iPhone 16e ONE WEEK LATER - I SWITCHED FROM THE PRO MAX! 🤯

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I’ve done something I never thought would happen… After returning from MWC in Barcelona, I made the switch from the iPhone 16 Pro Max to the iPhone 16e! 🤯 A week later, was it the right move? In this video, I’ll share my experience with Apple’s "Best Priced" iPhone — how it compares to the Pro Max, what I’ve loved (and what I haven’t), and whether you should consider making the switch too..

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#esr#esriphonese4#iPhone16e#esriphone16

[mattcrooke]

Having been a loyal SE user for all three generations, I upgraded to a 16e last week. A monumental improvement in every single respect. My fears about losing the button lasted all of ten minutes!

[majtechtings]

My homegirl just got one and she adores it. She's coming from an iphone X and shes not a techie, but she feels it ticks all the boxes for an iphone that she needs. Battery life, camera, new chip set, similar size etc.

I feel like this phone is more for people coming from a XR, the SE2, the 11 and people wanting something more toned down yet effective at the essentials. It's not for me, but i'm not mad at who it's actually for. Good for them.

Dont yuck people's yum, yall.

[flappospammo]

What I like most about mark is I can actually understand what he's saying, a nice clear voice, well delivered

Can't say that about a lot of our American cousin's ...

[onlinecomment]

Most people don't really need more than 1 camera. Most people don't use camera control button. Most people never utilise action button. Most people don't need magsafe. But they will appreciate better battery and better optimised modem. I loved it!

[howieb]

I've never been quoted by a YouTube creator before - I am now your number one fan and will hit the like button on anything you do! Seriously you are the only reviewer who has put aside his tech prejudices and looked at this phone for what it is. My 16 Pro Max is now in the hands of a young lady who is thrilled with her Ebay purchase and I am having fun (a rare experience in tech these days) with the 16e.

[MrSupersaiyangoku]

I just got the 16e yesterday in black. I understand SE owners now. I foolishly used to wonder why anyone would want an older iPhone. Something that design wise was so old. But having gotten the 16e. I understand the appeal. For one. You got a phone that is not like anyone else’s. Not like any android phones. And not like the sea of identical looking iPhones. Secondly. You have the ability to text with one hand. I door dash a lot. Man I forgot how nice it is to have medium sized hands and be able to text a whole paragraph with one hand. And it actually comes out how you wanted to say it and not a bunch of misspelled words. I love how light the phone is. I mean stupid light. It’s so light I almost want to rock it without a case. And I’ve never bought an iPhone and not immediately stuffed a case around it. But now I see me just rocking a screen protector. As far as the phone experience goes. You not missing the core experience and I got Apple intelligence. If you can call it that since it’s not even remotely done yet. But you have a phone that does everything the pro models do for the most part minus things I don’t really care for. I’m not taking a bunch of photos and I don’t play phone games. So one camera that takes decent pics of just fine for me. My girl has a 15 model. If I want another camera added for better quality still. I’ve had a 15 pro max. And you never feel like you touch what all the power the phone had to offer. And the power of the A18 chip runs through everyday things I do like it’s nothing. You just do not need to pay over 1000$ for a phone that only surfs the web. Makes calls and sends text. When you see the price it just makes so much more sense: this phone is basically Apples version of Samsungs S24FE. I don’t know why people do not see the similarities of what Apple did here versus what Samsung did with the s24fe. When you see both are right around the exact same price. Offer you higher CPU’s from last years flagship. But body’s don’t have the full flagship make but were flagship materials just a year ago. They give you the power of the flagship. Benchmarks don’t matter in the real world you won’t see the slight differences at all when you open and close apps. And considering both end with e. It was pretty clear to me what Apple did here. Also. I am glad you didn’t just bash the phone like flossy Carter did. It is a great phone and I am aware of the phones in the price range. Didn’t want them. I came from a A 35 Samsung. I don’t regret my purchase. I got it for basically free. I love this phone for all the reason I listed above

[jayjayeffron]

While I vehemently disagree, you Mr. Ellis, as I have said before, are exceptional at your job! You really put time into sharing your most valued opinions and do so with a conversational approach that many miss by a long shot. Keep going man! It is only up from here! God bless!

[m.hreels]

You’re the Only YouTuber I’ve heard speak rationally about this phone. ❤ thank you. As far as MagSafe is concerned I never use it so I don’t understand why people have been making such a big deal about it

[AnakinReallyHateSandSkywalker]

Got mine, going from a 15 ProMax to the 16e was the best decision. It has the form factor of the 6s, which if you ever used an iphone know was the greatest ever built.
It is the right size of a phone, and i cant believe im saying this, i like having the notch back

[icecreamman]

I have a 13 Pro and was nervous because I just ordered the 16e… this review has made me feel so much more confident with my purchase. Thanks you. 📱

[Pattyish]

Traded my iPhone 15 PM for this. I just love the simpler and smaller form factor. It literally does everything I need it to. I really don’t use all the features everyone is always on about with phones. So this phone actually other than the price has been a breath of fresh air.

[dazives]

I love that we can get too hung up on tech specs and the fact you moved over and just enjoyed is amazing. Tbh there are so many good phones these days and people obsessed with names or specs that they miss the point, enjoy it for how it improves your life.

[thegman]

I’m still using the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Still going strong and haven’t been tempted to upgrade yet, as subsequent changes haven’t been enough for me to change up.

[MaroofSaeed]

I am also the one that shifted from Iphone 15 pro max to 16e, and really done this decision by seeing your honest opinion about this lil champ. Hats off to you....

[no-war]

The amount of misinformation and hate surrounding the iPhone 16 E is absolutely ridiculous. People act like this phone is some kind of downgrade when in reality, it’s one of the smartest and most future-proof iPhones Apple has ever made. And no this phone is absolutely not just for someone that doesn't know anything about tech that so many people have claimed on so many videos this phone can absolutely be for anyone including people like me that know a lot about tech but still appreciate this phone because they realize that it's a great phone that does everything perfectly fine and stripped away all the gimmicks that don't even improve the iPhone experience or barely at best. Sure it could've been $100 cheaper at launch day but the reality is when the 17 comes out it will be $100 cheaper because that's what Apple does every single year. On top of that when many people buy this phone they're going to be trading in their old phone which means they're not gonna be paying the full price for it making it an even better value.

It has the A18 chip, which is actually newer than the iPhone 15’s processor. While people are saying “just get a 15, ” they fail to realize that the 16 E has the latest A18 chip, while the 15 is still running on the older A16. That means better performance, better efficiency, and longer software support.

The camera is a 48MP sensor, the same as the regular iPhone 16. People are nitpicking about a slightly smaller sensor, but in real-world use, the difference is so minor that 99% of users will never notice. You’re still getting a flagship-level camera at a much lower price.

This phone is stripped down to only what actually matters. No unnecessary gimmicks, just pure iPhone. No Dynamic Island? Most people don’t even use it for anything useful. No MagSafe? Regular wireless charging still works just fine. No Ultra-Wide lens? Most people don’t use it anyway. This phone is designed for people who just want a great iPhone experience without extra fluff they won’t use.

This is also the best value iPhone Apple has made in a long time. The SE models were always stuck in outdated designs. The 16 E fixes that. It’s not just a budget iPhone it’s a modern, clean, and highly optimized experience. This is basically what the SE should have always been a future-proof iPhone that doesn’t feel old the moment you buy it. This is basically the iPhone 7 with its lightweight and sleek design combined with the modern internals of the iPhone 16.

Because it has the A18 chip, it will get updates much longer than the iPhone 15. If you want a phone that will last for years without feeling slow, this is it.

And the hypocrisy from the haters and tech reviewers is insane. They say “It’s missing too many features” but not everyone needs or cares about Dynamic Island, MagSafe, or multiple cameras. They say “Just get a 15 instead” but why would you go backward to an older processor instead of getting the latest A18 chip? They say “Just get a regular 16” but if someone doesn’t care about the extra features, why should they pay more for them? They say “It’s a downgrade” but in reality, it’s a different phone designed for a different type of user.

The same people who complain that iPhones are too expensive are now bashing Apple for making a more affordable one. They are the reason Apple keeps raising prices because whenever Apple tries to lower them, they trash the product instead of supporting it.

I know this from personal experience because I have tried almost every iPhone. I’ve used the iPhone SE 2020 the iPhone 13 mini iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Plus and the iPhone 16+. The Plus models were great phones, and I really liked them, but after going through almost the entire lineup, I realized that I don’t need a Pro iPhone and that the regular iPhones aren’t much different from the Plus models. The 16 E is what I’m getting because it has all the modern features I actually care about without any of the fluff. It is future-proof, affordable, and free from gimmicks.

So many of the features people have convinced themselves they actually need are completely overblown. In reality, most people rarely ever use them. Dynamic Island, the camera control button none of these features actually change the experience in a meaningful way. Dynamic Island is mostly just a flashy animation that doesn’t add any real functionality. The camera control button has very awkward positioning, and it ruins the aesthetics of cases. People act like these are must-have features, but in day-to-day use, they barely make a difference. And I'm not saying that the pro models are not great phones they are but they're often extremely exaggerated how necessary people truly think they are as if every other phone Apple makes it just garbage compared to pro models and that is absolutely missing the point completely. The pro models are targeted for a very specific user base just like the rest of the iPhone models and I'm just tired of the phone shaming it's so frustrating. Let people just get the phone they want and enjoy it for what it is. Technology was meant to benefit our lives and improve them not make it so people try to force a tech product to fit their life.

And what’s even more frustrating is that these complaints are coming from people who claim to know Apple, to know tech, yet they can’t even see that this phone is extremely deliberate on Apple’s part. Apple doesn’t do anything by accident. This phone was carefully designed and positioned to fit within Apple’s product hierarchy. Apple’s entire philosophy is about giving people options and making them choose very carefully based on what they actually need. It’s not some grand plot, it’s actually very simple and no one is forcing you to buy another phone. It’s all about what you will actually benefit from, and Apple wants its customers to choose wisely. Anyone can rattle off a spec sheet and recite specs but someone that truly knows tech is going to make informed decisions based off tech and what they actually need that's what's called being an informed buyer understanding how technology actually works in real life and in the real world and a large amount of the tech YouTube space has completely forgotten this point. They have become so blinded by spec chasing they forgotten how great these products have truly become to where it's become nothing less than just a bashing competition on how bad a product is. As a result of that so many people have also forgotten and taken for granted that you're not just paying for hardware with Apple you're paying for a software experience that's unmatched and you're paying for the 24 seven customer service and availability where if something goes wrong with your phone you can actually call someone and that is another big factor with Apple's pricing that many people have completely overlooked and taken for granted without a doubt. With Apple it's everything you're paying for a whole experience that you don't get anywhere else. Additionally let us not forget the fact that every iPhone gets basically 10 years of software updates you're never gonna get that on any other phone ever you're lucky to get four. That's also why comparing android 60 Hz and iOS 60 Hz is a totally futile exercise they're entirely different operating systems the devices themselves shouldn't really even be compared that's also precisely why 120 Hz is marketed as this big feature on many android phones because the OS needs that to even run functionally and smoothly often times. This is also coming from someone who has used android devices before two of them galaxy S2 and the OnePlus seven Pro and appreciate android for its customizability and unique OS in its own right it caters once again to different users needs who prioritize different things I'm not saying that android is inferior to iOS whatsoever they're just entirely different platforms and android has its own unique benefits that cannot be found on Apple such as the versatility to download essentially whatever you like just to name one difference. Where on iOS it's entirely different the animations and everything has been so smooth out that's why many people can't tell the difference. Don't get me wrong there's people that definitely can but that doesn't mean that just because the phone has 60 Hz it's a bad phone. Once again we have to take into account the entire picture as Apple always does nothing they do is on accident.

This is truly a phone that I believe, without a doubt, Steve Jobs would be proud of. It is straight out of his playbook, right from his mind. He was all about simplicity, making a product that people would truly benefit from, and designing for the masses instead of chasing gimmicks. The iPhone 16 E embodies that philosophy more than any iPhone we’ve seen in years.

I truly believe this will go down as one of the best iPhones ever made for pure practicality and simplicity. It delivers all the essentials with no frills, cutting out features that are totally unnecessary for most people. If you just want a clean, fast, long-lasting iPhone without useless gimmicks, this is the perfect device. It has modern hardware, Apple’s latest chip, a flagship-level camera, and will last for years all at a reasonable price. The hate is completely overblown, and most of it comes from people who don’t even understand why this phone exists.

This is one of the smartest iPhones Apple has ever made. The only people missing out are the ones too blinded by spec hype to see its value. Thanks for a great video and objective take on this great phone.

[johnnyboy]

Upgraded my 16 gb iPhone 6. Yep. A 6. I’ve had the 16e for 8 days. Charged it once so far.
Love it! I don’t miss Touch ID. Smaller screen. The 8 megapixel camera. Don’t care about MagSafe or the Camera Contol. (totally useless). I’ll probably use Apple Intelligence once it matures. In about 5 years 😂
To the people whining about the price? Don’t buy it.
Problem solved.

[kennymack]

The 16e is wonderful! Battery life is amazing. And it is a major upgrade from my Se 2020.

[smartblonde]

Thanks for a great video and all the comments. My 16e arrives tomorrow--upgraded from 1st Gen SE I bought on ebay. Never had MagSafe so don't care. I use my new M4 Macbook Air for daily internet, and iPad Mini for mostly reading. I will NOT miss the small keypad for texting, a nicer camera will be great, and it's plenty bit enough for me. Love the simplistic styling--and not having to charge it every day will be terrific!

[tjooneill]

I need a simple iPhone with great battery life, this hits the spot.

[nickjacobsss]

I think you nailed it. I returned my 16 because i hated the camera button, and magsafe problem is irrelevant because almost every case just adds it back. The ONLY thing I will miss is an ultrawide, but even then I dont use that often.