Comment: Is the iPhone 16e more of a “16meh”?

So it is finally the iPhone 16e that we have always had on the screen as an iPhone SE 4 for the past few months. From today you can order Apple's new entry-level smartphone, then hold in your hands for the first time from next Friday (February 28th). But how can the new hardware be classified in Apple's overall concept for the iPhone-better still the entire mobile phone market? It's not that easy.

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An entry for 700 euros

Let's start at the price. Apple has raised it significantly. If you paid 519 euros for the third generation iPhone SE in 2022 (then quickly under 500 euros in retail), you now have to dig into your pocket significantly with 699 euros for starting the 16 world. Is that still an entry -level model? Not actually in terms of price, for Apple: Yes. Because there is no longer any other iPhone after iPhone 14 and the SE 3 have been removed from the market. If you want the iPhone 16 as a standard variant with more cameras, a Dynamic Island and other Goodies, it only starts from 949 euros. The still available iPhone 15 of 2023 only sells Apple from 849 euros.

When it comes to design, the iPhone 16E is also more of an iPhone “16float“. The form factor is an iPhone 14 with camera discharge plus an additional action button. Even the choice of colors is uninspired: Apple only delivers the model in black and white, the 16e is only with a shell. A sensible” product (Red) “-Edition like the pre-model, the manufacturer has painted. The integrated 48 megapixel camera from the iPhone 16 is nice, but the Single sensors naturally have massive deficits.

Soothes the inner life – hopefully

The interior is really exciting on the 16e. The A16 binning variant is sufficiently quick (one less GPU core), Apple Intelligence also runs thanks to 8 GB RAM. The fact that Apple is now starting with 128 GB SSD size would be a matter of course in the Android world, Apple friends are taking it with benevolence. Mickige 64 GB are finally passé on the iPhone. The screen is now OLED, there is face-id face recognition-that was to be expected. The radio area is exciting: Apple has finally reached a liberation against the previous supplier Qualcomm after years of research and development (also “Made in Bavaria”). How well the thing works must show tests that I am extremely excited, because despite the billions that Apple are available, such a component is extremely difficult to design if it is really good.

That Apple Magsafe simply omitted – without saying why – just annoying at 700 euros. The missing UWB chip (Ultra-Wideband), which would have made a centimeter-precise location of the iPhone, if you have laid it, is simply an embarrassment. I would have expected it to be part of the C1, but that apparently did not work technically and practically. Nevertheless, the first radio modemchip Apple lays an exciting basis. Would I buy the 16e myself? Currently not. If the price in retail sinks in a few months, the model becomes more attractive. Until then, I would rather search for a good deal for the iPhone 15 Pro, the reseller continued to offer. Ultimately, it has everything you currently need.