iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16e: The Best value iPhone in years vs the cheapest

By Aleksandar Anastasov

Published: Sep 11, 2025, 1:36 AM

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Side-by-side comparison of the iPhone 17 and iPhone SE (3rd generation), highlighting their design, display, and camera differences.

Intro

Apple may have wrapped up its SE line, but with the iPhone 16e it introduced a new kind of entry-level iPhone: one with flagship-grade performance and a modern design at a lower $599 price.

But the company just announced the iPhone 17, which finally gives the base iPhone the premium features fans have been asking for. For the first time, the standard iPhone comes with a ProMotion 120Hz display, a brighter screen for outdoor use, an upgraded ultrawide camera, a sharper selfie shooter, and faster charging.

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$599

The latest budget-friendly iPhone model, the iPhone 16e, is here! You can buy a unit at the Apple Store for up to $700 off with eligible device trade-ins. Minimum savings amount to $40 with trade-ins.

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For just $200, you can get arguably the best value iPhone we've seen in the last decade! So which one should you go for?

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16e differences:

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
6.3" OLED	6.1" OLED
1–120Hz ProMotion	60Hz
Ceramic Shield 2 front, reinforced glass back	Ceramic Shield front, glass back
A19 chip, 8 GB RAM	A18 chip, 8 GB RAM
48 MP main	48 MP main
48 MP ultrawide	No ultrawide
18 MP selfie	12 MP selfie
Up to 30 h video playback	Up to 24 h video playback
40W wired	20W wired
25W MagSafe/Qi2 wireless	7.5W Qi wireless, no MagSafe
4.5W reverse wired	No reverse wired
Base storage: 256 GB	Base storage: 128 GB
$799 starting price	$599 starting price

Table of Contents:

Design
Display
Performance
Camera
Battery
Specs
Summary

Design and Size

Premium vs entry-level build

The iPhone 17 features slimmer bezels and a more refined design than the iPhone 16e. | Image credit – Apple

The iPhone 16e carries over the older flat-edged design, resembling the iPhone 14. It uses an aluminum frame with glass on the front and back and features Ceramic Shield only on the front. So, it is still a durable phone, but it has thicker bezels, and it lacks some of the refinements that you will find with the iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17 looks and feels more premium. It has slimmer bezels around its larger 6.3-inch display and introduces Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, which Apple claims is three times more scratch-resistant. The back sticks to reinforced glass rather than Ceramic Shield 2, keeping some differentiation from the Pro line.

As for size, the iPhone 17 is slightly taller, thicker, and heavier.

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Thickness 7.95 mm	Thickness 7.8 mm
Dimensions 149.6 × 71.5 mm	Dimensions 146.7 x 71.5
Weight 177 g	Weight 167 g

All iPhone 17 colors. | Image credit — Apple

Looks-wise, the iPhone 17 colors are:

Black
Lavender
Mist Blue
Sage
White

The iPhone 16e in Black. | Image credit — Apple

The iPhone 16e in White. | Image credit — Apple

And the iPhone 16e colors are simply:

Black
White

Display Differences

The iPhone 17 finally brings a 120Hz ProMotion display and 3000-nit peak brightness to the base model. | Image credit – Apple

The iPhone 16e uses a 6.1-inch OLED with a standard 60Hz refresh rate and up to 1200 nits peak brightness. It’s a big step up from the LCD screens of past budget iPhones, but it still feels dated in 2025.

The iPhone 17, on the other hand, finally gives the base iPhone a 120Hz ProMotion OLED panel with adaptive refresh from 1 Hz to 120 Hz (enabling the Always-On display feature). It’s also much brighter, peaking at 3000 nits outdoors and 1600 nits in HDR, which is a huge jump over the 16e, making it easier to use in direct sunlight.

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Size 6.3"	Size 6.1"
Brightness 3000 nits	Brightness 1200 nits

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16e: The Best value iPhone in years vs the cheapest

Apple has added a seven-layer anti-reflective coating to the iPhone 17 displays.

It does not match the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s stronger treatment, but in MrWhoseTheBoss’s hands-on comparison, the improvement over the iPhone 16 series is clearly visible.

Performance and Software

A19 vs A18: AI-ready vs cost-focused

While the iPhone 16e holds its own with the A18 chip, the iPhone 17’s newer A19 chip offers better efficiency and sustained performance. Plus, it has double the base storage at 256 GB. | Image credit – Apple

The iPhone 16e is no slouch with the A18 chip, which is the same processor found in the iPhone 16. Paired with 8 GB RAM, it delivers flagship-grade performance at a much lower price point.

The iPhone 17 steps things up, though, with the new A19 chip, built on TSMC’s 3nm process. It’s more efficient and optimized for sustained performance, especially in longer gaming or creative sessions. Both models come with 8 GB RAM, but things are different when it comes to storage: the iPhone 16e starts at 128 GB, while the iPhone 17 doubles that to 256 GB base storage.

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Chip A19	Chip A18
Process 3nm N3P	Process 3nm N3E
RAM, Storage --- 8/256 GB 8/512 GB LPDDR5X RAM NVMe storage	RAM, Storage 8/128 GB 8/256 GB 8/512 GB LPDDR5X RAM NVMe storage

On the software side, both run iOS 26, which introduces:

The new Liquid Glass design language
Call Screening for the Phone app
Live Translate during calls
Smarter Messages with custom chat backgrounds and polls
Visual Intelligence features like instant object recognition and dual-camera video capture

Apple Intelligence is available on both, but the most advanced features like the smarter Siri are still on hold until at least 2026.

Camera

iPhone 17 adds sharper selfie cam and a flagship-grade ultrawide

The iPhone 17 adds a second 48 MP camera and a sharper selfie shooter. | Image credit — Apple

The iPhone 16e is Apple’s most stripped-down modern iPhone when it comes to cameras. On the back, it has a single 48 MP Fusion main camera that delivers strong image quality. It supports Smart HDR, Night Mode, and 4K Dolby Vision video recording, but you don’t get the flexibility of switching perspectives, since there’s no ultrawide for capturing landscapes or macro shots, and no telephoto camera for higher-quality zoom shots.

On the front, the iPhone 16e sticks to the same 12 MP selfie camera we've seen on previous iPhone models. It supports Portrait Mode and 4K video, but compared to the iPhone 17's new 18 MP selfie camera, it will probably have less detail and sharpness, and low-light selfies might not be as crisp.

iPhone 17 Official Sample Photos

Besides its new selfie camera, the iPhone 17 also comes with:

A 48 MP main camera with a larger quad-pixel sensor that helps create better dynamic range and capture more light in dark conditions.
A brand-new 48 MP ultrawide camera, replacing the older 12 MP one. This upgrade means not only sharper ultrawide photos but also much better macro photography, as that's the camera that iPhones use for macro.
The new 18 MP Center Stage selfie camera that debuted with the iPhone 17 has a new square-sensor design that gives you sharper detail for selfies and video calls, and the wider field of view makes it better for group shots. It comes with Center Stage, which allows the camera to follow you during video calls. The camera also uses AI to automatically adjusts framing for group selfies. Thanks to the sensor's square design, you don't have to turn your phone sideways when you want to take a horizontal shot.

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Main 48 MP, f/1.6 26 mm 1/1.56" sensor size	Main 48 MP, f/1.6 26 mm 1/2.55" sensor size
Ultrawide 48 MP, f/2.2 13 mm 1/2.55" sensor size	Ultrawide N/A
Selfie 18 MP, f/1.9	Selfie 12 MP, f/1.9

The Camera Control button remains exclusive to the more premium model (not that it's a big loss), but the AI-based Visual Intelligence features are available between both phones.

Battery Life and Charging

Bigger battery vs faster charging

The iPhone 17 outlasts the 16e — thanks to a more efficient chip and stacked cell tech. | Image credit — Apple

The iPhone 16e supposedly has the larger cell, but Apple doesn't disclose battery capacity, so we still don't know for certain if it is more than that of the iPhone 17. What we do know, however, is that with the more efficient chip and the new stacked battery design, the iPhone 17 lasts longer.

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Battery life Up to 30 h (27 h streamed)	Battery life Up to 26 h (21 h streamed)
Charging speeds 40W wired 25W Qi2.2 USB-C 2.0	Charging speeds 20W wired 7.5W Qi2.2 USB-C 2.0

Charging is another area where the iPhone 17 pulls ahead. It supports 40W wired charging (50% in ~20 minutes), 25W MagSafe/Qi2 wireless charging, and even 4.5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 16e is limited to 20W wired (50% in 30 minutes) and 7.5W wireless, with no MagSafe magnets or reverse charging.

Specs Comparison

Here's a quick look at the iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16e specs:

iPhone 17	iPhone 16e
Size, weight 149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm 177 g	Size, weight 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm 167 g
Screen 6.3" OLED 120Hz ProMotion	Screen 6.1" OLED 60Hz
Processor Apple A19 3nm	Processor A18 Bionic 3nm
Versions: --- 8/256 GB 8/512 GB LPDDRX5	Versions: 8 /128 GB 8/ 256 GB 8/ 512 GB LPDDR5
Cameras: 48 MP main 48 MP ultra 18 MP front	Cameras: 48 MP main --- 12 MP front
Battery: ~3,600 mAh	Battery: 4,005 mAh
Charging: USB-C 40W wired 25W wireless via MagSafe	Charging: USB-C 20W wired 7.5W wireless, no MagSafe

Summary

The iPhone 16e is Apple’s most affordable modern iPhone, offering A18 performance, a solid main camera, and decent battery life for just $599. But it still has that sluggish 60Hz screen, only one rear camera, and slow charging.

The iPhone 17, on the other hand, finally feels like the base iPhone users have been waiting for years to arrive. With ProMotion, a brighter display, a versatile dual-camera system, faster charging, and longer battery life, it’s now a true flagship: all while keeping the same $799 price as last year’s iPhone 16.

For budget-conscious buyers, the iPhone 16e is a great choice and the best way into iOS. But if you want a modern iPhone experience without going Pro, the iPhone 17 will be the far better option.

We will be testing the new iPhone 17, pacing it through our camera, battery, display, and performance tests, so stay tuned for a more detailed comparison between these two.

View Full Bio

Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he's not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.

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