The Apple iPhone 16e is designed for those who seek a compact, more affordable smartphone with key technologies of the latest generations. It offers almost the full iPhone user experience: powerful A18 chip, Apple Intelligence features, and the signature Super Retina display — but with a number of simplifications, hence maintaining a more budget-friendly price.

The smartphone is equipped with a 6.1-inch Super Retina OLED screen with a 60 Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. Instead of Dynamic Island, a classic cutout at the top of the screen is used, and the side sound toggle is replaced with an "Action" button. The back panel is made of glass, and the body is IP68 standard protected. However, there is no MagSafe support.

In terms of technical specifications, the iPhone 16e is almost comparable to the basic iPhone 16. It is built on the A18 chip with Apple Intelligence support and features a single 48 MP camera with night mode, Smart HDR 5, and 2x crop zoom without quality loss. The list of wireless interfaces includes 5G (without mmWave), Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3. Charging is done via a USB-C 2.0 port (up to 20 W) or wirelessly (up to 7.5 W).