iPhone 16e Has iPhone 16 Camera, But Lacks Some Features

The iPhone 16e is Apple's only iPhone with a single-lens rear camera, and while it has the same 48-megapixel Wide lens as the iPhone 16, it is lacking several of the ‌iPhone 16‌ camera features.

iPhone 16e Feature 1
With the 48-megapixel Fusion lens, the ‌iPhone 16e‌ camera has a standard 1x field of view, and a 2x zoom option. It has no Telephoto lens, so there are no other zoom options, nor is there an Ultra Wide camera for wide-angle shots and macro images. Since there's just one lens, there's also no option for spatial image and video capture.

It offers the same True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, and Smart HDR 5 options, but it does not support next-generation portraits with Focus Control or the latest Photographic Styles.

When taking Portrait shots, there is an option to adjust focus afterward, but there is no option to tap to change the subject of the photo like there is on the ‌iPhone 16‌.

The newer Photographic Styles are also only for the ‌iPhone 16‌, 16 Pro, and Pro Max. With Photographic Styles, the ‌iPhone 16‌ models released in September feature an option to set an overall look for all images captured with the ‌iPhone‌ camera, but this doesn't exist for the 16e. Older style filters are available, however.

There are also several missing video recording features, including Cinematic mode and Action mode, but the new Audio Mix feature is supported.

As for the front camera, the ‌iPhone 16‌ and 16e have an identical feature set with the exception of support for Cinematic mode, Photographic Styles, and Depth Control for Portrait shots.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16e
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 16e (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
11 months ago
It does not have iPhone 16 camera. Come on, MacRumors, you guys are pumping out articles before even reading the spec sheet.

The 16e sensor isn't as good as iPhone 16 and likely smaller. For instance, it doesn't have 100% Focus Pixels. This is something iPhone 11 and newer have. This means low light isn't as good as the 16. Kinda disappointing Apple is so penny pinching.



Attachment Image
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
11 months ago

It’s a budget model.
No it’s not. ?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
11 months ago

Minimized features = less robust Siri.
Is that possible :oops:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Takeo Avatar
11 months ago
Incredible value but I’m not upgrading my 12 Mini until a phone comes out that is the same weight or less. Hoping the upcoming Air might be the ticket.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mossimossimossi Avatar
11 months ago
I mentioned this in another thread but the 16E doesn't have a true optical zoom and it is super misleading. Marketing materials all say it is 2x zoom with "optical quality". Yes, it presents you with a 2x choice in the camera app but it is not true optical zoom!

Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Filero Avatar
11 months ago
Too little, too late, very expensive...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)