Earlier this week, Apple’s cheapest iPhone got a refresh and an unexpected name change. Instead of the widely anticipated iPhone SE 4, the company unveiled the new iPhone 16e, which shifts to a full-screen design with Face ID while putting Apple Intelligence on an entry-level model for the first time. It also sports the Action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. Pre-orders for the iPhone 16e are now open, with models starting at $599, and the phone will be more widely available on February 28. Here’s everything you need to know about pre-ordering the latest iPhone.
The best place to get an unlocked iPhone 16e is, unsurprisingly, direct from Apple. The iPhone 16e comes in only two colors, black and white, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations to choose from. Ordering an unlocked iPhone means you can take it to nearly any carrier of your choosing.
As usual, wireless carriers are also selling the iPhone 16e now, with various perks attached to purchases. Here are all of wireless carrier specials we currently know about for the iPhone 16e.
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Verizon: New customers can save $420 when you order the iPhone 16e and sign up for a new plan. Existing customers can also save $420 if they add a new line when buying the iPhone 16e.
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AT&T: All customers can get the iPhone 16e for $5.99/month with any unlimited plan. No trade-in required. Walmart also carries the iPhone 16e for AT&T customers, with monthly payments starting at $15.25.
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T-Mobile: Get an iPhone 16e “on us” (or up to $830 off) when trading in an eligible device on Magenta Max, Go5G Plus/Next or when trading in and adding a line on Go5G or most plans. You can also get $500 off the iPhone 16e when trading in an eligible device on Go5G or most plans.
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Boost Mobile: Get the new iPhone 16e for just $200 when you switch to Boost and sign up for the Unlimited Premium plan ($60/month).
The iPhone 16e looks much like the iPhone 14, one of Apple’s 2022 models. The new phone has a much larger screen than previous iPhone SE — a spacious 6.1 inches — along with Face ID and swipe-based multitasking gestures. (The model it replaces had a Touch ID home button.) It has a notch at the top of the screen, not the floating Dynamic Island from higher-end iPhones.
Apple Intelligence is increasingly central to the company’s strategy, so don’t be surprised to see Apple’s iPhone 16e marketing center around it. In addition to zippy performance, the phone’s A18 chip enables features like generative AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and notification summaries. The phone is the cheapest entry point into Apple Intelligence by hundreds of dollars.
The phone has a 48-megapixel Fusion “2-in-1” camera with a 2x telephoto system. Compared to the more expensive iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the SE’s lack of extra rear cameras is one of the most noticeable things you’ll miss out on.
At $599, the iPhone 16e is also $150 more than previous iPhone SE models, which typically cost around $429. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the additional $200 gets you a better camera system and a more modern design.