Head to head
Apple iPhone 16evsApple iPhone 16
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 16 for peak brightness and faster wireless charging. The iPhone 16e wins no row by a gap you’d notice. The iPhone 16e is £100 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £699). Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 16e and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16, our estimate, not Apple’s.
- Released
- 2025-02-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £599Apple Newsroom UK — iPhone 16e launch, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £699Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
0 wins for iPhone 16e2 wins for iPhone 164 gaps borderline2 differences you won’t notice£100 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 16 ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 16e on none
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 16 wins on peak brightness (2,000 nits against 1,200 nits) and wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 7.5 W from GSMArena). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: typical brightness (1,000 nits against 800 nits) for the iPhone 16, battery capacity (4,005 mAh against 3,561 mAh, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 16e, battery per charge (41 h against 37 h) for the iPhone 16e and claimed video playback (26 h against 22 h) for the iPhone 16e. The differences in weight and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same display size, HDR peak brightness, storage (base), RAM, battery lifespan and fast charging. The other 33 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
4 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Refresh rate · Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 16e better than the iPhone 16?
On the figures, the iPhone 16 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,000 nits (Apple UK) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK) and wireless charging, 25 W (Apple UK) against 7.5 W (GSMArena). The iPhone 16e wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 41 h against 37 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 26 h against 22 h (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,005 mAh against 3,561 mAh (both GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16e is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Apple Support UK) against 170 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 16, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,000 nits (Apple UK) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK). The iPhone 16 is brighter, narrowly: typical brightness, 1,000 nits (Apple UK) against 800 nits (Apple Support UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. Both state 1,200 nits for HDR peak brightness (Apple UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 16e and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16e is £100 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £699). Prices from iPhone 16e: Apple Newsroom UK; iPhone 16: Apple UK store.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.