Apple devices come at a premium cost, making them inaccessible to some. Be it the iPhone or any other Apple product, their steep pricing leaves some consumers with no option but to choose Android counterparts from Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo, among others.
The latest iPhone 16e, however, solves this problem as the device isn’t just affordable, but also feature-rich, giving users the much-revered Apple experience on a budget. We used the new iPhone 16e for a while, and here are our thoughts.
A familiar design
The iPhone 16e doesn’t have an uncanny look or an outlandish design. It looks familiar; unmistakenly and uncannily Apple. The iPhone 16e is made by putting different puzzle pieces together. How? The device borrows the rear design from the iPhone XR and the front design from the iPhone 13. Yet, it has its separate place in Apple’s lineup.
The aluminium side frame and glass build offer the same old premium in-hand feel and experience, just like the other base iPhones. However, it has a notch screen and not a dynamic island. But it’s an OLED panel with a crisp resolution, just enough for your reading and movie-watching sessions.

The 16e gets an Action button that lets you do different tasks with a single press. You can simply summon Siri, camera, or any other app – it’s convenient.
A single camera setup
The iPhone 16e doesn’t aim to be a camera smartphone, but it definitely is a smartphone with a good camera. There’s only one camera, however, which clicks great images and shoots stable 4K videos. The dynamic range is good, and skin tones look natural.
The exclusion of the ultra-wide camera may sound like a downgrade, but let’s be honest, how many times have you used the ultra-wide camera? If the number is a single digit, you know why Apple might not have added it here. Personally, I am not a fan of group pictures, and if you are like me, you’d be good with a single camera.
Upfront, there’s a 12MP selfie camera, and it’s just enough for selfies with your besties. The front camera also has 4K support, meaning you look sharp in those video meetings.
Daily tasks and gaming are taken care of
The iPhone 16e has Apple’s A16 chipset with a 4-core GPU. This chipset is enough to handle most of your daily tasks, including gaming. In day-to-day usage, we faced no hiccups, minus some iOS bugs. Yes, there are some, but they can be easily fixed with an update. You can also indulge in some light gaming including the likes of Call of Duty: Mobile, on low or medium graphics.
ALSO READ: iPhone 16 Pro Max long-term review
The software on this one is cleaner than most Android phones you’d get at around this price point. What’s more? Apple Intelligence! The iPhone 16e gets the same suite of AI features as the pricier iPhone 16s and 16 Pros.
There’s Image Playground for generating fun images, Writing Tools to refine your office emails, and the improved Siri with ChatGPT integration for all your random queries.
Lasts a working day
Battery-wise, despite its compact size, it’s advertised to offer 26 hours of playback. While we weren’t able to test the exact claim, we can confirm that it does offer a battery that lasts a working day with moderate usage. This involves texting, using WhatsApp, watching YouTube videos, and scrolling Instagram Reels.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for a more in-depth review of the iPhone 16e.

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Pranav Sawant
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