing the gesture.
  • Once you feel the first haptic and/or hear the first sound, lift your finger. If you hold your finger on the screen, VoiceOver will say, “Lift for Control Center.”
  • Note: The original VoiceOver gesture for opening Control Center, a 3-finger swipe up from the Status Bar, also still works.
• Notification Center: Slide down from the top edge of the screen until you feel 2 different haptic vibrations and/or hear 2 distinct sounds. Then, lift your finger.
  • Place one finger at the very top edge of the screen. VoiceOver will play a sound. If you hear VoiceOver speak an item, such as a piece of information in the Status Bar, try the gesture again—placing your finger as close to the edge of the screen as possible.
  • Slide your finger down, just as you would when going to the Control Center (discussed above). This time, you are going to continue going further down the screen until you feel a second haptic vibration and/or hear a second distinct sound. Be sure to keep your finger in contact with the screen while you are performing the gesture.
  • Once you feel the second haptic and/or hear the second sound, lift your finger. If you hold your finger on the screen, VoiceOver will say, “Lift for Notification Center.”
  • Note: The original VoiceOver gesture for opening Notification Center, a 3-finger swipe down from the Status Bar, also still works.
• Cancel Current Gesture: Slide your finger distinctly to the left or right while performing a gesture.

If you are able to do so, I believe the easiest way to transition away from a Home Button-equipped device is to learn and use the new gestures discussed above. It needs to be said loud and clear, however, that replacing a physical button with gestures is a regression in the user experience for some—especially as gestures become more complex. If you cannot use or do not like the new Home Screen gesture (or any of the other new gestures), there are a couple of different options you can try:

• Action Button: The Action Button replaces the Ring/Silent Switch on all iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro/Max devices. Among other things, the Action Button can be used to trigger a Shortcut to go to the Home Screen—exactly as the physical Home Button used to do. To set this up, open and save this shortcut created by AppleVis Editorial Team member AnonyMouse. Then, go to Settings> Action Button; select ‘Shortcut’ for the action that you would like the Action Button to perform; and choose “Go to Home Screen” from your available shortcuts. Then, press and Hold the Action Button to go to the Home Screen.
• Gesture Customization: VoiceOver offers a facility to customize (change) gestures. To assign a different gesture to the Home command, go to Settings> Accessibility> VoiceOver> Commands> All Commands> System> Home> Add Gesture. Then, navigate through the list until you find a gesture that you wish to use to take you to the Home Screen. If the gesture is already assigned, reassigning it will change that functionality. If you’re looking for ideas about where to start, my personal recommendation is to choose a gesture like the two-finger triple tap, as its default functionality (Item Chooser) is, in my opinion at least, not something you are likely to need on a regular basis.
• Back Tap: Back Tap allows you to perform an action (including going to the Home Screen) by double- or triple-tapping on the back of your iPhone. To configure Back Tap, navigate to Settings> Accessibility> Touch> Back Tap.

For more on using an iOS device without a Home Button, I recommend the guide and podcast created by AppleVis Editorial Team member Scott Davert.

Performance

As a blind user, the primary way I measure device performance is how quickly VoiceOver responds to gestures. For the first time in recent memory, all iPhone 16 models have the same generation of processor (the A18), with Pro models having a ‘Pro’ variant. One of the things I wondered was whether or not VoiceOver performance would be any different between the Pro and regular versions of the A18 processor, and the answer is ‘no’.

In my daily use of the iPhone 16e, I found VoiceOver navigation to be very snappy—on par with the Pro version of the A18 processor in my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max. I observed no difference in performance between the two devices. If you want the best available VoiceOver performance right now, the iPhone 16e can definitely deliver.

Speakers and Sound

One of the things I have been most impressed with about the iPhone 16e are the speakers. In my review of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I highlighted a rather disappointing issue with the sound of the speakers; where there was a significant amount of variability in the acoustic profile depending on the device’s volume setting:

The speakers on the iPhone 16 Pro Max can put out very full and impressive sound, but they do not always do so. At lower volumes, there is almost no bass or high end. The sound is flat and uninspired, especially considering the device’s size. This is in contrast to last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, which put out impressively good bass even at low volumes.

Turn the volume up, however, and the sound profile starts to change: there is much more base and high end, but the middle range decreases noticeably.

And that is not all: The audio seems to ‘flutter’ almost imperceptibly between the top and bottom speaker, most noticeable when holding the device in Landscape orientation. And sometimes, out of nowhere, the middle range will increase (and the sound will be fuller) at high volumes for the briefest of moments, before going back to the way it was before.

I am pleased to report that the iPhone 16e has almost none of the aforementioned issues, save for the very occasional 'flutter' of sound between speakers. The dynamic range of the sound is consistent no matter the volume, and the device puts out an incredible amount of bass for its size. Comparing the iPhone 16e to my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max, the difference is dramatic; so much so that I would say that if sound quality is important to you, the iPhone 16e should be a prime candidate for your consideration even if you wouldn't otherwise consider an entry-level iPhone.

And it isn’t just the bottom speaker. On calls, audio from the earpiece speaker is noticeably fuller; on the first few calls I made with the iPhone 16e, I marveled at how much better the people on the other end sounded; while I am used to the improvement in quality now by virtue of having spent extended time with the device, it is no less impressive.

After spending a fair amount of time using the iPhone 16e as my daily driver, I switched back to my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max; almost every time I used the iPhone 16e after that point, I marveled at how a smaller phone, that cost half the price, could sound so very much better. That's how good the sound is.

Battery Life

One of my biggest concerns about the iPhone 16e was battery life. Before the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I had an iPhone 15 Pro; being a connoisseur of larger phones, I found the iPhone 15 Pro’s battery life to be okay but nothing to write home about. Armed with this prior knowledge, I had some expectations about what the iPhone 16e’s battery life would be like. And I was very, very wrong.

Put simply, battery life is one of the iPhone 16e’s strongest selling points.

Apple says that the iPhone 16e has the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone, and my experience lived this out. Often, I finished the day at between 40 and 50% power; some days, much more than that. The iPhone 16e idles well; on days when I didn’t use it as much, battery life was reflected accordingly. The lowest I ever got the battery was 35%.

Bigger than just the actual numbers, though, is my perception of battery performance and how much I ‘trust’ the phone to have enough power for the day. After the first few days where I hyper-analyzed every aspect of the experience (battery life and otherwise), I stopped thinking about it and I certainly stopped worrying about it. I checked the battery percentage when plugging it into the charger at the end of the day, mainly for the purpose of this review. I know without question that the iPhone 16e can get me through the day and then some, which is no small accomplishment for a phone of its size. If you want great battery life and need a smaller phone, consider the iPhone 16e.

Action Button

The Action Button replaces the Ring/Silent Switch and is available on all iPhone 16 devices, including the iPhone 16e. Activated by pressing and holding until you feel a haptic, the default setting for the Action Button is to switch between Silent and Ring Mode; however, the Action Button can do a whole lot more than that. Options include toggling a Focus, opening the camera, recording a Voice Memo, enabling an accessibility feature, and even running a shortcut (like going to the Home Screen).

To customize the Action Button, go to Settings> Action Button. Once there, you can choose from the available options:

• Silent Mode: The default setting for the Action Button, this toggles your device between Ring and Silent Modes.
• Focus: Enable a preset focus mode, such as Do Not Disturb or Work.
• Camera: Opens the Camera App, including to a specific mode you specify—such as photo, selfie, video, portrait, or portrait selfie. When used inside the Camera app, the Action Button acts as a shutter—press and quickly release the Action Button to take a picture.
• Visual Intelligence: Allows you to take a picture and get information about what is in the photo, through ChatGPT or an internet search.
• Flashlight: Turns the LED flashlight on the back of the device on and off.
• Voice Memo: Starts and stops recording a Voice Memo. Voice memos are recorded in stereo.
• Recognize Music: Uses Shazam to recognize music playing nearby or on your iPhone.
• Translate: Starts live translation of speech from one language to another.
• Magnifier: Opens the Magnifier app.
• Controls: Gives access to various controls. Options include:
  • Ambient Music: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing;
  • Apple Intelligence and Siri: Talk to Siri, Type to Siri, Visual Intelligence;
  • Capture: Scan Code;
  • Clock: Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch;
  • Connectivity: Airplane Mode, Cellular Data, Personal Hotspot;
  • Display and Brightness: Dark Mode;
  • Home: Home;
  • Measure: Measure, Level;
  • Notes: Quick Note
  • Remote: Remote
  • Utilities: Calculator, Scan Code;
  • Wallet: Wallet, Tap to Cash
  • Watch: Ping My Watch; and
  • Controls for any third-party apps with support built-in.
• Shortcut: Run any shortcut created with the Shortcuts App.
• Accessibility: Enable or disable an accessibility feature. Options include:
  • Vision: Classic Invert, Color Filters, Live Recognition (Magnifier App), Increase Contrast, Magnifier, Vehicle Motion Queues, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency, Reduce White Point, Smart Invert, VoiceOver, Zoom, Describe Scene, Speak Screen;
  • Motor: Switch Control, Voice Control, Full Keyboard Access, Assistive Touch, Apple Watch Mirroring, and Control Nearby Devices;
  • Hearing: Background Sounds, Music Haptics, Left/Right Balance, Live Captions, Conversation Boost; and
  • General: Guided Access, Live Speech.
• No Action: No action will be performed when the Action Button is pressed.

Compromises

As much as I personally like the iPhone 16e, it nevertheless lacks some features of other, more expensive iPhone 16 models.

Most notably, the iPhone 16e only supports QI wireless charging and does not support Apple’s MagSafe charging standard, meaning that wireless charging will be slower. (Other iPhone 16 devices support fast charging with MagSafe and can charge at speeds upwards of 25 watts with a 30+-watt charger.) While I myself have never been interested in wireless charging, I see my role as a reviewer as being to give both subjective experience and objective information. And objectively, the iPhone 16e does not support MagSafe, while other iPhone 16 models do.

Another rather glaring omission from the iPhone 16e is the lack of an Ultra Wideband chip. For those unfamiliar, the Ultra Wideband chip is what enables Precision Finding for AirTags and AirPods. And after trying to find my new AirTag with both the iPhone 16e and my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max, not having Precision Finding is potentially a bigger deal than what I first thought.

I was gifted a pack of AirTags for Christmas, but hadn’t tried them out until now. In the spirit of this review and to try and know what I’m talking about before writing, I set one up, put it in my wallet, and placed my wallet under some towels in my bathroom—and then attempted to find it with both phones. The results were surprising.

I first tried finding my AirTag with the iPhone 16e. I had never used an AirTag until the day I wrote this section of the review, and I was unsure what to expect. After setting up and upon locating my AirTag in the Find My app, I was given an option to play a sound—and, when not in my apartment, to get directions to where my AirTag was located. Helpful if I needed to know the address of where the AirTag was, but not if I actually needed to find it at that location and needed additional clues besides sound.

When repeating the same exercise on my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max, my experience could not have been more different. With the Pro model, I was given an additional option: ‘Find now’; when activated, the ‘Find Now’ option gave me detailed guidance to find my AirTag, right down to Haptic feedback when I got very close and an indication when I located it. This was both really cool and really useful.

Is Precision Finding worth an extra $200 to jump up to the iPhone 16? That will depend on your use case and how important this functionality is to you, if at all. But what I will say is that of all the design decisions Apple made with the iPhone 16e, the lack of Ultra Wideband capability is particularly disappointing and a missed opportunity. Unlike some features which feel more gimmicky than useful, Precision Finding offers genuine added value to blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users, and it is something that should be available to as many people as possible.

There are a couple other things that the iPhone 16e lacks. Like other non-pro iPhone models, the iPhone 16e only has a single-frequency GPS; whereas the GPS in recent pro models is dual-frequency. While opinions on the utility of dual-frequency GPS for blindness navigation are mixed, and I wouldn’t recommend a Pro model just for this, AppleVis user and community member IPhoneski shared this firsthand experience with me:

In my opinion, the GPS in the Pro models is more stable, which means the end of the route is almost always shown in exactly the same place. For example, I saved the geographical coordinates of my house in the app so that every time I return from work, I can avoid having to count buildings. My previous phone always led me somewhere else – sometimes I would pass the destination by a few meters, while other times I still had a few meters left to walk. Now, the end of the route is always a few steps from the destination; I just need to take them for my cane to touch the entrance.”

Finally, like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16e also does not have all of the advanced camera tech of the Pro models, including a LiDAR scanner. While some Live Recognition features are available on all devices as part of iOS 18, detection of people, doors, and furniture is not available on the iPhone 16e and other non-Pro iPhone models.

Conclusion

Apple does not market the iPhone 16e as a replacement for the iPhone SE; and yet, I think this is actually a very good way to consider this device. The iPhone 16e is a strong performer where it matters most, though the exclusion of MagSafe and Precision Finding will undoubtedly rule it out for some. The starting price of US$599 is also a little high, especially given the aforementioned design compromises.

Despite my reservations, I nevertheless think very highly of the iPhone 16e. The speakers blow my twice-as-expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max out of the water. Battery life is incredible and beyond anything I could ever have expected with a device of its size. And the physical size of the iPhone 16e is what I would call ‘ideal’ for most people. The iPhone 16e is great at the basic things; and for me, the basic things are what matter most.