It ’s time to buy a new iPhone , and the camera is n’t that important to you , but you ’d love to still take great photos on those special occasion . chance are that if this is you , you ’ll in all likelihood be considering theiPhone 16 Prothanks to its three - television camera setup .
However , consider that the tv camera may not be as authoritative as battery life story , you may also be considering the new iPhone 16e . However , when seem at it , you realize there ’s only one television camera . In 2025 ? Really ? Yes , it ’s a 48MP Fusion primary camera that offers 2x telephoto zoom , but sure enough , more cameras will be good .
Apple has surprised me before with its cameras , so naturally , I postulate to put this photographic camera to the test . The short variant is that the iPhone 16e photographic camera has surprised me , and in a expert way . The long variant is that it depends on what you be after to do with the exposure . Here ’s why .
A first test of the 2x zoom
The iPhone 16e ’s individual television camera offers 2x optical soar through sensor cropping and a maximum of 10x digital rapid climb . Like other phone Jehovah , Apple lay claim the in - sensor craw is optical quality and expend the same sensor crop on all cameras in the iPhone 16 lineup .
of course , this means you’re able to expect some consistency in the overall photo , and the 2x is very like to the 2x on the iPhone 16 Pro .
This exam was particularly interesting as the iPhone 16e seems to do better in both photos compared to its more illustrious sibling . This is most noticeable when considering the edges of the shop sign and the colors throughout . There are more citizenry in , and the cropping is slightly dissimilar on the iPhone 16 Pro samples , but the iPhone 16e seems to be a clear winner here .
Comparing the iPhone 16e camera to the 16 Pro
I also wanted to test the full capability of the zoom and compare it to Apple ’s good zoom on the iPhone 16 professional . A point to note is that the iPhone 16e matches theiPhone 16andiPhone 16 Pluswith a maximum zoom at 10x , while the iPhone 16 Pro has a longer 25x uttermost soar , although it ’s mostly unusable at this distance .
Let ’s first take a look at the 1x , 2x , 5x and 10x exposure capttured on the iPhone 16e :
Now , let ’s look at the same photos captured on the iPhone 16 Pro :
I was specially impressed by the iPhone 16e in the first two of these photos . The photos are crisp and vivacious and have strong color reproduction , and while the iPhone 16 Pro has better active compass , the iPhone 16e picture are perfect for posting to social spiritualist . The iPhone 16 Pro also clearly has better rapid growth at 5x and 10x , but I think the iPhone 16e is good enough to carry , perhaps with a few edits .
This was one scene where I instinctively stress to quiz the ultra - all-encompassing on the iPhone 16e , only to be reminded that there is n’t an ultra - wide camera . This is n’t a dealbreaker for some — the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 does n’t have an ultra - full and is absolutely okay — but it also think you may require to take a few steps back at time .
More iPhone 16e testing at 1x, 2x and 10x
I had planned for much more examination and comparisons for this piece , but a late delivery by the courier leave me with limited time . Nonetheless , I was able to further screen the 1x and 2x photos on the iPhone 16e , with a secondary nidus on how often I matte up like something was miss .
Our first test show that the iPhone 16e photographic camera can take great picture at 1x or 2x . There is a slight haze with the sun ’s ray , but the iPhone 16e seems mostly impervious to it . There ’s a missing sharpness around some of the item in the poster , but if you do n’t look too nearly , it look great .
Here ’s another test that provides similar results . The 2x look capable , but much like the other photos charm on the iPhone 16e , the finer particular are missing . That ’s probably to be expected from a undivided - camera smartphone , but it ’ll be interesting to examine this further against the competition . The 10x is astonishingly utilitarian at reading big words but is ultimately unuseable when looking for point . all the same , there are times that this could still be utilitarian .
The same trend continues here with the 10x proving to be completely unusable . That said , the 1x and 2x photos are absolutely usable , especially the contrast in the latter . This is the eccentric of photo that I would jubilantly brand to my chronicle or Feed .
iPhone 16e camera conclusions from a brief test
Ask me a workweek ago if I would happily use a individual - tv camera headphone , and the result would have been no . Ask me now , and after using the iPhone 16e , I ’m not sure the answer would be the same .
The iPhone 16e camera is objectively not as unspoilt as the iPhone 16 Pro , but from my brief examination , there are times when it seems to outperform its Pro first cousin . Of course , this only applies at 1x and 2x soar , but it ’s still impressive .
Also interesting is that I did n’t miss the ultra - wide that much . Human nature mean it ’s intuitive to jazz to step back , but I would credibly overleap the ultra - encompassing if this was my unmarried daily equipment driver phone .
This provide me with a lot more testing to do , specially as I have n’t even screen the dark way yet , but overall , I ’m quite surprised by the iPhone 16e camera . It ’s well than I had expect , and while it wo n’t replace the rest of the series , it ’ll be full enough for the insouciant lensman upgrading from an older phone . permit ’s see if my opinion changes as I spend more time essay the camera .
