There is no iPhone SE 4th Generation, that speculation was wrong, wrong, wrong. What we do have is a new member of the iPhone 16 “Family”, the iPhone 16e which will retail for $999 from Feb 28.
While the broad design of this new iPhone is the same as the leaked dummy we received weeks ago there’s one difference, iPhone 16e has the Action button on the side, not a mute-toggle switch.
This is an iPhone 16 in design, in features and performance, in fact, while I loved the availability of the $719 iPhone SE it was always the lesser cousin of the mainstream iPhone. iPhone 16e is frankly remarkable value.
Let me convince you.
iPhone 16e has the A18 processor, that’s better than the iPhone 15 that Apple still sells, which has the A16, and this new $999 model supports Apple Intelligence, something the iPhone 14 which retailed just this week for $1049 didn’t do.
This sits above the iPhone 15 in almost all specs, but below it on price.
Probably the only two specifications of note worth calling out to prospective buyers is the Notch at the top of the screen, just like iPhone 14 (and the 13/12 before it), and critically, the single lens camera on the back.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that dual or even triple lens camera on the other iPhone 16’s is justifiable to everyone. If you’re just snapping pics around the place, you may never or certainly not often turned to the Ultra-Wide lens. The iPhone 16e does however feature the 2x lens option, which is in fact a crop of the large 48MP main camera shot.
Apple has also included something new that no other iPhone has, a new C1 chip – this is their first Apple developed “cellular modem” – basically the chip that connects you to 4G and 5G, which is more efficient than any other that they have used previously.
Plus, thanks to that A18 chip, this phone is Apple Intelligence ready. And that pretty much explains the name. It couldn’t be the new SE, that would be strange with the 14 and 15 hanging around, but putting it above them in name, give it the chance to have AI, but pairing back the cameras makes it hit that $999 price point.
USB-C power, FaceID, and thanks to a redesign of the internals and some other nifty stuff, the battery is outstanding – Apple say it’s the best battery life they’ve achieved on a 6.1 inch iPhone. Quoting 26 hours of video playback time! 6 Hours more than iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, four more than the iPhone 16 but one less than iPhone 16 Pro (which has a 6.3 inch screen, thus the bragging)
Pre-orders start on Saturday, and it will go on sale and ship to customers Friday Feb 28th. Available in just two colours, Matte Black and White, in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options.
RIP to the iPhone SE, but welcome to the family iPhone 16e
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts several popular podcasts, EFTM, Two Blokes Talking Tech, Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, and the Private Feed. He is the resident tech expert for Triple M on radio across Australia, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show and appears regularly on 9 News, A Current Affair and Sky News Early Edition.
Father of three, he is often found in his Man Cave.
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