If you're confused about who the iPhone 16e is for, you're not alone — I know I won't be upgrading. I'm going to cut right to it. I should have been an easy sell for the iPhone SE 4, but I'm vehemently against the iPhone 16e.

Satellite connectivity isn't necessarily at the top of the list for what people want in their phone. Usually, it's good battery life (which the iPhone 16E has), a good camera (the 16E checks that off too) and a decent price (which the 16E just misses).

Apple not only included the Action button but also the much-hyped Camera Control button for all phones in the iPhone 16 series, putting them all on the same button plain. And while the iPhone 16e comes with an Action button, it misses out on the newly introduced Camera Control button.

Wondering if the iPhone 16e is worth it? Here’s why Apple’s latest budget iPhone misses the mark with key omissions and an awkward price point.

Before the iPhone 16e’s arrival, the best budget iPhone option was the SE, which had a decade-plus-old design and a tiny IPS screen with a lower resolution and an IPS panel. Replacing the SE with a product with modern design, top-tier specs, and Apple Intelligence is a major leap forward for Apple’s entry-level smartphone.

The more important difference relates to brightness. While the iPhone 16e can hit 800 nits in typical use and 1200 nits in high brightness mode, the iPhone 16 can go well beyond those figures to 1000 nits and 2000 nits respectively.

Apple delivered its latest budget handset, the $599 iPhone 16e, without pomp. There was no big event in person, nor was there one online. No journalists

China’s smartphone market is experiencing a slowdown, with sales growth momentum stalling despite government subsidies that have been aimed at

Apple's iPhone 16e makes some trades to hit a lower price, but it makes a case for itself as the cheapest phone that will last the longest.