The iPhone 16s brings Apple Intelligence and improved battery performance for a lower price. Should you upgrade from your old iPhone 14?

The iPhone 16e has officially replaced the iPhone SE as Apple’s cheapest handset, but cheapest doesn’t necessarily mean cheap – in fact, I can’t quite believe how expensive the iPhone 16e is.

First, the company shifted away from the “SE” branding after nearly a decade. Then it priced the budget phone higher than expected at $599 – a notable jump from the $429 iPhone SE.

The newest entry-level iPhone 16e adopts a 48MP Fusion camera, which sounds like a dependable, but somewhat limited setup that lacks the broader versatility a dual-camera normally brings around. At the same time, we get a 12MP FaceTime camera.

Expectedly, Apple finally dropped the home button from the iPhone 16e. That's no surprise considering the button was a bit of a vestige for some time — pretty much ever since iOS started using a swipe-up method of returning to your home screen that obviously doesn't require pressing a physical button.

Discover the iPhone 16e’s features, trade-offs, and what Apple didn’t tell you. Is affordability worth the compromises? Find out here.

Apple's iPhone 16E, the replacement for the 2020 iPhone SE, has seen the company finally kill off multiple things in one go. From the home button to the Lightning port, Apple's new cheapest phone comes with big changes, but it also signals the death of small phones in the tech giant's lineup. I think that's a shame.