Apple launches its budget-friendly iPhone 16e starting under $1,000

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Almost three years after Apple’s last budget-friendly iPhone was released — the iPhone SE 5G — Apple has announced a new addition to the iPhone 16 lineup, at a much lower price point.

The iPhone 16e offers much of the latest technology from the 2024 iPhone 16 range, in combination with some more basic features to keep its starting price lower. Read on to find out if the iPhone 16e is the phone you’ve been waiting for.

iPhone 16e release date

The iPhone 16e is available to pre-order from February 22 (12:00am AEDT) and will be available in stores and shipping out from February 28, 2025.

iPhone 16e price

The iPhone 16e is the most affordable model in the iPhone 16 lineup — and looks set to replace the older iPhone SE — with a starting price under $1,000 AUD RRP. Here’s how much each iPhone 16e storage option costs:

• iPhone 16e 128GB: $999 AUD
• iPhone 16e 256GB: $1,199 AUD
• iPhone 16e 512GB: $1,549 AUD

The iPhone 16e will be available to buy from the Apple Store and retailers such as JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and more, and will likely be offered on phone plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

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iPhone 16e design and display

Apple touts the iPhone 16e as being built to last. It features a durable design made from aerospace-grade aluminium, with Ceramic Shield used for the front along with the toughest back glass available for smartphones. It’s available in a sleek black or white finish — but you can always customise it with a fun phone case.

You’ll get a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display  — the same size and tech as the iPhone 16 — with OLED technology and an edge-to-edge design. It also includes 800 nits max brightness and 1,200 nits peak brightness along with a 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 16e also has an IP68 rating, meaning it’s water-resistant up to six metres for 30 minutes.

Apple has also included the Action Button, found on the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup, which allows you to customise the side button with any quick actions you need, such as ring/silence toggle, activate voice memos, translate, open the camera or flashlight and more. However, it doesn’t include the camera control sensor that’s available with the rest of the iPhone 16 devices, or the Dynamic Island screen cutout that works as a widget/notifications centre.

iPhone 16e battery and performance

The iPhone 16e uses Apple’s latest A18 chip with Apple’s new C1 cellular modem — the first designed by Apple — with a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. This all allows for a fast and smooth performance, with a next-level mobile gaming experience. The iPhone 16e is capable of running graphically-demanding AAA game titles with ray tracing for a more realistic lighting and reflections in-game.

It also includes Apple Intelligence integration, with tools such as the Clean Up tool for editing your images by removing unwanted objects from your photos, along with the ability to search for photos by describing what you’re looking for.

Apple also touts the battery life of the iPhone 16e as the best battery life ever included on a 6.1-inch iPhone, with up to 26 hours of video playback. That’s a bigger battery than the iPhone 16’s 22 hours of video playback. Like other iPhone 16 models, you’ll have USB-C connectivity, supporting USB-2. It’s also fast-charging compatible with up to 50% charge in 30 minutes using a 20W charger or higher (not included). However, while you’ll have Q1 wireless charging, you won’t get the MagSafe or Qi2 charging compatibility available with the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup.

iPhone 16e Cameras

The camera is where you’ll notice the more ‘budget’ part of the iPhone 16e, as it includes only one rear camera. However, the 48MP Fusion camera is a two-in-one camera system with an integrated 2x Telephoto along with True Tone flash, Portrait Mode with depth control and night mode.

You’ll also get the 12MP TrueDepth front-facing camera — the same front camera used for the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. This also includes Portrait Mode with depth control, night mode, and Animoji and Memoji support.

If you love making videos on your phone, you’ll have the option to record in 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps. It also includes wind reduction and records in Spatial Audio, where you can edit your video’s audio to adjust the sounds for a more professional result.

iPhone 16e colours and storage sizes

The iPhone 16e is available in Black and White colour options and in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage sizes.

iPhone 16e features and extras

The iPhone 16e includes the iOS 18 operating system out of the box, along with 5G connectivity and Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection. You’ll get Face ID recognition, Apple Pay, Siri voice assistance and dual-SIM support with both nano-SIM and eSIM included.

SIM-only plans for the iPhone 16e

If you choose to buy your iPhone 16e outright from retailers, you’ll need to bundle your phone with a SIM-only plan. You can compare a range of prepaid and postpaid plans and providers in the below tables, or use our free phone plan comparison tool to see a wider range of plans.

Compare the iPhone 16 range