Summary
iPhone 16e
The iPhone16e is an affordable addition to the iPhone 16 line, costing $200 less than the base iPhone 16.
Apple iPhone SE 3
The iPhone SE offers a snappy but more traditional iPhone experience with a Home button and fingerprint scanner at around half the price of the iPhone 15.
Though they don’t belong to the same lineup, the iPhone 16e and the iPhone SE 3 share the philosophy of being “affordable” iPhones with all the basic features. Let’s see how three years of evolution have impacted the iPhone 16e.
iPhone 16e Doesn’t Look Like the iPhone SE 3 (At All)
With the broad forehead and chin bezel, theHome Button at the bottom, and a circular camera cutout on the back, the 2022 iPhone SE had an iconic look that Apple cherished for almost a decade. However, the iPhone 16e looks nothing like it.
Apple’s iPhone 16e looks like aniPhone 14slapped on top of the iPhone SE. The ‘e’ variant borrows its edge-to-edge screen (with a notch at the top) from the iPhone 14 and its glass back (with the camera cutout) from the iPhone SE.
In the late 2010s, theiPhone SEwas considered acompact smartphone. However, as manufacturers started equipping their handsets with big screens, the definition of ‘compact’ changed. Today, the baselineiPhone 16, with a 6.1-inch screen, is called a compact flagship.
Hence, even though theiPhone 16eis significantly taller, wider, and thicker than the iPhone SE 3, it belongs to the same category of compact, easy-to-hold smartphonesbetter suited for one-handed usagein 2025. And yes, the iPhone 16e weighs 23 grams more than the iPhone SE 3.
While the iPhone SE 3 had an alert slider, theiPhone 16e sports the programmable Action Button. The former was available in three colors, red, white, and black, but the latter only in black and white finishes. The IP rating has also gone up from IP67 on the SE toIP68(up to 6m for 30 minutes) on the 16e.
Though both phones have an aluminum frame and glass back, the iPhone 16e featuresCeramic Shieldglass on the front, which is more durable than the ion-strengthened glass on the iPhone SE 3.
iPhone 16e’s Screen Is Bigger, Brighter, and Better
The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inchSuper Retina XDR OLED screenwith a sharper resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels (460 ppi) and a higher peak brightness of 1,200 nits.
This is a monumental advancement over the iPhone 2022 iPhone SE’s 4.7-inchRetina HD IPS screenthat had a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi) and supported apeak brightnessof 625 nits.
While the iPhone SE’s screen had acontrast ratioof 1400:1, the iPhone 16e raises it to 2,000,000:1. The new iPhone’s display can produce noticeably deeper blacks, enhanceddynamic range, and a better visual experience.
At the top of the iPhone 16’s screen is a notch that houses theFace ID sensors; that’s a first foran affordable iPhonemodel, too. Unfortunately, the Home Button withTouch IDis gone.
A18 vs. A15 Bionic: Apple’s Favorite Comparison
Apple has a habit of comparing anew iPhoneor MacBook chip with a two- or three-year-old version, as it inflates the relative performance gains. This year, however, we’ll compare the A18 chip on the iPhone 16e to the A15 Bionic chip on the iPhone SE 3.
It doesn’t matter where we start, as the iPhone 16e is leaps and bounds ahead of the 2022 iPhone SE. Not only is the 4.05GHzCPU on the A18 substantially more powerfulthan the 3.23GHz CPU on the A15 Bionic, it is based on the more efficient 3nm fabrication technology (as opposed to 5nm).
Both chips feature a quad-core GPU, but the one on the iPhone 16e can handleAAA video gameswithhardware-accelerated ray tracingfor more realistic lights and reflections. The 16-core Neural Engine on the A18 can handle all the GenAI features the company callsApple Intelligence.
With a capable chipset, theiPhone 16e features 8GB of memory, twice that of the iPhone SE 3. While the former has128GB of storage on the baseline variant, the latter started with a 64GB variant. For all intents and purposes, the iPhone 16e’s performance is closer to that of the iPhone 16 than that of the 2022 iPhone SE.
Regarding software support, the 2022 iPhone SE received theiOS 18 update in September 2024(without the Apple Intelligence features) and will continue receiving software support for a few more years. This isn’t a question for the iPhone 16e, as it runs on iOS 18 out of the box.
iPhone 16e Gets a 48MP Primary Camera
The iPhone SE 3 hada 12MP (f/1.8, OIS) back camerathat captured decent images and 4K 60 fps video. It also provided features like portrait mode with depth control, Photographic Styles, QuickTake Video, andstereo audio recording; pretty standard stuff. On the front, the phone had a 7MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter, which can record 1080p video at 30 fps.
The iPhone 16e getsa 48MP (f/1.6, OIS) back camerasensor from the iPhone 16, which can capture much more detail. It also gets features like 2x lossless zoom, night mode, 4KDolby Visionrecording (up to 60 fps),Spatial Audio recording, wind noise reduction, and Audio Mix. The 12MP (f/1.9) selfie camera supports autofocus and can record 4K Dolby Vision videos.
Battery Life Gets a Huge Upgrade as Well
While the iPhone SE 3 can last up to 15 hours of offline video playback, the iPhone 16e can last up to 26 hours, a 73% increase. When it comes tostreaming videos, the iPhone 16e can provide up to 21 hours of playback, more than twice that of the iPhone SE (10 hours).
This is possible due to a larger physical battery and a more efficient processor. Both phones can be charged up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter (or higher). Regarding wireless charging, aQi-certified chargershould work for both phones.
Apple Debuts Its First In-House Modem With the iPhone 16e
For the first time since the iPhone’s inception, the iPhone 16e features an in-house 5G cellular chip: the C1modem(4nm baseband). This is a huge deal, given that the company has been working on developing a stable modem for six years (since it acquired Intel’s smartphone modem division in 2019).
According to Apple, it is the most power-efficient modem on an iPhone (ever), which is why the iPhone 16e promises anexceptional battery life(longer than the iPhone 16). Further, the modem provides “fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity.” Although Apple must have conducted thorough testing, I’m excited (and a bit nervous) to see how the modem performs in real life.
The iPhone SE 3, on the other hand, features the Qualcomm X60M modem (5nm baseband), similar to that on theiPhone 13. I’ve used an iPhone 13 for over two years, and I can’t remember facing any network-related issues (except when there were outages from the service provider’s end).
Both iPhones supportsub-6GHz 5G(4x4 MIMO on the iPhone 16e vs. 2x2 MIMO on the iPhone SE 3),Wi-Fi 6, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou. The newer iPhone has Bluetooth v5.3, as opposed to Bluetooth v5.0 on the older variant. It also has theEmergency SOS via satellitefeature and the second-generationultra-wideband chipfor Precision Finding via the Find My network.
A downside for some users could be the absence ofmmWave connectivityon the iPhone 16e, but the iPhone SE 3 didn’t support it either. Coming to another major change, the new iPhone gets aUSB-C port instead of the Lightning porton the SE (but it still maxes out at 480 Mbps).
iPhone 16e Costs $120 More Than the Equivalent iPhone SE 3
Apple has launched theiPhone 16eat $599 for the baseline variant with 128GB of storage. Currently up for pre-orders, the iPhone will hit stores starting Aug 16, 2025.
The iPhone SE 3, on the other hand, arrived at $429 for the baseline variant with 64GB of storage, while the 128GB variant went for $479. The iPhone 16e is $120 more expensive than the iPhone SE 3’s 128GB variant.
iPhone SE 3
64GB
-
$429
128GB
$599
$479
256GB
$699
$579
512GB
$899
Apple is demanding a premium for the iPhone 16e, and I believe the premium is justified. For an additional $120 over the iPhone SE 3, the iPhone 16e offers a bigger and brighter screen, much better performance, picture quality, battery life, and USB-C connectivity. It also looks and feels like a contemporary iPhone.
The iPhone SE 3 doesn’t make a lot of sense in 2025, and Apple has stopped selling it. But if you still want an iPhone SE 3, you’ll need to hunt one down at a third-party retailer for a discounted price.
