Apple iPhone 16E Specs vs. iPhone 15 Pro: New Entry-Level or Last Year's Pro
One of the biggest selling points of Apple's $599 iPhone 16E is that it offers excellent bang for the buck. It is Apple's most affordable iPhone, but it still has many of the same features as the $799 iPhone 16, such as the latest A18 chip and Apple Intelligence, which introduces generative emoji, smarter notifications and, eventually, an improved Siri.
Watch this: iPhone 16E Review
07:20
Yet, it might be worth looking at the company's older iPhones, such as the iPhone 15 Pro. It might not be as cheap as the iPhone 16E, but it has much better features, such as a nicer camera and better charging capabilities. Those extra features might be worth the higher price. Plus, you can potentially get it at a lower price than the iPhone 16 if you buy it refurbished.
How do these phones compare? We've outlined a few features for you to find out which one is the best iPhone for you.
The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro both have 6.1-inch displays, but the Pro has a few more perks.
Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Display
The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro feature the same 6.1-inch size screen at a similar display resolution, but there are still a few differences. The iPhone 16E runs at a 60Hz refresh rate -- similar to all of the non-Pro iPhone models -- and it can reach a 1,200-nit peak brightness. It also has a similar display notch to the iPhone 14, and does not support the Dynamic Island that serves up contextual information on other iPhone 15 and 16 models. It's functional and should work fine whether you are using the phone indoors or outdoors, but the Pro's screen has several additional perks.
The iPhone 15 Pro (right, seen here with the 15 Pro Max), includes the Dynamic Island around its display cutout.
James Martin/CNET
The iPhone 15 Pro's display can run at a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz, changing based on what activity you are doing. You can expect to see the smoother 120Hz refresh rate when scrolling through websites, playing games and other applications that benefit from smoother animations. According to Apple, it will hit the lower end of that range to conserve battery life when you aren't using the phone. The display also hits a higher 2,000 nits of peak brightness (outdoors) and includes the Dynamic Island that shows information like the music player or countdowns around the space of the front-facing camera's display cutout.
Both the iPhone 16E (seen here) and the iPhone 15 Pro can play more graphically-intense games such as Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Processor
The iPhone 15 Pro has the A17 Pro chip, which is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores that makes it great for graphics and gaming. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, ships with the latest A18 chip, which gives it a touch more power and speed. In practice, the A17 Pro is still a very capable chip that will serve you well for years to come. The A18 chip, however, will likely receive software and new feature updates for a slightly longer period of time. Both processors are capable of running Apple Intelligence and more advanced iPhone games like Resident Evil 4 Remake and Death Stranding.
The iPhone 16 has a Clean Up tool that can remove unwanted elements from photos.
Numi Prasarn/CNET
Apple Intelligence
One of the iPhone 16E's biggest highlights is that it supports Apple Intelligence, which was previously only available in Apple's high-end offerings like the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence offers plenty of benefits such as smart writing tools, a Clean Up tool that removes unwanted elements from photos and a potentially smarter Siri on a future update. The iPhone 15 Pro, as mentioned, has had this from the start, so the two are fairly equal in this department.
The iPhone 16E has a single 48-megapixel main camera.
Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Camera
The biggest visual difference between the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro is that the latter has three cameras instead of one. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 48-megapixel wide lens, a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. It also has a large 48-megapixel sensor that helps immensely in low light. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. It has to rely on sensor-cropping for improved zoomed-in shots. Both have 12-megapixel front-facing cameras.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have three cameras on the back.
James Martin/CNET
Charging
Another downside to the iPhone 16E is that it lacks support for MagSafe wireless charging, and is only compatible with Qi charging capped at 7.5W. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, supports 15W MagSafe charging. Not only can it wireless charge at twice the speed, it also supports a whole range of magnetic accessories that the iPhone 16E won't be able to use unless it has a third-party MagSafe-compatible case.
Both phones use USB-C for wired charging, with Apple citing that both can recharge their battery to 50% in 30 minutes when connected to a 20W adapter. In CNET's review testing for the iPhone 16E and iPhone 15 Pro, both phones tested slightly better than this. The iPhone 16E recharged from 0% to 59% in 30 minutes, and the 15 Pro recharged from 0% to 62% after being updated to iOS 17.0.3.
Both the iPhone 16E and the 15 Pro charge over USB-C.
Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Pricing (and a note on buying refurbished)
Obviously, the iPhone 16E offers the lower price as it retails for just $599. Apple, however, is now officially selling a refurbished version of the 15 Pro for just $759, which is cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16. Sure, that's more expensive than the 16E, but the Pro's extra features might be worth a higher price for you. Additionally, while buying phones in a secondary market has its issues (the phone might not always be in great shape), Apple's official refurbished program has an excellent reputation that is akin to buying the product new.
Check out the following chart to see how the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro stack up in other aspects.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
26 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
CEOs Are Quietly Telling Us the Truth: AI Is Replacing You
The fear is real. In meetings, Slack chats, and after-work drinks, one question is quietly eating away at millions of employees: Will AI take my job? In public, CEOs like to sound reassuring. They say generative AI will 'enhance productivity' or 'streamline operations.' But when you actually read what they're telling their own employees, or what slips out in investor memos, the message is chilling: virtual workers are here, and they're not just assistants. They're replacements. Let's take a closer look at what some of the world's most powerful tech CEOs are saying. Not in hype videos, but in official internal messages, blog posts, and investor updates. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently published a company-wide message that sounds reasonable, until you actually read it. 'As we roll out more generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today… We expect this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.' The key phrase? 'Next few years.' That's corporate speak for 2026 to 2028. Not ten years away. This is soon. Jassy is not talking about automating only simple or repetitive tasks. He's preparing employees for a reality where AI replaces entire job categories across the board, and where hiring slows or stops altogether for roles that machines can now do. In a memo posted to LinkedIn, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn was even more blunt. 'Most functions will have specific initiatives to fundamentally change how they work… Headcount will only be given if a team cannot automate more of their work.' Translation: No more hiring unless your job is impossible for AI to do. The company is betting that most teams will soon need fewer humans. Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke shared a similar directive on X: 'Before asking for more headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI… What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team?' Lütke is openly asking managers to reimagine teams as if AI agents are already integrated, and to justify why any humans are still necessary. — tobi lutke (@tobi) April 7, 2025The message from these CEOs is clear: human employees are now the last resort. The new default is automation. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently stated that AI is already doing 50% of the work within his company, shortly before announcing another 1,000 job cuts. The CEO of Klarna, a major fintech company, was even more blunt, revealing that AI has already allowed the company to reduce its workforce by 40%. These aren't future scenarios. This is already happening. The reason for this sudden shift is the rapid evolution of AI technology. As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained in a recent podcast, the latest 'reasoning models' have made a critical leap. In simple terms, these AI systems can now do more than just find information; they can 'think' through complex, multi-step problems. Altman suggested these models can reason on par with someone holding a PhD, meaning they are now capable of performing the high level analytical tasks once reserved for highly educated humans. This capability is being actively harnessed. Three sources working at major AI labs told Gizmodo that they are training powerful models to perform real world tasks in nearly every 'knowledge work' profession, including banking, financial analysis, insurance, law, and even journalism. These sources, who requested anonymity as their contracts prohibit them from speaking publicly, described how their work is used in side by side comparisons with AI models to refine the technology until it can produce professional grade output with minimal errors. Virtual employees are already doing our jobs; the current phase is simply about making them more perfect. The 'next few years' Jassy spoke of may be closer to two years at most. Consider the tech industry's recent layoff trends. In 2024, 551 tech companies laid off nearly 152,922 employees, according to data from The pace has accelerated dramatically this year. In just the first six months of 2025, 151 tech companies have already laid off over 63,823 people. On average a tech company cut 277 workers in 2024. If that rate is maintained for the rest of the year, the average number of layoffs per tech company in 2025 would soar to 851, roughly three times the 2024 average. While there is no direct evidence linking all these layoffs to AI, the trend is happening during a period of record economic strength. The Nasdaq just closed at an all time high, and eight of the world's ten largest companies are in the tech sector. Profitable, growing companies are shedding workers at an alarming rate, and the quiet implementation of AI is the most logical explanation. Tech CEOs won't tell you outright that you're being replaced. But the memos speak for themselves. AI is already here, and your company is likely building a roadmap to automate you out of your role. One internal pilot project at a time. One chatbot at a time. One hiring freeze at a time. If you want to understand what's next for the American workforce, don't listen to the marketing. Read the footnotes in the CEO's blog. Because they're already telling you the truth.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Micron (MU) the Next Big Winner in AI Memory? Analysts Think So
Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the . On June 26, UBS raised the firm's price target on the stock to $155 from $120 and kept a 'Buy' rating on the shares. In a research note, the analyst told investors how Micron has delivered HBM revenue and gross margin that met or slightly exceeded investor expectations. 'MU delivered against the only real investor expectations we heard into the call – HBM [high bandwidth memory] revenue and gross margin, both of which were in-line to a little better than bogeys.' A close up of a circuit board, its microchips creating a powerful computing system. The company also boasts a strong financial position as demonstrated by its robust liquidity. With HBM becoming an important part of the DRAM business, it represents 6-7% of DRAM bits. However, they take up around 19-20% of production space as per UBS estimates, which is why Micron focuses on selling these chips to higher-value markets. UBS believes that the supply-constraint dynamics will stay until 2026, until Micron and its peers install new manufacturing capacity. The firm thinks this will be done 'carefully and strategically' in order to maintain favorable market conditions. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) develops and sells memory and storage products for data centers, mobile devices, and various industries worldwide. While we acknowledge the potential of MU as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 AI Stocks in the Spotlight and . Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks Worth Buying on the Next Dip
I'm waiting for SoundHound AI to boost its financials or for its stock price to come down. I prefer to buy Micron Technology during one of its predictable market downturns to maximize returns. Being patient and waiting for the right price can pay off, even in a hot market. 10 stocks we like better than SoundHound AI › The stock market has recovered from April's sudden dip. From the S&P 500 to the Nasdaq Composite, the market-defining indexes are reaching fresh all-time highs almost every day. As of June 27, those portfolios had gained 12.6% and 13.6%, respectively, over the last year. As a result, some of the best artificial intelligence (AI) stocks are running a bit hot again. I'm keeping a close eye on SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) at the moment. Their stocks look a bit pricey today, but I'm ready to pounce on them in the next market dip. I've been a SoundHound AI fan for years, and I expect big things from this company in the long haul. Voice-control systems are gaining momentum in many different markets, from in-car controls and phone-based menu systems to drive-through windows and data center operations. SoundHound AI has been fine-tuning its AI-based voice interpretation tools since smartphones were new and hot. These days, the company offers agentic AI, process automation, and real-time conversations. The client list includes many of your favorite consumer electronics and carmaker brands. Their long-term contracts are starting to kick in, converting SoundHound AI's billion-dollar order backlog into actual revenues. Yet, I can't quite recommend this stock right now. SoundHound AI's shares posted artificial gains in a meme-stock moment in late 2024, and the peak prices are now long gone, but some lingering market effects remain. The stock is up 155% over the last 52 weeks, and it looked expensive at the start of that surge. So, one of two things must happen before I smash SoundHound AI's buy button again. The company could earn its lofty valuation by publishing dramatically stronger financials. Again, the beefy order backlog should generate lots of business over the next several years, but the revenue conversion process has been slow so far. The stock could take another haircut. This could happen over time as the meme stock mania fades out or very quickly alongside a downturn in the broader stock market. I don't mind waiting for SoundHound AI's business plan to gain traction. At the same time, this stock will be at the top of my list of buying ideas the next time every high-priced growth stock takes a big hit. Micron enters this discussion from a different angle. The memory chip giant's stock often trades at rock-bottom valuations, but it has been skyrocketing since April's tariff-based market dip. Mind you, the stock isn't exactly expensive even now. Micron's share price is up 95% from April's temporary market bottom, changing hands at a perfectly reasonable valuation of 22.8 times trailing earnings or 4.2 times sales. So, why am I waiting for another market correction? Why not grab a few shares at today's stock price, which looks pretty fair in the first place? Because I'm used to Micron trading at much lower valuation multiples. The company operates in a cyclical industry, tied to a mix of surprising and predictable shifts in the smartphone, data center, and PC markets. Micron investors have made a lot of money over the years by saving their buy-in cash for one of the seemingly inevitable downturns. That's the opposite of what's going on right now. Yes, Micron benefits from the general AI boom, partly thanks to a close partnership with AI accelerator leader Nvidia. Every number-crunching Nvidia Blackwell card comes with several dozen gigabytes of Micron's most advanced high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This close connection to the explosive AI opportunity could lift Micron's stock even higher. Call me a creature of habit; I'm just more comfortable waiting for the next price drop. Whether it springs from inflation fears or memory-chip price wars, you will almost certainly see one of those Micron buying windows open up in the next year or two. It's OK if I'm wrong, since my personal portfolio already holds a large helping of Micron stock. If I didn't have that advantage, I might consider buying a few shares at today's unusually high prices as well. Your mileage may vary, of course. I'd still save most of my cash for a rainy day around Micron's Idaho headquarters. Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $966,931!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Anders Bylund has positions in Micron Technology, Nvidia, and SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks Worth Buying on the Next Dip was originally published by The Motley Fool
