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In many ways the iPhone 16e is astonishingly good, delivering superb speed, good battery life, the latest Apple Intelligence features, and an attractive design at an affordable price. And then you bump into the lack of MagSafe and the single rear camera lens.

Apple's iPhone 16e makes some trades to hit a lower price, but it makes a case for itself as the cheapest phone that will last the longest.

Going from the third-generation SE to the 16e is a big step up. But is it worth the money? Here's what you need to know.

Apple delivered its latest budget handset, the $599 iPhone 16e, without pomp. There was no big event in person, nor was there one online. No journalists

You may also have seen in Apple's comparison tool that the iPhone 16e lacks “DC-HSDPA,” even though it's available in its pricier siblings. This is a 3G carrier aggregation technology that isn't as common these days, since 3G networks are being deprecated, so it shouldn't be an issue.

The iPhone 16e is available to buy right now, with prices starting at $599 for the model with 128GB of internal storage, rising to $699 if you want to double that to 256GB. The 51