With today’s launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple is saying goodbye to one of its most well-known brands. Many people look at the 16e and think, “Doesn’t that look like an older iPhone SE?” Meanwhile, Apple is busy promoting its new smartphone in its own unique way.

One big thought comes to mind: the iPhone 16e is being compared mostly to other iPhones, not to other smartphones on the market. In its press release, Tim Cook and his team are quite literally comparing Apples to Apples.

Selling to iPhone 16e Users

There is some logic to this approach. If customers are already using Apple services—like music subscriptions, paid apps, or iCloud storage—it’s not easy for them to switch to Android. While they aren’t completely locked in, they are strongly connected to Apple’s world. The iPhone 16e is designed to keep them in that world, either by upgrading their own device or by introducing family and friends to Apple’s ecosystem.

It also works the other way. The Android system locks users in just as much, but since many companies build Android phones, they keep improving the platform. This means no single company controls everything. How the iPhone 16e deals with this is a topic for another time. Right now, Apple is focused on selling to loyal customers.

iPhone 16e Battery

One big problem with the iPhone SE has always been its battery. The first iPhone SE, released in 2016, often needed a recharge before the day ended. Many people accepted this because they liked the smaller size. But nine years later, even mid-range phones are expected to last all day on a single charge.

The iPhone 16e Modem

One reason the iPhone 16e has a longer battery life is that Apple has made the hardware and software work better together. Since Apple only makes iPhones, it can design iOS to work perfectly with its own Axx processors. At the same time, the Axx processors are built specifically for iOS.

Now, the same thing is happening with the modem. In the past, Apple had to use modems from Qualcomm. But the iPhone 16e will have Apple’s first modem made in-house, running on Apple Silicon. The new C-series modems will become an important part of Apple’s hardware, and right now, Apple is focusing on the C1 modem’s advantages.

Apple says the C1 is “the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone,” offering fast and reliable 5G. Since it is made just for the iPhone, it has an advantage over Qualcomm’s modem, which needs to work with many different brands. Because of this, the C1 should use less power—but the big question is: how much less?

The iPhone 16e Chip

Apple is highlighting the power of its A18 chip in the iPhone 16e. Instead of comparing it to last year’s A17 chip, Apple is looking back at the older iPhone 11 with the A13 Bionic chip.

“The iPhone 16e runs on Apple’s newest A18 chip… The 6-core CPU is up to 80% faster than the A13 Bionic chip in the iPhone 11. The 16-core Neural Engine is designed for advanced AI tasks and runs machine learning models up to 6 times faster than the A13 Bionic.”

Comparing the iPhone 16e

It’s unclear why Apple is comparing the iPhone 16e to the iPhone 11 instead of the 2022 iPhone SE, which seems like a better match. Maybe Apple wants to separate the “e” series from the SE series. The last SE was based on the iPhone 13, so that would have made a stronger comparison. By using the iPhone 11 instead, Apple can show bigger performance improvements.

Once the iPhone 16e is available on February 28, we’ll be able to compare it with Android phones. Until then, we only have Apple’s statements about how it fits into the iPhone 16 lineup.

To quote a wise person: “Apple presents it clearly, like apple cider made from 100% apples.”

Published: 20th February 2025

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