While Apple’s latest budget iPhone looks great at first glance, something about it caught my eye—and not in a good way. It seems like a solid upgrade, but one key change makes me hesitant to pre-order it.
The iPhone 16e Looks Great on Paper
The newly announced iPhone 16eis set to replace the budget-friendly iPhone SE, and nearly every component has been upgraded. It features a much-improved Fusion camera, longer battery life, the Action Button, and even the latest A18 chip—the same chipwe praised in our iPhone 16 Plus review.
While the A18 was primarily introduced to support Apple Intelligence—a feature I still find extremely underwhelming—it’s great to have Apple’s latest SoC, which means it will get years of proper support.
I’d even say the iPhone 16e has the best-looking back of any iPhone yet. It has a clean, minimalist design that stands out. And since I don’t mind the notch much, I’m completely sold on how it looks. It definitely seemed like a good deal at $599 at first glance, even if I was hoping the price would be a bit lower.
But then I started noticing some things. Several nice-to-have features, like Precision Finding and MagSafe, are completely missing. But what concerns me the most isn’t their absence—it’s Apple’s new C1 chip.
But I’m Not Sold on Apple’s New C1 Chip Yet
If you haven’t heard of the C1 chip, I don’t blame you—even Apple barely mentioned it in itspress release. It’s Apple’s first in-house modem—the part of the phone responsible for cellular connectivity—and it debuts with the iPhone 16e. However, I already have some concerns.
For starters, the iPhone 16e lacks mmWave 5G, which enables much faster cellular speeds in areas that support it. I’m also a bit concerned about carrier support in different regions.
While major providers like Verizon will likely work fine in larger U.S. cities, if you live in a more remote area or rely on a less popular carrier, I’d be cautious about cellular performance when thinking about pre-ordering.
Dropped calls, inconsistent signal strength, and spotty data speeds can make even the best smartphone feel unreliable. That’s why I’m a bit wary of the C1 chip—since it’s Apple’s first in-house modem, it hasn’t been tested in the wild yet.
Until we see real-world performance from everyday users, we can’t really know how well it holds up. Apple has a solid track record with chip design, but modems are a completely different challenge, and there’s a reason it has taken this long for Apple to make one.
Why I’m Buying the Base iPhone 16 Over the Pro Model
You won’t miss out on much if you get the standard iPhone 16 variants.
So, if you’re considering the iPhone 16e, I’d caution you to wait a month or two for proper reviews before committing to a purchase. It’s always better to let early adopters take the risk and see how things pan out before making a decision.
That said, I am confident inApple’s claimsthat the C1 chip will significantly improve battery life compared to the more expensive iPhone 16. iPhones and MacBooks have always had power-efficient chips, so introducing an Apple-curated modem will likely only increase that efficiency.
I’d be lying if I said I’m not excited to see how well this new budget iPhone performs in real-world use, especially since it was long overdue for a proper upgrade. However, with this being Apple’s first venture into creating its own modem, I can’t help but be skeptical of the actual results.
