In February 2025, the iPhone SE was superseded by another ‘affordable’ iPhone, the iPhone 16e. There are quite a few differences between them.
The iPhone 16e has a different design which is much closer to the iPhone 14. That includes a screen that’s not only bigger than the iPhone SE’s (6.1 inches compared to the SE’s 4.7-incher), but which uses OLED technology too. The iPhone SE’s screen is LCD, which doesn’t create as natural colours, nor the same sense of depth as OLED.
The iPhone 16e has the Action button too, which can be programmed to activate different functions. And inside it’s all change – it features the same A18 processor as the iPhone 16 (the SE runs the much older A13 Bionic).
Both phones have a single rear camera, but the iPhone 16e’s is a much higher resolution (48 megapixels to the SE’s 12 megapixels) and has more zooming and shooting options.
The iPhone 16e has the newer USB-C port, while the iPhone SE is stuck with the now-outdated Lightning port. And the 16e has double the battery life of the SE – it lasts for 26 hours of video playback per charge, compared to the SE’s rather paltry 13 hours. The SE uses Touch ID fingerprint recognition, while the 16e uses the quicker and more convenient Face ID facial recognition to unlock the handset and to authenticate Apple Pay.
But the most significant difference between the two is Apple Intelligence (AI). The newer processor means the iPhone 16e can run Apple’s AI smarts, helping you write emails, edit photos, converse with the Siri voice assistant more naturally, and more. It also means the phone is more future-proof and will receive software updates for new features and security provisions for longer.
The iPhone 16e is much more expensive than the SE, though. It starts at £599, compared to £429 for the iPhone SE.