Earlier than you rush to choose up the newly launched iPhone 16e, it’s price taking a second to weigh your choices.
Let’s be actual: Apple’s newest handset is made for discount hunters. For £200 much less, it packs a lot of the identical {hardware} because the iPhone 16 (£799), together with help for AI options (generally known as Apple Intelligence), however with some clear trade-offs. That dated notch on the highest of the display screen, these chunky borders, and the lone digicam on the again? They’re not doing it any favours.
In truth, they scream “funds telephone”— and belief us, individuals can inform. These days, the variety of cameras on the again is a standing image: three or 4? Premium. Two? Truthful recreation. One? Sorry, that simply doesn’t minimize it – particularly when the asking value is £599.
However what if we instructed you that for a similar value because the iPhone 16e (and even much less), you might snap up a flagship? The catch? These telephones could be a yr previous, or secondhand, or refurbished. However hey, refurbished simply means it has been given a second life, proper?
As any savvy discount hunter is aware of, it is all the time price buying round for a greater deal. To save lots of you a while, we’ve rounded up 4 options to the iPhone 16e that not solely provide extra bang to your buck however would possibly even snag you a couple of compliments at work or faculty.
Apple says the iPhone 16e has even higher battery energy than the pricier iPhone 16
Apple
In case you missed it, Apple’s newest is meant to be an inexpensive iPhone 16. What which means is it options the innards of final yr’s mannequin and the seems to be of an iPhone 14 (although that single digicam on the rear is a relic from the times of Apple’s final low-cost launch, 2022’s iPhone SE).
Right here’s the important thing information to know in regards to the iPhone 16e:
- Launch date: February 28, 2025
- Value: Begins from £599 for 128GB storage
- Show: 6.1-inch OLED
- Brightness: 800 nits typical / 1,200 nits peak in HDR mode
- Battery: As much as 26 hours video playback / 21 hours streaming video
- Digicam: 48MP single digicam
- Chip: Apple A18.
Greatest iPhone 16e options
The iPhone 15 Professional incorporates a titanium design and 5x optical zoom
Apple
For barely lower than Apple’s newest, you will get a refurbished iPhone 15 Professional with three superior cameras and premium titanium sides (versus aluminum on the 16e). In truth, with some digging, you possibly can in all probability discover it for simply over £500 on eBay or Fb Market (simply remember to test the battery well being is between 80-90 per cent and there aren’t any large scratches or cracks on the back and front).
Just like the 16e, the 15 Professional additionally helps Apple Intelligence and comes with a USB-C charging port. Plus, it’s slated for a minimum of 5 to seven extra years of software program updates, so it may final till 2030 on the newest. And, you get a number of neat little extras right here, together with help for quicker MagSafe wi-fi charging, increased brightness, and a 120Hz refresh price (the 16e is proscribed to 60HZ). The stellar show, mixed with the ray-tracing help within the A17 Professional chip, additionally means it’s higher for gaming on the go (particularly when you plan on enjoying console-grade titles).
Subsequently, when you’re useless set on an iPhone that prices considerably lower than £800, that is the mannequin we suggest (so long as you don’t thoughts shopping for refurbed or second-hand).
Samsung Galaxy S24 (2024)
Samsung guarantees seven years of software program updates for the Galaxy S24.
Samsung
It’s truthfully loopy that you would be able to get a brand-new Galaxy S24 for a similar value because the iPhone 16e. Final yr’s flagship comes with three high quality cameras on the again (together with a devoted ultra-wide and zoom lens), and a 120HZ show with a stunning 2,600 nits peak brightness. Samsung’s telephone may also file video in as much as 8K, whereas the iPhone tops out at 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient.
With Galaxy AI within the tank, you in all probability gained’t miss Apple Intelligence, both. When it landed, the personalized Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip contained in the S24 was the quickest round, and it nonetheless holds up a yr later. The seven years of software program updates you get as commonplace is the icing on the cake.
The Google Pixel 9 in eye-catching pink
Till the Samsung Galaxy S25 arrived this yr, the Pixel 9 was in a league of its personal when it got here to AI. Together with all of the pictures methods packed into the dual-camera system, like the flexibility to magically add you to group photographs, Google’s flagship incorporates a built-in AI assistant you possibly can chat to within the vein of Alexa or Google Assistant. And since it’s multimodal, you possibly can work together with Gemini utilizing photos, textual content or your voice. There’s only one large caveat: probably the most superior model of the AI prices £18.99 per thirty days within the UK as a part of a Google One subscription.
Underneath the hood, the Pixel 9 packs a whopping 12GB of RAM, whereas most flagships (together with the iPhone 16e) include 8GB by default. Its 6.3-inch OLED show is barely bigger than the iPhone 16e’s, with a easy 60–120Hz refresh price and a lustrous peak brightness of two,700 nits. Lastly, if you wish to get observed, the Pixel 9’s vibrant inexperienced and pink color choices pop subsequent to the comparatively muted black and white shades of the iPhone 16e.
The OnePlus 12 boasts a monstrous battery and lightning-fast charging
OnePlus
The OnePlus 12 boasts the largest display screen of all of the telephones on this record — at 6.82 inches, it’s virtually as massive because the iPhone 16 Professional Max. The OLED show is silky easy with a 120Hz refresh price, and intensely shiny, making it a dream for gaming, streaming, and normal searching.
Just like the Samsung Galaxy S24, the OnePlus 12 is all about sheer energy. It blazes via on a regular basis duties, makes photograph and video modifying a breeze, and tackles even probably the most demanding cellular video games at max settings with ease. Design-wise, the curved edges give it a modern look, whereas the round digicam bump on the again (which homes three Hasselblad-tuned lenses) undoubtedly helps it to face out.
Battery life is one other win. The beastly 5,400mAh battery simply stretches to 2 days on a single cost, so that you gained’t be scrambling to plug it in by night. And while you do must prime up, 100W quick charging takes it from zero to 100 per cent in simply 26 minutes, so you possibly can simply seize some juice in a rush.
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