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5 reasons to upgrade to an iPhone 16e, now that it has been released

Published Feb 28th, 2025 8:23AM EST
iPhone 16e
Image: Apple Inc.

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Forget about the iPhone SE 4. As of today, the iPhone 16e is officially Apple’s cheapest iPhone. Apple announced this device last week and opened pre-orders for it last Friday. As of today, it has been released and is now available in several markets worldwide.

Unlike iPhone 16 models in September, you shouldn’t expect huge crowds waiting to buy this device on day one. Most likely, the majority of buyers won’t even care to buy this device in the next few weeks or months. Instead, they’ll wait until their current phone is on the fritz and they need to upgrade.

Still, once members of the phone’s target demographics decide it’s time to upgrade from an iPhone 8, iPhone XR, or iPhone 11, these are some of the benefits they will find with this device:

Apple Intelligence-ready: Unlike the iPhone 15 or previous iPhone models, the iPhone 16e can take advantage of the latest Apple Intelligence features. As Apple focuses on its AI platform, knowing its phone can rock means you’re definitely getting a future-proof device for when Apple Intelligence can actually impact your daily iPhone experience.

Better processor, more RAM: Even though the iPhone 16e’s A18 chip is 15% slower than the one available on the iPhone 16, it’s still faster than most processors available on Android phones. In addition, with 8GB of RAM, it will be a piece of cake running multiple apps, editing photos, or playing high-demanding games.

Best battery life: This iPhone is the battery life king, with up to 26 hours of video streaming. Apple says this is possible thanks to the new C1 connectivity chip, and reviewers also praised its battery life.

2-in-1 camera: Apple added a 48MP camera to the iPhone 16e. While it’s not the same as the one available on the iPhone 16, you can still take sharp photos and take advantage of features unavailable on the iPhone SE 3, including Night Mode and 2x optical zoom.

Face ID technology: If you’re holding onto a pre-iPhone X or an iPhone SE, this will be your first time using Face ID technology with an iPhone. The facial scanner is more secure than using your fingertip while also being faster. You just look at it to unlock your phone. In addition, this brings an all-screen design for the iPhone as it grows to a 6.1-inch display without necessarily making the iPhone bigger.

Wrap up

These are five reasons to buy the iPhone 16e. Even if you don’t do it now, these features will keep making it a solid update for years to come.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.