Why I Would Totally Purchase The iPhone 16e
It's a gorgeous phone, yes. But she's so much more than that. She's beauty, she's grace and sits right up there with other iOS greats.
"Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs."
So spoke Richard Papen, the protagonist of Donna Tartt's cult debut novel, The Secret History. Like Papen, I too have a weakness for the picturesque. And sitting at Snowball Studios on February 27, 2025, holding the iPhone 16e, that was the first quote that came to mind.
It's a gorgeous phone, not least because its technical specifications come close to that of my favourite phone of all time, the iPhone 12 mini. But beauty is not all it has in its armoury (though let's be honest, in our world, sometimes beauty is all you need) - the iPhone 16e is crafted from aerospace-grade aluminium and "has the best battery life on a 6.1-inch iPhone, lasting up to six hours longer than iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE", says Apple. This also means that it supports up to 26 hours of video playback which is great if, like me, you love falling into YouTube rabbit holes.
The iPhone 16e is built for Apple Intelligence, which, amongst other things, means that writing tools have gotten a major upgrade. Users can now proofread their text and use AI to rewrite different versions until the tone is just right - very useful for responding to a pointless email professionally. So, say you want to reply with a "Can't you read?" but since you obviously cannot write that (unless you want to get fired), you can request the writing tool to soften the blow.
Now, let's talk about the camera (yes, that's always been the clincher, no?) - the iPhone 16e has a 48MP fusion camera. What does that mean? "The 48MP sensor allows for up to 4x the resolution of older iPhone models6 - so you can capture stunning super high-resolution images that balance both light and detail. The integrated 2x telephoto lets you zoom in with optical quality. Plus, you can shoot incredible 4K video in Dolby Vision with high-quality audio that makes it sound as good as it looks," says Apple.
TLDR; your photos and videos are guaranteed to look great.
However, what I'm most excited about is the visual intelligence feature. Come April, Indian users will have access to visual intelligence which allows you to simply point your camera at the world and discover details about it. For instance, say you want to buy roses but aren't sure how to take care of them. You can simply launch visual intelligence through your Action Button or Control Centre, point the camera at the rose in question and press click. The phone will automatically share certain details about the flower, but you can access the 'Ask' option and type out "What soil does this flower need" or "How do I take care of it" or even "Would my girlfriend like this" and voilà - instant answer. Note: since visual intelligence works with ChatGPT, you may want to check online if you're not sure about the response it sends out.
Honestly, the iPhone 16e is a great option if you're looking for a phone that's budget-friendly and has the same horsepower as other iPhone 16 models. It's gorgeous (so stunning) but it's packed with some neat features. It reminds me of another quote from The Secret History (yes, I belong to the Dark Academia fan club) - “Beauty - unless she is wed to something more meaningful - is always superficial.” The iPhone 16e? She's beauty, she's grace and fortunately, has got the specs to match.