Apple 'transferred' the camera of the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 16e, but there are still differences

After more than two years of waiting, the iPhone SE line finally has a successor—a new model with a completely new name and hardware configuration. Apple has officially introduced the iPhone 16e (yes, that's what Apple is calling the fourth-generation iPhone SE). According to Apple, the new naming scheme is intended to position the iPhone 16e as part of the iPhone 16 family.

First of all, the iPhone 16e comes with all the premium features that the previous SE models lacked. The phone is equipped with a powerful A18 chipset with Apple Intelligence support, Apple's first in-house C1 modem, an Action Button, a notch, an OLED display, and a 2-in-1 camera system.

The 2-in-1 camera system sounds 'big and mighty' but in fact, this is a 48MP sensor, 'lifted' from the basic iPhone 16 model, supporting both Night and Portrait photography modes at the same time. Thanks to the much higher camera resolution than previously released models, the iPhone 16e can crop photos to capture photos equivalent to a 2x telephoto lens. In addition, the ability to record 4K@60fps video with spatial audio support is also a highlight worth mentioning.

Apple 'transferred' the camera of the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 16e, but there are still differences Picture 1

However, although the camera cluster on the iPhone 16e has the same hardware configuration as the regular iPhone 16, it lacks some important features that are quite popular on the iPhone 16 series. For example, the iPhone 16e does not have the Photographic Styles feature, which is present on the entire remaining iPhone 16 series.

Additionally, despite having the same camera resolution and A18 chipset, the iPhone 16e still lacks the latest version of Photographic Styles. According to Apple's official comparison page, all iPhone 16 models—except the iPhone 16e—support the latest version of Photographic Styles. The good news, however, is that the iPhone 16e still supports Photographic Styles, albeit presumably the older version introduced with the iPhone 13.

With the iPhone 16, Apple introduced a new version of the Photographic Styles feature and added some upgrades to the original version. The new version allows users to conveniently edit these styles after taking a photo.

Additionally, the iPhone 16e's camera also lacks features like Focus Control, Cinematic Mode, and Action Mode. On the front, while it has the same 12MP selfie camera as the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e doesn't support Cinema Mode, Depth Control for portraits, or the latest version of Photographic Styles.

Of course, the iPhone 16e starts at just $599 compared to the $799 price of the iPhone 16, but do you think these trade-offs are worth it? Let us know in the comments below.