Apple iPhone 16e Starts From RM2,999, Here's What's Missing

New Apple iPhone 16e

The second month into the New Year, and Apple is already coaxing us into emptying our wallets.

The unanticipated introduction of the newest iPhone model, iPhone 16e, was dropped on 19th February 2025 via a 13-minute video on Apple’s homepage, surprising the lot of us with “the newest member of the iPhone 16 family”.

Read on to learn more about the specs of iPhone 16e, how Apple may be cutting corners with the more affordable pricing, and our thoughts and observations on whether the new model is all it’s cracked up to be.

Table of Contents

New Apple iPhone 16e

– Here’s what you get with iPhone 16e –

Image credit: Apple

If you’re sighing collective sighs at how your bank account has barely recovered since the release of iPhone 16, there’s no need to brood. The new iPhone 16e is a relatively budget-friendly option with a price tag starting from RM2,999. It succeeds the iPhone SE 3rd Gen and is touted to pack as many features also found in its more expensive predecessors.

1. A18 chip with Apple Intelligence

Image credit: Apple

This feature would probably be the biggest whoop of the model – iPhone 16e is powered by the latest-generation A18 chip, identical to that used in iPhone 16 which costs a whopping RM1,000 more. If we want to nitpick about the slight difference though, 16e has 4 GPU cores while 16 has 5 – a negligible distinction.

The inclusion of the A18 chip also means that it can support Apple Intelligence, which is essentially Apple’s take on the ever-growing suite of artificial intelligence (AI) and that the feature will be more accessible to many, with iPhone 16e’s price of entry that doesn’t hurt – as much.

Some features you’ll benefit from Apple Intelligence include Genmoji, intelligent Writing Tools, a built-in ChatGPT, and an evolved Siri.

2. Battery life

Image credit: Apple via Youtube

The iPhone 16e boasts a more durable battery life of up to 26 hours of video playback as compared to the significantly lower 22-hour period that iPhone 16 can handle, and it’s all thanks to the C1 chip, the first Apple-designed cellular modem. This essentially means you’ll get to binge-watch shows for longer, in between charges.

3. Single-rear camera lens

Image credit: Apple via Youtube

While the new model only packs a single-rear camera lens, it is the same 48MP fusion camera offered on the iPhone 16, which allows for up to 4 times the resolution of older iPhone models. The results are high-resolution images, as well as 4K video recordings in Dolby Vision with crisp spatial audio.

That said, we’re not about to ignore the lack of camera lenses which may be limiting to those who care about their photography style being more “up-to-date” with the modern generation – but more on this later.

4. Action button and visual intelligence

Image credit: Apple

In place of the old switch that toggles the silent mode, there is now the customisable Action Button which functions to activate a certain feature of choice instantly.

The Action Button isn’t exactly a new feature – the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max were the first models to be equipped with it. But the one on the iPhone 16e is not only limited to activating the usual shortcuts such as the mute mode, flashlight, camera control, translation app, or voice memo recorder – you can now launch Visual Intelligence via the Action Button as well.

For the uninitiated, the Visual Intelligence tool works by pulling up all the information you need on the object of interest in the photo taken on the iPhone camera.

– What’s missing on the iPhone 16e –

Apple’s newest model, it may be, but is it necessarily an upgrade? We got down into the nitty-gritty of the iPhone 16e, and by that, we mean the omission of possibly essential iPhone features in this model. Here’s what we found:

5. All the colours of a rainbow

Image credit: Apple

Let’s talk aesthetics – there are none.

But to each their own, of course. Black and white are literally your best and only choice for iPhone 16e. And if you’re a simpleton who reminisces the older iPhone designs – since it’s bringing back the bath-tub notch from the iPhone 13 – you’re in luck.

Plain as it may be, most of us have our iPhones fitted in cases anyway. So, despite its blandness, we would say that the iPhone 16e is surely a rather good value at a much cheaper price point.

6. Handy-dandy MagSafe

Image credit: Apple

Perhaps the most baffling exclusion is the MagSafe, a nifty magnetic wireless charging technology that was first introduced on the iPhone 12. This means that the iPhone 16e will not be able to conveniently attach itself magnetically to MagSafe-supported charging devices, tripods, wallets, and card holders.

Fret not, wireless charging is still an available feature for this device, though its charging speed will be slower – the MagSafe is able to charge at 25 watts on the iPhone 16, while a regular Qi charger only peaks at 7.5W on the iPhone 16e.

7. Dedicated wide and telephoto lens

Image credit: Apple via Youtube

Now, back to the iPhone 16e’s camera. Those who rely on the versatility of the iPhone camera feature to deliver a range of photos may not be a fan of iPhone 16e’s single-rear camera lens. Say bye-bye to those 0.5 selfie shots or stunning DSLR-esque 3x portrait shots.

Again, it is more of a want than a need for some – and for an iPhone model that offers the essentials, a class-leading point-and-shoot camera feature is honestly more than enough to make good.

E for ‘efficient’, ‘essentials’, or just ‘eh’?

Image adapted from: Apple

Since the iPhone 16e’s launch, there are already gobs of people debating online on whether the new “budget” iPhone from Apple managed to pull off the company’s promise of producing a next-generation iPhone SE – meaning a budget iPhone that’s actually better.

Upon observing and analyzing the specs of iPhone 16e, it wasn’t exactly more or better than its more recent predecessor. It is just different.

Sure, we should anticipate some trade-off in the features, considering its slightly affordable price tag. But its repertoire of specs – most of which are already equipped in iPhone 15 and 16 – does nothing to justify the reduced price. Heck, they couldn’t even retain the MagSafe, even with the bump in price tag from the previous iPhone SE, which retailed from RM1,949.

iPhone 16e flaunts an odd mix of old and new, and its features place it a little above iPhone 15, yet not even anywhere near iPhone 16. Its target customers also seem to teeter between existing iPhone owners who have not upgraded their old models in a hot minute or new Apple folks who want the raw iPhone experience without the bells and whistles, or emptying their bank accounts for a new model.

The retail price of RM2,999 could be a tad lower to get us to consider a switch. Else, you could get other relatively recent iPhone models with all the features 16e is lacking, by forking out just a splash more.