Apple’s IPhone 16e Seems Boring, And That’s Exactly Why I Want One

I might be the one and only person who’s genuinely excited about the iPhone 16e. On paper, there’s nothing crazy about Apple’s new mid-range phone — it only has one camera, brings back the notch for Face ID, and comes in two bland colorways, black and white. But hear me out — that’s why I’m excited. For the first time in a long time, it feels like Apple is making a phone for people who don’t want to be completely glued to their phones, and I think that will make the iPhone 16e a success. Here’s what I mean.

What’s old is new again, with a twist

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

As they say, what goes around comes around. All you have to do is follow a few Gen Alpha kids on social media to know that’s true. They’re out there using flip phones and camcorders instead of powerful smartphones, citing that they don’t really want to be glued to their screens all the time. But, as either one of the oldest members of Gen Z or one of the youngest Millennials, I’ll admit that I really like my phone. I’d much rather have a large, colorful display and screen time that I’m ashamed of than pretend that T9 texting is cool again. The closest I’ve come to using a throwback device recently was when I reviewed Apple’s last iPhone SE in 2022, and I couldn’t stand it.

Even though it packed a powerful A15 Bionic chipset, the fact that I was revisiting an iPhone 8 body nearly five years later was enough to quickly relegate the iPhone SE (2022) to life on a shelf. Although I enjoyed having Touch ID back for the first time in years, it wasn’t worth living with a tiny 4.7-inch display or the smallest iPhone battery I’d used in years. And yet, rumors about a new, modernized iPhone SE always persisted. I’d heard tell that Apple would give up on its home button and switch to a more flagship-like design, but it wouldn’t go all the way to making a proper iPhone Mini again.

I don’t want a flip phone or a camcorder, but I’ll take a simplified iPhone any day.

Now that the iPhone 16e is here, that’s exactly what happened. Apple has finally retired the iPhone 8 body, upgrading its mid-ranger to something more modern — a single-camera iPhone 13, if you will. Although I’d previously complained about the limitations of a single rear camera, Apple upgraded that sensor from a lowly 12MP to a flagship-grade 48MP (with an optional 2x telephoto crop), giving it some much-needed flexibility when your subject is a little further away. On top of that, it picked up a notched display for Face ID and paired it with modern touches like the programmable Action Button and flat side rails that make the iPhone 16e just a bit thicker, presumably making room for a larger battery — something Apple’s smallest iPhone desperately needed.

What excites me most about Apple’s mid-range upgrade is that it sounds like an iPhone I’ll be able to use but might not depend on. Sure, I’ll be able to check off the basics, like responding to out-of-control group chats, logging runs on Strava, and keeping up with work tasks on Asana, but I won’t feel as motivated to spend time doom-scrolling Instagram on a smaller, notched display, nor will I find myself lost in endless camera menus while I try to capture the perfect shot at a concert. If I find myself in the first few rows, it’ll be great, but otherwise, the limited hardware will encourage me to live in the moment.

A full-strength iOS 18 experience

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Although I’m glad Apple is looking for a middle ground with its iPhone 16e hardware, I’m just as happy it isn’t compromising its software. Fast and frequent iOS updates made the previous iPhone SE (2022) worth a look, so I wouldn’t want Apple to take them away. Could the iPhone 8 body and 4.7-inch display keep up with new customization features? Well, no, but I was always glad they were available.

With the iPhone 16e, I think iOS 18 will have room to breathe. Yes, Apple’s most affordable iPhone will ship with its latest software right out of the box, which means I’ll be able to Android-ify it as quickly as possible. It should continue to pick up updates at the same speed as the flagship iPhone 16 series, thanks to the A18 chipset under the hood. That means although the finished product will look slightly different due to the lack of a Dynamic Island, the base software will be just as customizable and come with the same Apple Intelligence features minus a portion of the price tag.

The iPhone 16e doesn’t skimp on its software, which is what Apple wants to sell you anyway.

For once, I’m glad to talk about AI. Even though I still think most of Apple Intelligence is half-baked — it arrived several months after Google and Samsung got their AI launches underway — it’s still a positive for Apple to bring it outside of the flagship realm. I think that giving users a taste of things like the Image Playground and Clean Up feature in Photos on a mid-range device will be much more effective than reserving them for flagship devices — and it should train Apple’s models faster, too.

Of course, what I want is for my iPhone 16e to arrive and to pare its software down to the bare minimum. I think that the best way for me to cut my sky-high screentime to a more reasonable level will be to stick to the must-haves like Messages and FaceTime while pairing them with productivity favorites like Slack and Asana and minimizing my social media to Strava and Instagram. Too much else, and I might start to miss my extra rear cameras or want to spend more time digging into NWSL season previews on X.

Yes, I want a boring iPhone

If you ask just about anyone else on the Android Authority team, they’ll tell you that the iPhone 16e sounds like a terrible idea. Who would pay $599 for a phone with a notched display, one camera, and without MagSafe support? A large part of me agrees with them. It’s a lot of money to spend when you could buy an older flagship iPhone and get many of the same features.

However, I still like the idea of an iPhone that boils down to the basics. I want a phone that knows I only really need one camera on the back because I’ll spend most of my time between 1x and 2x zoom anyway. I want a phone without a Dynamic Island because I still haven’t found enough use cases in the two years since the iPhone 14 Pro launched. I’m not even upset that the iPhone 16e only comes in black and white because I will just put it into a case anyway. And, let’s face it, nobody bought an iPhone 16 for the Camera Control, so I don’t think anyone will mind if it’s not here.

Will I miss a few of the finer points like MagSafe? Sure. It’s odd to omit when you’re already spending this much money. However, Apple’s path forward lies more in its AI features and long-term updates, and I think that the iPhone 16e will deliver most of what I want with less of the extras that I don’t need. Maybe I’ll eat my words in a month or two, but I’m excited about an anti-iPhone for now.