SIZING UP THE IPHONE 16e

WEIGHING THE TRADEOFFS OF APPLE'S NOT-QUITE BUDGET AI

- BY OLENA KAGUI

Apple made a surprising announcement in February: a brand-new budget iPhone is out, and it's not your typical SE. The new iPhone 16e is the budget version of the iPhone 16 lineup, but it comes with a few surprises, like Apple Intelligence compatibility and a 48 MP back camera. Should you consider buying the iPhone 16e? We'll give you the pros and cons.

THE IPHONE 16e AT A GLANCE

• The iPhone 16e has some of the same features as the high-end iPhone 16 Pro Max model, including a 48 MP back camera, an A18 chip (albeit with only four GPU cores), an OLED display, and a battery life of up to 90 hours of audio playback (and 21 hours of video streaming).

• It has only one back camera lens, though Apple says it incorporates telephoto capabilities like a 2x optical-quality zoom.

• The 16e model has a notch rather than a Dynamic Island.