The iPhone 16e is the entry model Apple added to the iPhone 16 family in February 2025. It has the A18 chip, the C1 cellular modem (Apple’s first in-house design), a 6.1-inch OLED display and a single 48MP rear camera that provides 2x zoom from the same sensor. There is no ultra-wide camera or mmWave 5G; Apple lists no MagSafe, Qi2, Dynamic Island or ProMotion, and wireless charging is limited to Qi. In independent testing the battery lasted slightly longer than the iPhone 16; in carrier measurements the C1 modem was faster than the iPhone 16 on two US networks and slower on one. Owners praise battery life, the camera and the size; some miss an ultra-wide lens and a faster refresh rate.
iPhone 16e (A3212); 128, 256 or 512 GB; matte black and white. Physical SIM support varies by country; the US model uses eSIM only. The 2026 iPhone 17e is a separate model.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Chip | A18; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine |
| Cellular modem | Apple C1; 5G (sub-6 GHz, 4×4 MIMO), Gigabit LTE (4×4 MIMO) |
| Display | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2532 × 1170, 460 ppi |
| Design and glass | Aluminium enclosure, Ceramic Shield front, glass back |
| Storage | 128, 256 or 512 GB |
| Rear camera | 48MP Fusion main camera (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, optical image stabilisation); 12MP 2x telephoto (52 mm) from the same sensor |
| Video | 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; 4K 60 fps on the front camera |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus; Face ID |
| Battery and charging | Up to 26 hours of video playback; 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter; Qi wireless charging; built-in lithium-ion |
| Port | USB-C; USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s) |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, 2×2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC with reader mode |
| SIM | Dual eSIM (two active lines at once) |
| Durability | IP68 under IEC 60529 (up to 6 metres for 30 minutes) |
| Action button | Can be set to Silent mode, camera, flashlight, Visual Intelligence, a shortcut and other functions |
| Size and weight | 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.80 mm; 167 g |
Apple presents the iPhone 16e with the A18 chip, Apple Intelligence support, a 48MP Fusion camera offering “two cameras in one” and the C1, which it calls the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone, as the 6.1-inch iPhone with the longest battery life. Apple Support
In Tom’s Guide’s cellular web-browsing test with the screen fixed at 150 nits, the iPhone 16e lasted 12 hours 41 minutes. The iPhone 16, retested in the same round, lasted 12:13, the iPhone 16 Pro 14:07 and the iPhone SE (2022) 9:05. The author attributes part of the gap to the C1 modem; Apple does not publish battery capacity, so capacities could not be compared.
Tom’s Guide: iPhone 16e battery life testedAccording to Ookla data reported by MacRumors, the iPhone 16e beat the Qualcomm-modem iPhone 16 in median download speed on Verizon (140.77 vs 124.4 Mb/s) and AT&T (226.9 vs 146.49 Mb/s), while the iPhone 16 was about 24% faster on T-Mobile. The 16e led on upload on all three carriers and did better in weak signal. Without mmWave, the iPhone 16 stayed ahead on peak speeds. Sample size and test dates were not disclosed.
MacRumors: iPhone 16e C1 modem test (Ookla data)Best Buy’s unlocked black page has 703 reviews; all 19 visible ones are incentivised verified purchases. Battery life is the most praised point: ZaneK says it lasts a full day of heavy use and LongN says it lasts a long time. arqcolmenares counts the missing ultra-wide camera and MagSafe as drawbacks, and ZaneK the basic refresh rate compared with Pro models. ENRIQUER would not recommend the camera for heavy photography. Josh, after six months, reports glitches including a false “Low Power Mode” warning. No visible review mentions signal or modem problems.
Best Buy: Apple iPhone 16e 128GB (unlocked, black) customer reviewsAbout a third of the 40 reviews on French retailer LDLC’s page are about the product itself; the rest concern in-store advice and delivery. ElisabethB, LineP and FaustineP highlight night photos and battery life, and LucieL says the charge lasts through daily use. SashaB finds the missing ultra-wide lens annoying and Norag thinks it costs more than rivals. Franck26n says the screen is small, touch sometimes does not respond and audio is weak; this is a single report.
LDLC: Apple iPhone 16e 128GB white customer reviews