Apple announces new budget-friendly iPhone 16e

After months of speculation surrounding the next instalment of the iPhone SE series, Apple surprised us overnight with the announcement of the new iPhone 16e. Promising similar performance to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus but with even better battery life, the iPhone 16e effectively replaces the iPhone SE (which, along with the iPhone 14 series, is no longer available on Apple's website) but it comes in at a slightly higher price.

Here's how much the iPhone 16e will cost in Singapore:

iPhone 16e 128GB: $949
iPhone 16e 256GB: $1,099
iPhone 16e 512GB: $1,399

For reference, that's $270 more than the current-generation iPhone SE, but still $350 less than the starting price of the regular iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16e releases on Friday, February 28, with plans available through Singtel, Starhub and M1.

Here are some of the most popular plans for each storage model.

iPhone 16e 128GB

#1	StarHub	StarHub Medium 5G SIM Only 150GB data StarHub 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 1000 Minutes 500 Messages Deal: $50 off for this Phone + $150 off Apple Watch S10 + $50 off Apple Watch Ultra2 $59.45 Min. cost $920.80 Go	$59.45 (plan + phone) Min. cost $920.80	Go
#2	Singtel	Singtel XS Phone Plan 5G+ 30GB data Singtel 5G network Contract (24 mths) 100 Minutes 100 Messages Deal: Enjoy up to $655 OFF this device on XO Plus plan $62/mth + $305 Upfront Min. cost $1,793 Go	$62/mth + $305 Upfront Min. cost $1,793	Go
#3	M1	M1 50GB Bespoke Contract 50GB data M1 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 300 Messages Deal: $100 off any device on new this Bespoke Contract Plan for new sign ups + $30 off any phones on Bespoke Contract plan + $350 bonus cash for your trade in $62.95/mth + $143 Upfront Min. cost $1,653.80 Go	$62.95/mth + $143 Upfront Min. cost $1,653.80	Go
#4	StarHub	StarHub Large 5G SIM Only 200GB data StarHub 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 1500 Minutes 700 Messages Deal: $50 off for this Phone + $150 off Apple Watch S10 + $50 off Apple Watch Ultra2 $69.45 Min. cost $930.80 Go	$69.45 (plan + phone) Min. cost $930.80	Go
#5	Singtel	Singtel Lite SIM Only 5G+ 60GB data Singtel 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 400 Minutes 400 Messages Deal: $30 cashback with this device exclusively online $69.54 + $10.70 Upfront Min. cost $989.66 Go	$69.54 (plan + phone) + $10.70 Upfront Min. cost $989.66	Go
#6	M1	M1 Bespoke Flexi 5G 350GB 350GB data M1 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 500 Minutes 100 Messages Deal: $100 off any device on new Bespoke Flexi + $30 off any phones on Bespoke Flexi plan $72.95 Min. cost $831.95 Go	$72.95 (plan + phone) Min. cost $831.95	Go

iPhone 16e 256GB

#1	Singtel	Singtel XS Phone Plan 5G+ 30GB data Singtel 5G network Contract (24 mths) 100 Minutes 100 Messages Deal: Enjoy up to $655 OFF this device on XO Plus plan $62/mth + $445 Upfront Min. cost $1,933 Go	$62/mth + $445 Upfront Min. cost $1,933	Go
#2	M1	M1 50GB Bespoke Contract 50GB data M1 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 300 Messages Deal: $100 off any device on new this Bespoke Contract Plan for new sign ups + $30 off any phones on Bespoke Contract plan + $350 bonus cash for your trade in $62.95/mth + $280 Upfront Min. cost $1,790.80 Go	$62.95/mth + $280 Upfront Min. cost $1,790.80	Go
#3	StarHub	StarHub Medium 5G SIM Only 150GB data StarHub 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 1000 Minutes 500 Messages Deal: $50 off for this Phone + $150 off Apple Watch S10 + $50 off Apple Watch Ultra2 $65.70 Min. cost $1,070.80 Go	$65.70 (plan + phone) Min. cost $1,070.80	Go
#4	StarHub	StarHub 5G Small 2-year Device Plan 200GB data StarHub 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 200 Messages Deal: $228 off for new lines and port-ins + Clear Case worth $38 & 25W wired travel adapter worth $59 $75/mth + $215 Upfront Min. cost $2,015 Go	$75/mth + $215 Upfront Min. cost $2,015	Go
#5	StarHub	StarHub Large 5G SIM Only 200GB data StarHub 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 1500 Minutes 700 Messages Deal: $50 off for this Phone + $150 off Apple Watch S10 + $50 off Apple Watch Ultra2 $75.70 Min. cost $1,080.80 Go	$75.70 (plan + phone) Min. cost $1,080.80	Go
#6	Singtel	Singtel Lite SIM Only 5G+ 60GB data Singtel 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 400 Minutes 400 Messages Deal: $30 cashback with this device exclusively online $75.79 + $10.70 Upfront Min. cost $1,139.66 Go	$75.79 (plan + phone) + $10.70 Upfront Min. cost $1,139.66	Go

iPhone 16e 512GB

#1	Singtel	Singtel XS Phone Plan 5G+ 30GB data Singtel 5G network Contract (24 mths) 100 Minutes 100 Messages Deal: Enjoy up to $655 OFF this device on XO Plus plan $62/mth + $715 Upfront Min. cost $2,203 Go	$62/mth + $715 Upfront Min. cost $2,203	Go
#2	M1	M1 50GB Bespoke Contract 50GB data M1 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 300 Messages Deal: $100 off any device on new this Bespoke Contract Plan for new sign ups + $30 off any phones on Bespoke Contract plan + $350 bonus cash for your trade in $62.95/mth + $423 Upfront Min. cost $1,933.80 Go	$62.95/mth + $423 Upfront Min. cost $1,933.80	Go
#3	StarHub	StarHub 5G Small 2-year Device Plan 200GB data StarHub 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 200 Messages Deal: $228 off for new lines and port-ins + Clear Case worth $38 & 25W wired travel adapter worth $59 $75/mth + $488 Upfront Min. cost $2,288 Go	$75/mth + $488 Upfront Min. cost $2,288	Go
#4	Singtel	Singtel S Phone Plan 5G+ 100GB data Singtel 5G network Contract (24 mths) 300 Minutes 300 Messages Deal: Enjoy up to $655 OFF this device on XO Plus plan $78/mth + $575 Upfront Min. cost $2,447 Go	$78/mth + $575 Upfront Min. cost $2,447	Go
#5	StarHub	StarHub Medium 5G SIM Only 150GB data StarHub 5G network Device Payments (24 mths) 1000 Minutes 500 Messages Deal: $50 off for this Phone + $150 off Apple Watch S10 + $50 off Apple Watch Ultra2 $78.20 Min. cost $1,370.80 Go	$78.20 (plan + phone) Min. cost $1,370.80	Go
#6	M1	M1 200GB Bespoke Contract 200GB data M1 5G network Contract (24 mths) 400 Minutes 400 Messages Deal: $200 off any device on new this Bespoke Contract Plan for new sign ups + $30 off any phones on Bespoke Contract plan + $350 bonus cash for your trade in $79.95/mth + $294 Upfront Min. cost $2,212.80 Go	$79.95/mth + $294 Upfront Min. cost $2,212.80	Go

Although it bears the iPhone 16 moniker, in terms of design, the iPhone 16e has a few noticeable omissions that bring it closer in appearance to the iPhone 14 and 15. There's no camera control button, only one camera (a 48MP Fusion camera with integrated telephoto lens), and instead of the Dynamic Island found on the iPhone 14 Pro and up, the iPhone 16e has a notched display. It will be available in two colours: black and white.

Like the rest of the iPhone 16 family, the 16e is built for Apple Intelligence and shares a similar A18 chip found on its pricier siblings. It also sports a new addition found on no other iPhone, which is Apple's C1 cellular modem. Designed in-house, it claims to significantly improve battery life, with the 16e rated for up to 26 hours of video playback, compared to 22 hours in the base iPhone 16.