Apple may not have given the full launch event and keynote treatment to the iPhone 16E, but it dropped a launch video for the new affordable iPhone that shows it off. The video was uploaded to YouTube and added to the company’s iPhone 16E launch page.
Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the “new member of the iPhone 16 family,” before handing it over to vice president of iPhone marketing Kaiann Drance, who explains the phone’s key specs. The 16E is equipped with Apple’s A18 chipset, the same chip as the rest of the 16 line, which gives it enough power to run Apple Intelligence, something that even 2023’s iPhone 15 can’t do. It also includes Apple’s first-ever in-house 5G modem, the C1.
The other big upgrade from the 2022 iPhone SE is the move to a new design with a notch and Face ID, finally killing the home button for good. That nets the 16E a larger 6.1-inch display, making it the same size as the standard iPhone 16. It also jumps to USB-C and includes Apple’s customizable Action Button.
There’s only a single rear camera, though the 48-megapixel sensor could be comparable in performance to the main camera on the other phones. A 12-megapixel selfie camera is on the front, among the lenses and sensors required for Face ID.
The iPhone 16E is available to preorder starting this Friday ahead of a release on February 28th, starting at $599 with 128GB of storage and the option to go up to 256GB or 512GB. It’s available in black or white.