iPhone 16e review: A capable new handset from Apple

iPhone 16e | £599 | ★★★★☆

When was the last time you really took advantage of all the bells and whistles on your phone? If you’re a budding amateur photographer or you’re somehow playing Monster Hunter Wilds on a 6.1 inch screen, the iPhone 16e, Apple’s new ‘affordable’ handset, probably won’t be for you.

But if – were you to be brutally honest with yourself – you use the supercomputer in your pocket for sending memes over Whatsapp and doomscrolling Tiktok, then perhaps you should consider this surprisingly capable handset.

At £599, the iPhone 16e places itself firmly in the mid-market category, competing with a host of Galaxys and Pixels and Nothings but having the advantage (for those tied to the ecosystem) of running Apple’s iOS software.

It certainly feels like a premium phone, essentially borrowing the wardrobe of the iPhone 14 (which was the new hotness as recently as 2022) and updating the insides to offer a modern, if slightly pared-back, experience.

It’s handsome enough, with its brushed aluminium rear, and while the screen lacks the brightness of newer iPhones, it’s perfectly serviceable. New, efficient components give it a battery life of more than 50 hours, and most users won’t notice the compromise in processing power made to achieve that impressive number.

The camera set-up is also extremely good, taking pictures that would have blown your mind a decade ago. The single 48MP camera will take pictures to rival almost any smartphone out there. The drawback is that the optical zoom is limited to 2x and there’s no wide angle lens. You pays your money you takes your choice.

In terms of other features, it has wireless charging (but no MagSafe, if that’s a deal-breaker), Face ID, a  USB-C connector (thank the lord!), and it even comes with the programmable action button from more recent iPhones. Oh, and it comes in whatever colour you like, as long as it’s black (or white). No ‘Desert Titanium’ here.

If you’re upgrading from an older handset and don’t fancy stumping up £799 for a new iPhone 16 or £999 for the cheapest 16 Pro, this is a great option to tide you over. Six hundred quid still ain’t cheap, of course, but you’ll be doomscrolling till the cows come home on this thing.