It's been almost three years since Apple last released an "entry-level" handset.

At the time, although I was impressed with its performance, aesthetically the design was an out-and-out throwback to a much earlier era of iPhones; the ones with small screens sandwiched between two inexplicably large blank spaces top and bottom - and yes, although by then the "Home Button" was long gone on the iPhone flagships, the SE still had one. How quaint.

And the camera? Well. Enough said,

Still, at just NZ$799.00 it was a pretty cheap iPhone.

Well, finally there's a new pretty cheap iPhone. It's not AS cheap. But it's way prettier.

The Apple iPhone 16e doesn't look, feel or behave anything like previous SE models which is presumably why Apple didn't call it the next generation iPhone SE.

And after using the 16e for a week or so, I can certainly understand why they were determined to make it clear this new device is a legitimate member of the iPhone 16 family.

Holding it and looking at it front-on, there's very little to distinguish it from the base-model iPhone 16. The 6.1-inch super retina display is the same size and it's protected by the same Ceramic Shield that makes all modern iPhones so hard to destroy.

When you turn the iPhone 16 on you'll notice there's a notch at the top of the display which has morphed into the slightly less-intrusive "Dynamic Island" on the other late-model flagships. While it has its uses, I'm betting the vast majority of iPhone owners consider the Dynamic Island a nice-to-have rather than a must-have - that's if they even know what it is. So no great loss there.

Just like its more expensive siblings, the 16e has an Action Button, the programmable shortcut that can launch your favourite app, set the phone to silent or call your mum. It doesn't have the Camera Control shortcut sensor all the other 16-series devices have, so you'll have to zoom and change filters the old-fashioned way.

Which brings us to the most obvious compromise on this handset, the camera itself. 

You won't find too many single-lens shooters on today's smartphone shelves which is why Apple has labelled this one a Fusion camera. To be fair, somehow they have managed to integrate 2x optical telephoto zooming abilities into this 48MP sensor, so it does indeed behave a bit like "two cameras in one."

To prove it, here's a shot of the view outside my window. Admittedly, it'd be better if it was Ultra-Wide, but that's definitely off the table here...

Pretty much what you'd expect from any iPhone; natural colours, excellent light-and-shade balance - especially on the tree in the foreground.

Now let's zoom...

This is the some shot at 7x zoom. Despite a generous helping of digital assistance, the row of houses about 1km away looks pretty damn clear to me.

You can still shoot in Portrait mode, although you have to switch to it manually in the camera app. Those of you lucky enough to own a recent iPhone flagship will know you can just press the little f symbol to achieve the same bokeh effect as I have here with doggo in the back seat.

So no little f... what a tragedy.

Look, I get it. If you're super fussy about your photos, this probably isn't the iPhone for you. And as far as video goes, I'm afraid I have to tell you, the 16e does 4K in Dolby Vision.

Wait...

What?

Yes, as you'll see in my video at the bottom, only true video aficionados are really going to care too much about any shortfalls here.

But what about Apple Intelligence and all its cool tricks? Image Playground? Genmojis? Clean Up for your photos?

Not to worry. As a genuine member of the iPhone 16 clan, the 16e even has the same generation of chip; the A18. In fact, the 16e has something the other 16s don't; Apple's in-house C1 cellular modem. This means more efficient mobile data and Wi-Fi connectivity on top of the already speedy A18 CPU - that all adds up to some very welcome battery life statistics.

You may also be surprised to hear the 16e can charge wirelessly too, although it isn't MagSafe compatible so if you have invested heavily in magnetic chargers and accessories, you'll also need to invest in a 3rd-party MagSafe-friendly case.

When I first saw the iPhone 16e's specs, I thought it was too good to be true. Practically nobody is going to spend an extra $400 just to get MagSafe or Dynamic Island. Sure, there's just no way the camera setup can physically compete with the iPhone 16, Plus, Pro and Pro Max. But it's certainly not bad.

And I guess that's why this isn't really a "budget" option. Remember how I said 2022's iPhone SE was only NZ$799.00? The 16e starts at NZ$1199.00. In saying that, there's no longer a 64GB version, so the gap closes pretty quickly when you start at 128GB.

I think the iPhone 16e is worth every penny, and then some. It's fast, it's durable, it has excellent battery life and a fabulous display. If you're not a professional photographer, this is the mid-range phone I'd be considering right now.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 16e.