One of the biggest selling points of Apple’s $599 iPhone 16E is that it offers excellent bang for the buck. It is Apple’s most affordable iPhone, but it still has many of the same features as the $799 iPhone 16, such as the latest A18 chip and Apple Intelligence, which introduces generative emoji, smarter notifications and, eventually, an improved Siri.
Watch this: iPhone 16E Review
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Yet, it might be worth looking at the company’s older iPhones, such as the iPhone 15 Pro. It might not be as cheap as the iPhone 16E, but it has much better features, such as a nicer camera and better charging capabilities. Those extra features might be worth the higher price. Plus, you can potentially get it at a lower price than the iPhone 16 if you buy it refurbished.
How do these phones compare? We’ve outlined a few features for you to find out which one is the best iPhone for you.
The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro both have 6.1-inch displays, but the Pro has a few more perks.
Display
The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro feature the same 6.1-inch size screen at a similar display resolution, but there are still a few differences. The iPhone 16E runs at a 60Hz refresh rate — similar to all of the non-Pro iPhone models — and it can reach a 1,200-nit peak brightness. It also has a similar display notch to the iPhone 14, and does not support the Dynamic Island that serves up contextual information on other iPhone 15 and 16 models. It’s functional and should work fine whether you are using the phone indoors or outdoors, but the Pro’s screen has several additional perks.
The iPhone 15 Pro (right, seen here with the 15 Pro Max), includes the Dynamic Island around its display cutout.
The iPhone 15 Pro’s display can run at a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz, changing based on what activity you are doing. You can expect to see the smoother 120Hz refresh rate when scrolling through websites, playing games and other applications that benefit from smoother animations. According to Apple, it will hit the lower end of that range to conserve battery life when you aren’t using the phone. The display also hits a higher 2,000 nits of peak brightness (outdoors) and includes the Dynamic Island that shows information like the music player or countdowns around the space of the front-facing camera’s display cutout.
Both the iPhone 16E (seen here) and the iPhone 15 Pro can play more graphically-intense games such as Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Processor
The iPhone 15 Pro has the A17 Pro chip, which is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores that makes it great for graphics and gaming. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, ships with the latest A18 chip, which gives it a touch more power and speed. In practice, the A17 Pro is still a very capable chip that will serve you well for years to come. The A18 chip, however, will likely receive software and new feature updates for a slightly longer period of time. Both processors are capable of running Apple Intelligence and more advanced iPhone games like Resident Evil 4 Remake and Death Stranding.
The iPhone 16 has a Clean Up tool that can remove unwanted elements from photos.
Apple Intelligence
One of the iPhone 16E’s biggest highlights is that it supports Apple Intelligence, which was previously only available in Apple’s high-end offerings like the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence offers plenty of benefits such as smart writing tools, a Clean Up tool that removes unwanted elements from photos and a potentially smarter Siri on a future update. The iPhone 15 Pro, as mentioned, has had this from the start, so the two are fairly equal in this department.
The iPhone 16E has a single 48-megapixel main camera.
Camera
The biggest visual difference between the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro is that the latter has three cameras instead of one. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 48-megapixel wide lens, a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. It also has a large 48-megapixel sensor that helps immensely in low light. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. It has to rely on sensor-cropping for improved zoomed-in shots. Both have 12-megapixel front-facing cameras.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have three cameras on the back.
Charging
Another downside to the iPhone 16E is that it lacks support for MagSafe wireless charging, and is only compatible with Qi charging capped at 7.5W. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, supports 15W MagSafe charging. Not only can it wireless charge at twice the speed, it also supports a whole range of magnetic accessories that the iPhone 16E won’t be able to use unless it has a third-party MagSafe-compatible case.
Both phones use USB-C for wired charging, with Apple citing that both can recharge their battery to 50% in 30 minutes when connected to a 20W adapter. In CNET’s review testing for the iPhone 16E and iPhone 15 Pro, both phones tested slightly better than this. The iPhone 16E recharged from 0% to 59% in 30 minutes, and the 15 Pro recharged from 0% to 62% after being updated to iOS 17.0.3.
Both the iPhone 16E and the 15 Pro charge over USB-C.
Pricing (and a note on buying refurbished)
Obviously, the iPhone 16E offers the lower price as it retails for just $599. Apple, however, is now officially selling a refurbished version of the 15 Pro for just $759, which is cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16. Sure, that’s more expensive than the 16E, but the Pro’s extra features might be worth a higher price for you. Additionally, while buying phones in a secondary market has its issues (the phone might not always be in great shape), Apple’s official refurbished program has an excellent reputation that is akin to buying the product new.
Check out the following chart to see how the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro stack up in other aspects.
Apple iPhone 16E vs. Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 16EApple iPhone 15 Pro Display size, resolution 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptivePixel density 460 ppi460 ppiDimensions (inches) 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 in.5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 inDimensions (millimeters) 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25 mmWeight (ounces, grams) 167g (5.88 oz.)187g (6.6 oz)Mobile software iOS 18iOS 17Camera 48-megapixel (wide)48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (3x telephoto)Front-facing camera 12-megapixel12-megapixelVideo capture 4K4KProcessor Apple A18A17 ProRAM/Storage RAM unknown + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TBExpandable storage NoneNoneBattery/Charger Up to 26 hours video playback, 21 hours streamed video playback, 90 hours of audio playback. 20W wired charging, 7.5W Qi wireless chargingUndisclosed; Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback (20 hours streamed)Fingerprint sensor None, Face IDNone (Face ID)Connector USB-CUSB-C (USB 3.0)Headphone jack NoneNoneSpecial features Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance5G (mmw/Sub6), Action Button, Always-On display, IP68 rating, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent), satellite connectivity, eSIM, Thread networking technologyPrice off-contract (USD) $599 (128GB)$999 (128GB, $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB)Price (GBP) £599 (128GB)£999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB), £1,499 (1TB)Price (AUD) AU$999 (128GB)AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,049 (256GB), AU$2,399 (512GB), AU$2,749 (1TB)
