I Tested the $599 iPhone 16E and Was Surprised by All the Features You Don't Get

When I reviewed the iPhone 16E I was charmed by its simplicity and frustrated by its $599 price. The phone is $200 less than the iPhone 16 but $100 more than rivals like the $499 Pixel 9A (and Google's cheap phone comes with two rear cameras). The iPhone 16E has many of the iPhone 16's best features, like an A18 chip, a 48-megapixel main camera, iOS 18, Apple Intelligence and access to Apple services like Facetime, iMessage and Emergency SOS via Satellite. What more could you want, right? Well, as with other affordable phones, compromises were made to get to that lower price. These omissions tell you a lot about what Apple values -- like Apple Intelligence, for example. I've reviewed more budget phones than I can count, and the best ones always offer far more than just their low sticker price. It's a pleasant surprise when a company like Motorola, OnePlus or Google nails the balance of what to keep and what to omit. Let's take a look at the features you don't get on the iPhone 16E. ... Read full article.