For Surfshark's Birthday, It's Giving You A Gift: 87% Off Its Top-Tier VPN
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.
Typically you don't get other people presents when it's your birthday, but Surfshark is anything but typical. Launched in April of 2018, the company is celebrating a lucky seven years in business with a deep discount on their VPN plans, with monthly service as low as $1.99. If you're not using a virtual private network, it's time to switch over. Not only do they provide protection from tracking and data collection, but they also let you camouflage your location to interact with region-restricted content. Surfshark is one of our favorite options, and at this price, it's a no-brainer.
Surfshark offers three tiers of service, all of which are discounted during the birthday sale. Surfshark Starter is the baseline package at $1.99 a month (typically $4.98) when you commit to a two-year subscription, with unlimited VPN access as well as the company's Alternative ID, which lets you create a false identity that obscures your personal information like age, location and email address. You can also add an Alternative Number for a burner phone to avoid spam and scam calls.
The mid-range offering, Surfshark One, gives you all of the above plus Surfshark's in-house antivirus software to make sure you don't pick up anything sketchy while you're browsing anonymously, as well as the ability to send you alerts when your personal information is discovered in data breaches. That plan costs $2.49 a month on sale (typically $14.99), again with a 24 month commitment.
Finally, the highest-end personal plan is Surfshark One+, which adds data removal by Incogni. That allows you to selectively purge the information that companies are holding about you from their databases on request, as well as allowing you to remove your personal info from those annoying "people search" sites. Surfshark One+ costs $3.99 a month with a 24 month commitment (typically $20.65). All three of these offers also give you three free months of whichever service you pick.
In our review of Surfshark's VPN service, our experts said that it delivered on everything we want from a VPN: "unlimited device connections, tons of servers around the globe, speedy downloads, and excellent mobile apps." We were most impressed by the fact that the company maintains servers in over 100 countries for diverse location spoofing, as well as faster connection to your true location. Our only caveat was the subscription price, but this sale solves that problem.
Don't think you need a VPN? You might be surprised. We wrote an extensive guide on choosing a virtual private network and the many benefits they have.
Surfshark VPN for $1.99 Per Month + 3 Months Free (87% Off 2 Years Starter Plan)
Norton VPN Standard for $3.33 Per Month for 5 Devices (50% Off 1 Year Plan)
NordVPN for $3.99 Per Month + 3 Months Free (73% Off 2 Years Plus Plan)
ExpressVPN for $4.99 Per Month + 4 Months Free (61% Off 2 Years Plan)
Looking to save even more online with your new VPN? Our deals page is the pro click.
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Tom's Guide
10 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
We asked cybersecurity experts to build a privacy toolbox for $10 per month – here's what they came up with, and more
Our online data is being collected all day, every day. Whether it's browsing the web, watching our favorite shows, or online shopping, everything we do online can be tracked, used to push ads, sold on, or even used to scam us. This all sounds very doom and gloom, but there are actions you can take to protect your personal information. For the Tom's Guide VPN team, the best VPNs are always our first port of call for digital security, but they are just one piece of the privacy puzzle. VPNs, the best antivirus software, the best password managers, secure browsers, authenticators, the best encrypted messaging apps, and data removal services can all be used to take back control of your data. You could spend hundreds of dollars on tools like these, but you don't have to. So we asked the Tom's Guide VPN and Security teams to build a collection of privacy bundles for all eventualities – here's what they came up with. NordVPN Plus: get a $20 Amazon gift card + 4 months freeNordVPN is our #1 VPN. It's fast, secure, private, and great for streaming. What you'll get... • Protection for up to 10 devices• Speeds of 950 Mbps+• Streaming service unblocking• Post-quantum encryption• Threat Protection Pro• NordPass password manager• 30-day money-back guarantee• $20 Amazon gift card (for a limited time only)• 28 months protection for $3.76 per month ($105.36 up front pre-tax) Every tool we recommend here is reputable and will protect your data – that's for sure. But not every product will be right for you. We've therefore tried to include a range of different products, at different prices, allowing you to decide what's best for you. No matter what privacy bundle you want to create, a VPN is a must have in all of them. VPNs protect your privacy online by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel. Your data is kept safe from hackers, third-parties, and your ISP and the most private VPNs will never log, store, or share your browsing data. Many leading VPNs include password managers and antivirus in their plans, so it's worth comparing all the features offered and see which plan is right for you. VPNs aren't a silver bullet – but they're a perfect first step into improving your online privacy. They also don't have to cost the world, and I think most people will find at least occasional use for one. Our top picks: NordVPN: from $2.91 per month. Our top-rated VPN. A great all-purpose option with lots of added extras. Surfshark: from $1.99 per month. An excellent bargain alternative that also offers antivirus as an add-on. ExpressVPN: from $4.99 per month. More expensive, but includes a huge amount of privacy extras for no extra cost. Scams and threats from hackers are unfortunately commonplace on the internet – but antivirus software acts as a powerful shield against these dangers. The software can scan your device and its files for malware, warn you about suspicious links, block sites, and detect data leaks. It can't protect you if you give away your information but it'll do its utmost to warn you before that happens. If you weren't already aware, the computing world is full of potential threats: malware, infostealers, ransomware, phishing attacks and more. Whether you don't know what any of that means, don't want to deal with it or want to make sure you have the best protection against all of it, you're going to need an effective antivirus software. Our top picks: Bitdefender Total Security: from $4.17 per month. Effective, real-time, malware and phishing protection. It can scan your system and is easy-to-use. Norton 360 Deluxe: from $4.17 per month. Security giant with a feature-rich offering, including a decent VPN. Malwarebytes Plus: from $2.81 per month A cheap, light, alternative for those looking for basic malware protection without the fuss. Weak and re-used passwords are a significant reason people get hacked – 123456 is currently the world's most popular password. You might struggle remembering multiple passwords but a password manager takes all the hassle out of account security. Password managers generate and store secure, complex passwords so you never have to worry about passwords again. From email to Netflix, bank accounts to fitness devices, smart home cameras to social media accounts, everything needs a password – a strong, unique password. And to keep them all safe, secure and easy to access your best bet is to use a password manager. Our top picks: 1Password: $4.99 per month. Total password protection which includes Travel Mode, security monitoring, and 2FA and passkey support. Bitwarden: Free. Sync an unlimited number of passwords with this completely free service. Premium plans with more features are also available. NordPass: from $1.29 per month ($3.76 per month w/ NordVPN Plus). Easy-to-use, mobile friendly app from the NordVPN team. Great features, including biometric support. Google Chrome dominates the browser market, but it's a privacy nightmare, riddled with trackers and it simply loves your data. There are alternatives that don't collect your data, block ads and trackers, and are way more privacy-focused. Browsers vary in their speed, features, and usability but there will be a Chrome-alternative for everyone. A chunk of secure browsers utilise Chromium (what Google Chrome is built on) so you'll find these more familiar and easy-to-use if you enjoy Chrome's design. Many also come with in-built ad-blockers, VPNs, and password managers – plus a lot of them are free. Break free from Google Chrome with a secure browser. You'll say goodbye to cookies, trackers, and ads whilst maintaining the sleek design you're familiar with – they're really customizable too. Our top picks: Brave: Free. Based on Chrome, but is privacy-focused and dedicated to ad and tracker blocking. Vivaldi: Free. Hugely customizable to suit any need, and has partnered with Proton VPN. Tor: Free. A secure browser veteran, whose decentralized networks takes you into the world of anonymity. Your data isn't just at risk when browsing the web – it's when you message too. WhatsApp, iMessage, and Messenger are three of the most popular apps, but none of them protect your privacy. WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, so your message content can't be seen, but it collects and shares your metadata and has recently introduced ads into its app. Secure messaging apps encrypt your messages, collect little to no metadata, and some don't even require a phone number to use. Like secure browsers, encrypted messaging apps are the perfect way to break free from the status quo and reclaim control of your data. They're easy to use, boast strong privacy and security, and many are free. Our top picks: Signal: Free. A popular, open-source, app that keeps little to no metadata. A phone number is required though. Session: Free. Highly private, Signal-based app which operates a decentralized network and requires no phone number. But it can be a little buggy. Threema: $6 one-off payment. An open-source and audited messaging service which doesn't require a phone number. A one-off payment of $6 is its biggest downside. Fed up with spam calls and emails? Then you might want to explore data removal services. These tools search the records of data brokers for your information and send removal requests on your behalf. Brokers then have to delete records of your data and you should see a reduction in spam over time. Combining a data removal service with other privacy tools mentioned here should mean there is less of your data available to profit off. Data removal services can be purchased on their own, but they are included in some premium VPN plans. Clicking "Accept" on cookies is often the easy way out. However, this lets data brokers build up a huge amount of data on you. You can certainly send deletion requests yourself, but using a data removal tool to automate that job is well worth the time and hassle it saves. Our top picks: Incogni: from $8.29 per month ($3.99 per month w/ Surfshark One+). Developed by the team behind Surfshark, Incogni is a affordable and effective – and one of the few to cover the UK, Canada, and Australia. Optery: from $3.99 per month (but free basic plan available). Provides tons of detail and what information it has helped delete, but only covers the US. PrivacyBee: from $8 per month. With over 850 data brokers on its books, Privacy Bee has the widest reach – but again, it's US-only. Protecting yourself online doesn't have to break the bank. This is the best privacy toolbox for (well) under $10 per month. Total Cost = $3.99 per month The best cheap VPN is Surfshark. Surfshark One+ is just under $4 per month and you'll get the fastest VPN on the market, which doubles as the best streaming VPN, protection for an unlimited number of devices, and high-level security and privacy. Surfshark One+ includes its own award-winning antivirus which can scan your device, protect your webcam, monitor for data leaks, and offers real-time protection. You'll also get a full Incogni subscription – saving you a chunk of cash. The data removal service will scan data brokers for your data and send out deletion requests on your behalf. There's no password manager with Surfshark, but Bitwarden offers a truly free unlimited version of its services that allow you to sync as many passwords as you want. The free, open source tier is very secure and provides useful included features like autofilling, secure-note storage and sharing. It has browser extensions for popular, and lesser used, browsers and apps for desktop and mobile. You'll also get secure cloud storage, two-factor authentication and health reports to alert you to weak, or exposed, passwords. Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox are all free, so the secure browser is up to you. They're designed with privacy in mind and come with some great additional features. You'll be able to block ads, trackers, and cookies, allowing you and your data to break free from the clutches of Google Chrome. Almost all the best encrypted messaging apps are free. Signal is our favorite and it's very popular, open-source, messenger service. Session and Wire are some other free encrypted messaging apps. Your best bet is to try them all out and see which one you like best. If you want a best-in-class privacy toolbox, then you won't go far wrong with these products. For your VPN, we'd recommend NordVPN. It's the best overall VPN, fast, secure, and unblocked all the streaming sites we tested it with. You can protect up to 10 devices on one plan and its extra features include Threat Protection Pro, the NordPass password manager, and encrypted cloud storage. Total Cost = $21.21 per month Two-year NordVPN plans, covering NordVPN Plus and above, are currently on offer, in one of NordVPN's best ever deals. Plans come with free Amazon gift cards – between $20-$50 – as well as four extra months of free protection. Threat Protection Pro is a threat protection feature, not an antivirus. It's the best VPN malware protection and is great to have, but we'd still recommend a dedicated antivirus. NordPass is one of the best password managers and if you just want password generation, storage, and 2FA, this will do the job – but it's not "the best." Bitdefender has made the top of our antivirus software picks because of its great value, quality real-time protection against malware and threats. Its quick and custom scans learn your computer's file structure and the Advanced Threat Detection can monitor your system for suspicious activity in real-time to stop infections before they occur. The interface is clear and efficient to use, there's a firewall, and webcam protection. You'll also get a free VPN and a secure browser, but you'll likely want alternatives to these. If you want more than NordPass, 1Password is our top choice. It's accessible on a variety of platforms and has a Travel Mode feature that can hide your passwords at international borders. The "masked" email addresses feature is a privacy bonus and there's autofill and passkey support. Security monitoring tools will list weak or reused passwords, and alert you about unsecured or breached websites and logins. 2FA, mobile app PIN unlock, and biometric login are also present. Secure browsers are more of a personal preference. Your browser of choice depends on speed preference, how much customisation you want, and whether you like the Chromium design. Brave and Vivaldi are two great privacy-focused choices. Brave has in-built ad, tracker, and fingerprint blocking and its Chromium design is compatible with most sites. Vivaldi is a little slower, but is far more customisable and comes with email and calendar features – as well as Proton VPN Free built-in. Both are free and will protect your privacy far better than Google Chrome. For a data removal service, it's Incogni. Incogni is very easy to use and comes included with the NordVPN Ultra and Surfshark One+ plans. It's cheaper than a lot of alternatives, but the range of data brokers isn't huge. Incogni is also unavailable outside of the UK, US, Canada, EU and EEA areas, and the Isle of Man. Signal is the best encrypted messaging app out there. It's free to use, end-to-end encrypted, open source, and records a very limited number of metadata. Signal is the most popular WhatsApp alternative, but you do have to sign up with a phone number. All of these products will protect your online privacy, but in this bundle we'll detail some tools that have the highest levels of privacy – and even some that delve into the world of anonymity. Total Cost = $21.27 per month Mullvad VPN is one of the most private VPNs available. Mullvad is a no-logging VPN and its privacy policy goes into specific detail of the types of data it collects and for what purpose. Mullvad VPN is open source so you can examine it for yourself and it protects your data with post-quantum encryption. You can even pay for Mullvad in cash and its €5 per month price (approx $5.82) never changes. Mullvad also launched its own secure browser. Proton Pass is an encrypted password manager and Proton makes privacy its mission. It uses AES-256 encryption and is open source. It's zero-knowledge, so only you can see your passwords and it supports biometric logins. There's 2FA, passkey support, and account recovery capabilities. Tor is a decentralized network, run by volunteers, that focuses on anonymity and privacy. The Tor Browser routes your traffic through three relays before connecting to the internet. The website, and anyone watching, will see a connection from Tor and not your IP address. There's no browsing history and cookies are only valid for one session. Fingerprinting is prevented as all users look the same and your traffic is encrypted at each relay. Because of the relays, Tor is a much slower browser than others, so you may find it harder to use on a day-to-day basis. For messaging apps, we're going with Session. It's based on Signal but has more privacy-focused features. You don't need an email or phone number to sign up – instead you get a random Session ID. Like Tor, it's decentralized and your messages are end-to-end encrypted. Almost no metadata is collected and it's been audited. Session isn't as popular as Signal, and there have been reports of bugs. But as an app, it's the most private. It's a little trickier to recommend truly private antivirus software and data removal services. Incogni was developed by the team behind Surfshark so there is an element of data privacy to its offerings. It has fewer partners than its competitors and its privacy policy is clear about how it uses your data. It also doesn't sell your personal data. However, it shares data with the likes of Google Analytics and does need your details to operate its service. Norton 360 Deluxe is not only an excellent antivirus, it boasts some handy privacy features too. You can monitor the dark web for names, your social security number, or email. It can't compete with the market leaders, but Norton's VPN is solid and has had its no-logs policy audited. If you want any privacy issues fixing automatically, you'll need to pay $109.99 per year for Norton's Privacy Monitor Assistant add-on – and that's quite a considerable downside. It's not just your desktop that requires privacy protection, it's your mobile too. NordVPN has great iPhone and Android apps. They might be a little complex for absolute beginners, but if you're familiar with VPNs then you shouldn't have any trouble. NordPass is the best password manager for mobile. It's intuitive, simple, and is included with all NordVPN plans except NordVPN Basic. Total Cost = $5.01 per month Bitdefender Mobile Security offers its top-tier antivirus in mobile form, for both Android and iPhone. It's fairly cheap and has a tonne of security features. One of which is app lock which can turn off apps that may pose a security risk. Again, secure browsers are a personal preference. Although I use Brave on my laptop, I prefer Vivaldi on my phone. I enjoy Vivaldi's UI a little more and its customization options mean I can set it up exactly how I want it. There are no mobile apps for data removal services, so we haven't recommended one for this bundle. You may not want to subscribe to or purchase a wide range of apps. So if you're after convenience, consider Proton Unlimited. Total Cost = $9.99 per month For $9.99 per month, you'll get Proton VPN, Proton Pass, Proton Drive, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, and Proton Wallet. Everything is end-to-end encrypted and the interconnected ecosystem works seamlessly and is perfect for breaking away from Google. Antivirus isn't offered, so you would need to purchase that separately. Proton VPN does include NetShield but this is a threat protection and isn't quite as good as others offered by VPN providers. Vivaldi has partnered with Proton to include Proton VPN Free as an extension. It's one of the best free VPNs available and will slot nicely into your Proton arsenal.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Long Will It Take Your iPhone to Fully Charge? iOS 26 Will Tell You
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. We got a first look at iOS 26 on Monday. And since all the attention has been on the Liquid Glass UI, some interesting updates to Battery Settings went largely unnoticed. As MacRumors reports, Apple redesigned the Battery Settings page in iOS 26 to offer improved battery usage statistics and a new feature to extend battery life. Now, when you enter Battery Settings, you are no longer greeted with options to enable Battery Percentage and Low Power Mode. You'll instead see your current battery percentage at the top. If you have plugged in your iPhone to charge, the same menu will show the time required to charge your battery to full. Based on the images shared by MacRumors, the screen auto-lock feature has also shifted from Display & Brightness to Battery. Next are battery usage statistics. In a move away from iOS 18, Apple will now display weekly numbers instead of 24-hour and 10-day numbers. At first glance, the chart looks similar to what you see on Instagram. You can also tap on each of the previous seven days to see how much battery was consumed each day, MacRumors says. The daily stat will show when you charged your iPhone and for how long. Apple has retained the Battery Health section, which displays information about your charge cycles, maximum battery capacity, and optimized charging limit. However, it has introduced a 'Power Mode' section, which houses the Low Power Mode setting previously located on the front page and a new Adaptive Power Mode. When enabled, Adaptive Power Mode will let your iPhone make subtle performance adjustments to extend battery life, such as reducing screen brightness or slowing down some activities. Android's Adaptive Battery feature pretty much does the same thing. All of iOS 26's features will be made available to developers this week. If you are eager to check out the features, you can install a public beta next month or wait for a stable release this fall.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Apple iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 16e: How Much of a Difference Does $200 Make?
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. The iPhone 16e starts at $599 and comes with 128GB of storage. The 256GB model costs $699, and the 512GB version is $899. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 offers the same three storage options but at $799, $899, and $1,099, respectively. If it's just dollars and cents, the iPhone 16e comes out on top. Winner: iPhone 16e Both the iPhone 16e and 16 feature similar designs with flat metal sides, flat glass panels, and rounded corners. The iPhone 16e measures 5.78 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and 5.88 ounces, which makes it a little shorter and lighter than the iPhone 16 (5.81 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches, 6.0 ounces). The iPhone 16e brings back the notch at the top of the screen, first seen on the iPhone X, while the 16 has the newer Dynamic Island at the top of its screen. Both phones rely on FaceID for biometric authentication. As for colors, the iPhone 16e comes in only Black or White. The iPhone 16 comes in Black, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine (lavender), or White. If you prefer a splash of color, you know which to pick. Both devices have the same IP68 rating for protection against dust and water. Each has an aluminum frame. The 16e has a last-generation Ceramic Shield front panel but an unspecified type of glass on the back. The iPhone 16 has a newer version of Ceramic Shield on the front, which should offer slightly more break and scratch protection. Thanks to its Dynamic Island, better glass, and larger color palate, the iPhone 16 wins this round. Winner: iPhone 16 Both devices use a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, but their resolutions differ ever so slightly. The iPhone 16e has a resolution of 2,532 by 1,170 pixels, while the 16 has 2,556 by 1,179 pixels. Despite the minor difference in the number of pixels, Apple says both have the same density of 460 pixels per inch for essentially the same viewing experience. The iPhone 16's typical brightness is 1,000 nits, and it peaks at 2,000 nits outdoors. The iPhone 16e is a little dimmer, with a typical brightness of 800 nits and a peak of 1,200 nits. The 16e screen is still easy to see in most lighting conditions, but when held side-by-side, the 16's screen is clearly brighter. Considering how similar the displays are otherwise, the iPhone 16's brighter panel sets it apart. Winner: iPhone 16 The iPhone 16 and 16e both use a version of Apple's A18 processor, though they are slightly different. The iPhone 16's A18 processor features a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores, a 16-core Neural Engine, and a five-core GPU. The 16e, meanwhile, has a four-core GPU, so it's down a single core from the iPhone 16. Early reports suggest the 16e has the same 8GB of RAM as the 16, but Apple hasn't confirmed that. Both devices run iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence and can process AI tasks both on-device and in the cloud. All of Apple's current Intelligence features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, and Writing Tools, are available on the 16e. Siri is the Apple Intelligence sore point across all iOS devices, and Apple's feet are in the fire. In everyday use, the two phones act and feel the same. Neither feels quicker than the other. Using benchmarks to put some numbers behind their performance, we found the 16e actually bests the 16 on a CPU test like Geekbench but falls slightly behind on tests like GFXBench and 3DMark. The 16's extra GPU core helps it edge out the 16e on these graphics tests. The iPhone 16e is the first device with an Apple-designed modem, the C1. The company claims this is the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone and is 25% more power-efficient than the modem of the iPhone 15. The C1 supports all the low- and mid-band 5G spectrum used by US carriers but doesn't support the ultra-fast mmWave signals that the 16 does. In testing, it holds up. The C1 kept a voice call connected during a 20-minute drive and delivered some of the fastest download speeds we've seen on AT&T's network. As for other radios, the iPhone 16 has Wi-Fi 7 and an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip for precise location tracking, while the 16e has Wi-Fi 6 and no UWB chip. Battery life is perhaps the biggest differentiator here. Apple says the iPhone 16e has a new internal design, which allows it to give the device a bigger battery. Moreover, the C1 modem was designed with efficiency in mind. Taken together, Apple claims the iPhone 16e can run for up to 26 hours when viewing video—longer than any other iPhone with a 6.1-inch screen. In our battery drain test, the 16e outlasted the 16 by nearly four hours (21 hours and 37 minutes compared with 17 hours and 50 minutes). Winner: Tie The iPhone 16e supports standard Qi wireless charging at 7.5W. Puzzlingly, it is not compatible with Apple's MagSafe charger or MagSafe accessories. If you want MagSafe, you'll have to go with the standard iPhone 16. Moreover, the 16 charges more than three times as fast wirelessly at 25W. Wired charging speeds are on even footing. With a 20W brick, the 16e and 16 need 69 and 66 minutes, respectively, to charge fully. Once both phones are updated to iOS 26 later this year, they'll tell you how long for a full charge. Winner: iPhone 16 The iPhone 16e has a 48MP Fusion camera on the rear, while the iPhone 16 has a 48MP Fusion camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The 16 can shoot macro photos and spatial photos for the Apple Vision Pro, but the 16e cannot do either. The 16 supports 0.5x, 1x, and 2x optical zoom, while the 16e is limited to 1x and 3x. Both support 10x digital zoom. The 12MP TrueDepth selfie cameras of the iPhone 16e and 16 are the same, and both have access to the A18's image signal processor. The 16 features Cinematic mode with up to 4K30 video capture and focus and depth control in portrait mode. The 16e does not have the Cinematic mode and can control depth only in portrait mode. Otherwise, they are the same spec for spec. The iPhone 16 has more advanced video capture tools. It has a Cinematic mode with shallow depth of field and Dolby Vision, Action mode, spatial video recording, and macro video recording. None of these options are available with the iPhone 16e. However, they both can shoot up to 4K video at 60 frames per second (fps) and 1080p slo-mo video at 120fps or 240fps. The touch-sensitive Camera Control is available on every iPhone 16 except the 16e. The iPhone 16e takes fine photos, but the 16 is just more versatile. Winner: iPhone 16 Based on our reviews and how the two phones perform, these are our buying recommendations: If you're looking for the lowest-cost entry point into the iPhone ecosystem, great battery life, and Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16e is the way to go. If "mostly the basics" are all that matter to you and you don't mind the notch or limited color palette, you'll be more than happy with what the iPhone 16e offers. If you want more advanced photography and videography features, the iPhone 16 is the better option. If you prefer to have extras like MagSafe compatibility, faster mmWave 5G, faster Wi-Fi 7, and Apple's Dynamic Island, you should get the iPhone 16. Interested in a different iPhone? See how the rest of the iPhone 16 family stacks up.