Apple has officially released the iPhone 16e, which became available in stores yesterday morning. This device marks a new entry level for the iPhone series and takes the place of the iPhone SE family. While the iPhone 16e includes several significant upgrades over the iPhone SE 3, there are also some lesser-known enhancements worth mentioning.
The iPhone 16e starts at $599 for the model with 128GB of storage. It boasts a 6.1″ OLED display, Face ID, USB-C, Apple Intelligence capabilities, an action button, and much more, making it a standout option in Apple’s entry-level range. However, I want to highlight some of the more subtle improvements.
Satellite Connectivity
With the introduction of the iPhone 14 series, the iPhone 16e now supports the complete set of Apple’s satellite connectivity features, including Emergency SOS via Satellite, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, and Messages via Satellite.
While these features are ideally ones you hope never to use, they can be extremely beneficial in emergencies—unlike the iPhone SE 3, which did not include this capability.
When you purchase an iPhone 16e, you are granted two years of complimentary satellite connectivity. However, the future costs after this free trial remain unknown. For those who opted for the iPhone 14 early on, Apple provided an additional year free of coverage.
Crash Detection
In keeping with the theme of providing “just in case” safety features that you hope you never have to use, the iPhone 16e is equipped with crash detection capabilities. Utilizing a high-g accelerometer, this feature can detect if you’ve been involved in a car accident and will call emergency services for you if you are unresponsive. This feature has the potential to save lives.
Improved Water Resistance
The iPhone 16e has earned an IP68 water resistance rating, allowing you to use it underwater at depths of up to 6 meters for a duration of 30 minutes or less. This is a significant upgrade from the iPhone SE 3, which only had an IP67 rating, permitting underwater use at 1 meter for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Optical Zoom Capability
The iPhone 16e features an entirely new 48MP sensor. Following the introduction of the 48MP sensor in the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 16e supports taking 2x optical zoom photos with this primary sensor.
This essentially means Apple utilizes the middle 12MP of the larger 48MP sensor, ensuring that each pixel is effectively represented in the resulting photo. While opinions may differ on whether this method qualifies as optical zoom, it undoubtedly offers superior quality compared to standard digital zoom images, which would typically be below 12MP.
Night Mode Photography
Night mode was first introduced with the iPhone 11 series, significantly improving nighttime photography through advanced processing algorithms. Although the iPhone SE’s second and third generations were released after this feature came out, they never adopted support for night mode.
Thankfully, the iPhone 16e does offer night mode capabilities, allowing Apple’s latest entry-level iPhone to capture much clearer images in low-light conditions.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s latest iPhone 16e? Share your opinions in the comments below.
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