00:00The iPhone 16e is finally here and I bet a lot of people are excited about the new iPhone.
00:09Now, a lot of people call this one the budget-friendly iPhone, but the question here is, is it really?
00:15Now with the starting price of 60,000 rupees in India, the iPhone 16e is relatively almost
00:2215,000 more expensive than the 2022 SE version.
00:27Yes, I understand the 16e was long overdue as the market share for the 2022 SE version
00:33was almost down to 1%, so Apple was waiting eagerly to launch this device.
00:39But is the 16e really what the customers want?
00:42Is the $100 difference, the price difference between the iPhone 15 and the 16e compelling
00:49enough for you to buy the 16e instead of the 15?
00:53And where has exactly Apple cut corners here to make sure that you get the iPhone 16e,
00:59all of the features, Apple Intelligence, the A18 chipset, at a budget-friendly cost?
01:06Let's talk about all of that.
01:09Okay, first off, the iPhone 16e seems an exact copy of the iPhone 14 from the front, with
01:16the notch and the chunky bezels being continual.
01:19Now compared to the iPhone 16 series, you can clearly see that the bezels are relatively
01:25quite thick.
01:26Now, it's using ceramic glass, which by the way is Apple's strongest glass till now, weight
01:32is almost the same as the 16, and you even get IP68 water and dust resistance.
01:39So the 16e is a robust smartphone.
01:42Now there is the action button which has been continual on this one, which means you can
01:46customise it for a lot of the features.
01:48You also get this feature on the 15 Pro and the 16 series, and overall, I think the 16e
01:54design-wise is a solid proposition.
01:56But, but, but, are you okay with a notch in 2025?
02:01Remember, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, and even the 2022 SE.
02:08So this new SE kind of is the entry point for a lot of the people who are wanting to
02:12get into the Apple ecosystem, but it's not really a forward-looking device in terms of
02:18the design, because you're still holding on to the old design.
02:22However, if the customers do not really have a problem with that, and if they're okay with
02:27a phone in 2025 that looks like the older iPhone, I think the design should not be a problem.
02:34Now remember, the iPhone 16e is powered by the A18 chipset.
02:39Now this is the same chipset that is on the iPhone 16 as well.
02:43It even offers support for Apple Intelligence, which is great.
02:48Now you get access to all of these nifty AI features like object erasing, summaries, etc.
02:54And remember, the iPhone 15 does not have that kind of an advantage, which I'm sure would
02:59confuse a lot of people when they are trying to choose between the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 16e,
03:04which one should you buy?
03:07We'll talk about that later.
03:08However, remember, this is not the exact same A18 chipset that you are getting on the 16,
03:13because it has one lesser GPU core, which will definitely have an effect if you are
03:18looking for high-definition gaming on the 16e, but apart from that, everything in terms
03:24of handling complex tasks and multitasking, this is ideal and almost equally capable as the 16.
03:31Remember, you are getting an entry into the Apple ecosystem and also 6 to 7 years of software
03:37and security support with Apple iOS.
03:41So I think you're getting a comprehensive deal with the 16e.
03:45But the real game-changer here is the C1 modem that Apple is using this time.
03:50Now, this new 5G modem has been built by Apple, which means it not only saves up on power,
03:57but also works seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, offering you better connectivity and performance.
04:05However, it is noteworthy to mention that it does not support millimeter wave,
04:12and it's mostly for lower band frequencies.
04:14And millimeter wave, by the way, is available on the iPhone 16 series.
04:18While a lot of the countries are still exploring 5G, there is not a lot of bandwidth
04:23for millimeter wave rollout, the higher 5G speeds, which I think is a good move from Apple
04:29to launch the 16e with the C1 modem.
04:31You're getting very better battery here.
04:34And not a lot of countries, especially the target audience for the 16e,
04:38have millimeter wave or higher 5G speed.
04:41So I think the combination with C1 helps Apple sell this device better.
04:46Not to mention, another tech that it's missing is the support for ultra-wideband,
04:51which is important for people who use AirTags, smartphone, and even the AirDrop.
04:56It's not going to be a big difference if you use it on a daily basis and don't use these utilities,
05:02but I'm just mentioning, this feature is missing.
05:04Storage options start from 128 GB and go all the way up to 512 GB,
05:09and there's also 8 GB of RAM, which is now standard across all of the iPhone 16 series,
05:13and I think it's great. 8 GB in 2025 for Apple devices is a bare minimum.
05:18Overall, I think the phone delivers good performance.
05:21We haven't tested it yet, but again, the A18 chipset is what we have tested on the 16 series,
05:27and it is a capable device.
05:30So assuming that the core definition of the 16e chipset is similar to what we get on the 16,
05:37you will get optimum performance. Now moving to the camera,
05:40there is a single 48 megapixel shooter on the rear of the 16e that supports 2x telephoto zoom,
05:46which primarily is software enhanced, looks optical quality,
05:51but isn't optical. Now there is support for 4K 60 FPS recording,
05:55but it misses out on some of the unique camera UI features,
05:59which we see on the 16, like the real-time tone adjustment,
06:03and obviously functionalities of the camera control button,
06:05which you get with the 16. That's missing on the 16e.
06:08Those standard images will be clicked at 24 MP.
06:11You can pump up the resolution to 48 MP on the 16e,
06:13so that definitely enhances your photo experience. On the front,
06:18you're getting a 12 megapixel camera, which is the same as what you get on the 16,
06:22and the missing ultrawide sensor on the rear is the only deal-breaker for a lot of people,
06:28could be a deal-breaker for a lot of people,
06:30but I think despite that, 48 MP on the 16e, budget-friendly iPhone,
06:35I think still works because you're getting 4K recording as well with the smartphone.
06:40However, we will reserve our judgment for later
06:43because when we get the phone, when we review it, when we test out the camera,
06:46that is when we will give our verdict on how good the camera really is.
06:50Battery-wise, Apple is not giving out official numbers for the 16e battery.
06:55It never does for the iPhone,
06:56but it is saying that you are getting enhanced battery life with the 16e
07:01because of the more power-efficient C1 modem
07:04and, let's just say, an underpowered GPU
07:07because 26 hours of video playback is what Apple is claiming,
07:11which is 6 hours more than the previous model.
07:14So, definitely, you are getting exemplary battery performance with the 16e
07:19and people who prioritize battery on the iPhone should consider this one when it is launched.
07:24Remember, you're getting USB-C, the charging speed almost remains the same as the 16,
07:29so, you're not really compromising a lot in the battery department.
07:32Okay, so to conclude this one, it's a bit tricky.
07:35You see, the iPhone 16e starts in India at Rs 60,000 for the 128GB variant.
07:41Now, this is relatively more expensive than the 2022 version,
07:45which was launched at somewhere around Rs 45,000.
07:47Now, compared to the 15 in India, which is currently priced at Rs 70,000,
07:54do you really think that the Rs 10,000 difference makes it worthy to go to the 15?
07:59Remember, look at the pros that the iPhone 16e offers.
08:03You're getting Apple Intelligence, better battery,
08:05thanks to the new C1 modem and also the A18 chipset.
08:09Honestly, I don't really find the purpose to buy the 15 instead of the 16e
08:15just for the difference of Rs 10,000 because, yes, if you really need the ultra-wide camera
08:21and also the display on the front looks similar to the 2025 and the future versions of the iPhone,
08:28I think the 16e is a better deal here.
08:32Sure, one can say that the 16e doesn't offer a lot of colour options,
08:36you just have the white and the black,
08:37but you can always slap on those fancy covers because most of the people do that, right?
08:42But then, I'm telling you, this whole aura of a budget-friendly iPhone dies with the 16e.
08:49I mean, if it would have been priced around Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000,
08:52then we can say this is truly a budget-friendly iPhone,
08:56but Rs 60,000, Rs 10,000 difference,
08:59I won't really now put it in the budget-friendly category.
09:01So, yes, those dynamics now really change for the 16e, the SE series, as we can say.
09:08Remember, the iPhone 16e will be available in India starting the 28th of February,
09:12you can go online and pre-orders will open the 21st of February.
09:17Remember, we'll be having the device with fibre very soon,
09:20so stay tuned for all of the reviews and first look of the device when we get them,
09:24but let us know in the comment section how excited are you for the iPhone 16e.
09:29Till the next time, this is Cyrus signing off,
09:31I'll be back with another interesting tech video.
09:34Take care.
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