iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: which is the real bargain?

Apple has released the iPhone 16e, and with it a new era of entry-level smartphone options. It’s much more modern than the outgoing iPhone SE, but also much more expensive.

It’s been carefully constructed to be inferior to its brother the iPhone 16 in a number of ways, but what about the iPhone 15? Does the biggest challenge to the iPhone 16e’s whole value proposition come from a little further back in the iPhone’s family history?

We’ve spent a fair amount of time with these two phones at this point, and have rendered a full verdict on both. With the iPhone 15 review scoring a little higher, it’s fair to say that it made a bigger impression on us than the newer phone did in our iPhone 16e review.

But how about now? Does the iPhone 15 remain a better budget option than the iPhone 16e, or are the generational improvements of the latter worth handing over good money for?

Let’s take a closer look at how these two phones compare. By the end of this head-to-head, we guarantee that we’ll have a definitive winner for you.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: specs comparison

Before we discuss how these two phones compare, let’s take a look at their core specifications. As you can see, they’re quite closely matched on paper.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: price and availability

The iPhone 16e hit shelves on February 28, 2025. That’s a good 17 months on from the iPhone 15’s arrival on September 22, 2023.

Apple’s new entry point starts from just $599 / £599 / AU$999 for 128GB, moving up to $699 / £699 / AU$1,199 for 256GB. You can also opt for the range-topping 512GB variant for $899 / £899 / AU$1,549.

At launch, the iPhone 15 came with a starting price of $799 / £799 / AU$1,499 for 128GB of storage. Upgrading to 256GB would set you back $899 / £899 / AU$1,699 at the time, while the 512GB model came in at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,049.

Comparing launch prices, the iPhone 16e is clearly much cheaper. However, that launch price no longer applies. Apple still sells the iPhone 15 brand new, but at a lower starting price of $699 / £699 / AU$1,249 for 128GB. The 256GB model now costs $799 / £799 / AU$1,449, and the 512GB model costs $999 / £999 / AU$1,799.

In today’s money, then, the iPhone 15 is only $100 / £100 / AU$250 more expensive. Meanwhile third-party sellers are offering the iPhone 15 for even cheaper, and that’s not even mentioning the extensive refurb market.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: design

Apple has moved on from the dated designs of the iPhone SE era, and has adopted its current flat-edged look for the iPhone 16e. As a result, it looks a lot like the iPhone 15.

Measuring in at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm and weighing 167g, it’s only a fraction smaller and lighter than the iPhone 15, which is 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm and 171g.

Both are solidly constructed from an aluminum frame and Apple’s Ceramic Shield glass, and both benefit from IP68 dust and water resistance certification.

There are some design differences, however. While the iPhone 16e gets Apple’s latest Action Button, which can be mapped to whatever function you like, the iPhone 15 still has the old ring / silent mode switch.

That’s about the only clear advantage for the iPhone 16e, though, and some will prefer the tactile simplicity of the iPhone 15’s physical switch.

The iPhone 15, for its part, has Apple’s latest Dynamic Island feature, which replaces the ugly notch still paraded by the iPhone 16e.

Not only does the Dynamic Island look nicer and free up more screen space for content, it also comes with a clever little heads-up widget system that shows you timers, currently playing media and the like.

There’s another clear difference when you flip the two phones over. While the iPhone 15 displays two diagonally stacked camera modules, the iPhone 16e just has the one discrete unit.

Also notable is the greater range of colour options with the iPhone 15. It comes in Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink, as well as Black. The iPhone 16e, by contrast, only comes in Black or White.

All in all, there isn’t much at all between these two designs, but we’ll give the edge to the iPhone 15 for its Dynamic Island and superior colour options.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: display

It’s a similar case with the displays on these two phones. They’re broadly similar, but the iPhone 15 has the slight edge.

Both screens are 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panels with meagre 60Hz refresh rates (seriously Apple, sort it out). Thanks to the iPhone 15’s more compact Dynamic Island, however, it technically has a slightly sharper resolution.

We’re only talking 2556 x 1179 compared to 2532 x 1170, so you won’t notice the difference. The bigger repercussion is that you won’t notice the iPhone 15’s notch so much when playing full-screen media content.

The main advantage for the iPhone 15 screen over the iPhone 16e is brightness. While the newer phone hits a respectable 800 nits in high brightness mode and 1,200 nits in peak HDR conditions, the iPhone 15 can manage 1,000 nits and 2,000 nits respectively.

Still, both phones support True Tone, Wide color (P3), and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, so it’s hardly a night and day difference.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: cameras

We’ve already mentioned the simple numerical difference between these two camera systems. While both phones have 48MP f/1.6 main cameras, only the iPhone 15 gives you a 12MP ultra-wide as well.

This literally gives you a whole new perspective to play with, but the inclusion of a second sensor holds further benefits. It also grants the iPhone 15 greater depth perception, bolstering Portrait shots, though it doesn’t have the extra macro and Spatial capture capabilities of the next-gen iPhone 16.

iPhone 15 camera samples

But let’s back up a little, because even the iPhone 16e’s solitary 48MP main camera isn’t as good as the iPhone 15’s. It has a smaller sensor size for one thing (as evidenced by that smaller camera bump), so it scoops up less light.

It also has an inferior form of optical image stabilisation, with the iPhone 15 packing a more advanced sensor-shift OIS.

These two points combine to mean that the iPhone 15 takes superior shots, especially when the light starts to drop.

Not that we have many complaints about the iPhone 16e’s photo quality.

iPhone 16e camera samples

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Our reviewer found that it took “lovely photos with exquisite detail and the kind of color fidelity I appreciate (in people and skies especially) in a wide variety of scenarios”. It just isn’t up to the iPhone 15’s standard.

Both phones give you a 12MP f/1.9 front camera, with the vital addition of autofocus for super sharp selfies.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: performance and software

If there’s one area where the iPhone 16e demonstrates that it’s the fresher product, it’s when you consider raw performance. It runs on Apple’s very latest chip, the A18.

Sure, this is a ‘binned’ version of the chip, which means that it features one less GPU core (four to be precise) than the chip found in the rest of the iPhone 16 range. But it’s still more advanced and flat out faster than the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic chip, which already felt like it was from a previous generation at the time.

Don’t get us wrong, the iPhone 15 remains a highly capable chip. It continues to outperform the likes of the Pixel 9 Pro in benchmarking terms, and it’s more than capable of running high-end games and other advanced apps very fluidly.

It’s just that in a straight performance shootout with the iPhone 16e, it loses every round.

The iPhone 16e also runs on 8GB of RAM to the iPhone 15’s 6GB.

We should also mention the one truly unique part of the iPhone 16e package – its Apple-made C1 modem. As well as being more efficient than previous Qualcomm modems (like that of the iPhone 15), it enables satellite texting, which is useful for those no-signal scenarios.

Both phones run on Apple’s latest operating system, which at present means iOS 18. While the iPhone 16e will get updates for longer owing to its age, both of these phones will be supported for years to come.

However, the iPhone 16e also has one trump card in this department: Apple Intelligence. Implemented across Apple’s suite of apps, it lets you do things like generate original emoji (Genmoji), summarize messages in notifications, and remove unwanted background elements in Photos.

The iPhone 15 represents the cut off point for receiving Apple Intelligence, so it’s a win for the iPhone 16e, even if the feature doesn’t yet feel essential.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: battery life

Apple isn’t one to publish its battery sizes, but we know from third-party reporting that the iPhone 16e packs the larger cell.

It’s been reported that the iPhone 16e has a 3,961mAh battery, which is more than 18% larger than the iPhone 15’s 3,349mAh battery.

Combined with that more efficient processor and the new power-sipping C1 modem, the iPhone 16e boasts much better stamina.

Apple claims that the iPhone 16e can manage 26 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge compared to the iPhone 15’s 20 hours.

In our own practical testing, our reviewer called the iPhone 16e’s battery life “very good”, and awarded this aspect of the phone full marks. The same reviewer was less complementary about the iPhone 15’s stamina, awarding it 4 out of 5.

The iPhone 15 hits back when it comes to the charging provision. While both can hit 50% in 30 minutes using an appropriate wired USB-C charger, only the iPhone 15 supports 15W MagSafe (and indeed Qi2) wireless charging.

Apple inexplicably stripped this convenient provision from the iPhone 16e, meaning it can only manage non-magnetised 7.5W Qi charging. A shame.

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 15: verdict

With the iPhone 16e, Apple hasn’t so much updated its SE range as retired it and replaced it with something sleeker and more modern. It’s a very accomplished phone, no doubt.

However, in the process of giving us more of what we wanted, Apple has raised the price considerably. As a result, the iPhone 16e suddenly comes into range of a class of slightly older but more premium iPhones that can be found for similar money. Phones like the iPhone 15.

The uncomfortable fact for Apple is that the iPhone 15 is a better phone than the iPhone 16e in many of the ways that matter to people. It’s got a more colourful design; a brighter screen that’s unobstructed by an ugly notch; convenient MagSafe charging; and a much better, more flexible camera system.

The iPhone 16e wins a couple of battles of its own, most notably in the performance and battery life stakes. It also has access to Apple’s early experiments with AI, which are tentatively promising, as well as a versatile action button.

Ultimately, though, an iPhone 15 for similar or less money – whether brand new or in certified refurbished condition – is probably the better buy for most people right now.

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