The MacRumors Show: iPhone 16e Announced!

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we unpack Apple's announcement of the all-new iPhone 16e.


The ‌iPhone 16e‌ is the newest member of the iPhone lineup, offering a massive upgrade over the now-discontinued third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. It features a 6.1-inch OLED display with a notch for Face ID, a Ceramic Shield front cover, a USB-C port, and an Action button, and much more.

It is powered by an A18 chip, enabling support for Apple Intelligence features, such as notification summaries and Genmoji for creating custom emoji. It also supports Visual Intelligence.

In the ‌iPhone 16e‌, the A18 chip has a 6-core CPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, but a binned 4-core GPU, making it slightly less powerful than the iPhone 16 and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus. It also has IP68-rated water resistance, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3.

The device is equipped with an Apple-designed 5G modem called the C1, whereas other iPhones have a Qualcomm modem. Apple says its own modem is so power efficient that the ‌iPhone 16e‌ offers the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ model ever at up to 26 hours.

On the back of the ‌iPhone 16e‌ is a single 48-megapixel Fusion camera, which provides a 2x "optical-quality" Telephoto option, according to Apple. On the front, there is a 12-megapixel camera with autofocus. The device does not have the Camera Control button that was introduced across the rest of the ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup last year. It also lacks MagSafe.

‌iPhone 16e‌ supports Apple's satellite features. When outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, the ‌iPhone 16e‌ supports Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite.

The device is available in white or black, and with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB storage capacities. In the U.S., pricing starts at $599.

We talk through how the ‌iPhone 16e‌ compares to the ‌iPhone‌ 15 and ‌iPhone 16‌, which sit at $699 and $799, respectively. We also contemplate what the discontinuation of the ‌iPhone‌ SE line means for the rumored third-generation Apple Watch SE, which is rumored to launch later this year. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about the imminent Apple product "launch" that is widely expected to be the fourth-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA

Monday December 22, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers. The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
top stories 2025 12 20

Top Stories: iOS 26.3 Beta, Major Apple Leaks, and More

Saturday December 20, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates. This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories! Top Stories i...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Why Apple's Foldable iPhone May Be Smaller Than Expected

Tuesday December 23, 2025 5:21 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the ‌iPhone‌ mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
iPhone Chips

Apple Clings to Samsung as RAM Prices Soar

Monday December 22, 2025 6:17 am PST by
Apple is significantly increasing its reliance on Samsung for iPhone memory as component prices surge, according to The Korea Economic Daily. Apple is said to be expanding the share of iPhone memory it sources from Samsung due to rapidly rising memory prices. The shift is expected to result in Samsung supplying roughly 60% to 70% of the low-power DRAM used in the iPhone 17, compared with a...

Top Rated Comments

mr.steevo Avatar
11 months ago
Last week the iPhone SE 2022 was $579 in my country. The iPhone 16e is over $300 more expensive at $899.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Compote Avatar
11 months ago

How are the reactions in Europe and UK ?
I feel personnally insulted by the offering. I have an iPhone 11 with 128GB with 4GB or Ram.
I see no reason to "upgrade", as my 11 from 2019 has UW1, ultrawide angle and works "fine".

There is no reason for this "new" phone to not have UW1, two cameras. Other iphones were the cheaper option for years, like the 12, the 13, the 14 and they had all basic features, will be OK for another half a decade.

This is the iPhone Apple wants you to have, at the price it wants you to pay, NOT the best value it could offer.

Apple is scaling back quality on purpose because it wants to give value to the real base iPhone.
This product is made to let you say "wow, this is ****" and upgrade to a 16.
And, for suckers who will be deluded they are getting a bargain, the overpriced device will make a huge buck for Apple.

It's literrally an abusive relationship at this point, but Apple's been doing that since 2017 and the worst iPad ever, then the worst watch ever, etc.

People will notice. I've noticed.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
notmyemail Avatar
11 months ago

When discussing the AI feature to erase things in photos, Hartley admitted that he has no idea how much better Samsung does it as he has not seen it as he has never used Android. He has stated in the past about his complete lack of Android experience.

Hartley .... you lose a lot of credibility as you have no idea or personal experience what Apples competitors are doing. You keep stating that you are a "tech enthusiast" but that is BS. Based on your actions, you are simply an Apple enthusiast.

You have a lot of potential but you have to explore other platforms so you can speak with more concrete knowledge.
1. This is not a ratings/comparison website. It's an Apple rumors/products website. You're welcome to wander lost on YouTube among the clickbaiters any time.
2. Please don't use the word 'competition' in a sentence about anything Google-related.
3. Dan gives plenty of airtime to non-Apple tech, and thus often relies on Hartley's detailed memory and understanding of Apple tech. They make a good team for that reason.
4. Your comment "You have a lot of potential but you have to explore other platforms so you can speak with more concrete knowledge" sounds like an insecure school teacher damning the report card of a talented pupil.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9081094 Avatar
11 months ago

How are the reactions in Europe and UK ?
Meh… it’s from € 719 here. There are so much better offerings these days from other brands. Don’t think it will sell like hot cakes here.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
everlast3434 Avatar
11 months ago
Im impressed they found a way to talk about this mid phone for 37 mins!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mpuk Avatar
11 months ago

How are the reactions in Europe and UK ?
Too expensive for what it is.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)