iPhone 16e Camera Falls Short Against Flagship Siblings in Key Features

The iPhone 16e has been hogging all the limelight with its camera features, which, while breathtaking, fall short of those of its flagship brothers, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. On paper, the iPhone 16e features a 48MP fusion camera, just as the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro do, but with certain key differences. The iPhone 16e lacks an ultrawide camera, a significant omission for landscape or group photographers. It only features a single main camera, with 1x and 2x optical zooms.
To compare, the iPhone 16 has a dual-camera setup featuring a 48MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultrawide camera. This setup has more flexibility in the range of the zooming capabilities from 0.5x to 2x, which makes it more ideally suited to capture more types of scenes. The iPhone 16 also uses sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which provides more stable image quality, especially when filming in low light. The iPhone 16e, however, uses traditional optical stabilization, which, while great, isn’t quite as good as the sensor-shift technology.
Another area where the iPhone 16 trumps the 16e is in portrait photography. The iPhone 16 boasts more evolved Focus and Depth Control capabilities, allowing for better control of the depth of field. The Portrait mode on the iPhone 16e is less feature-rich, lacking all the advanced functionalities found on its twin. Apart from this, the iPhone 16 offers more features like macro photography, spatial photos and video, video recording Cinematic mode, and Action mode for stabilizing video recording that are not available in the iPhone 16e.
Sebastiaan de With, the Halide camera app maker, made a comprehensive analysis of the camera of the iPhone 16e. He stated that while the iPhone 16e’s camera lags behind the iPhone 16 Pro, it does possess a unique look. The 16e captures warmer photos with a narrower field of view compared to the iPhone 16 Pro. However, the iPhone 16e’s smaller sensor possesses less detail, particularly noticeable under low-light conditions. The lack of sensor-shift stabilization is the biggest negative point, affecting image quality in low light.
Although these constraints keep the iPhone 16e from being a genuinely top-of-the-line camera phone, it is still a good performer considering the price. It has a certain “vibe” with its grainy, moody sensor that some people will enjoy as a counter to the more polished photos of the iPhone 16 Pro. Nevertheless, for those who want pro-quality camera options and generally improved image quality, the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro would be a better choice.
In a camera shootout comparison of the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, and iPhone SE 2022, the iPhone 16e performed better in some scenarios, such as capturing warmer colors at higher zoom levels. It underperformed in subject-background separation in portrait mode and night shooting, however, compared to the iPhone 16. Overall, then, while the iPhone 16e makes a fine selection for everyday photography, it lacks the range and premium features of its more expensive cousins.