While I’ve enjoyed my iPhone 16 Pro, I have always personally thought that the best iPhone Apple ever released was the iPhone 13 mini. So, when the company revealed the iPhone 16e as its new take on the iPhone SE, I was interested.
I’ve been on the iPhone Upgrade Program for years and, by habit of being in the program, upgraded my iPhone every year. The iPhone 16e, while being a “new” iPhone, has received a lot of criticism for going without a lot of the features that people have come to expect from a modern iPhone.
So, with my iPhone mini experience in mind, I decided to downgrade from my iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 16e for a week. There were specifically four features that I was worried about losing: the Always-On Display, the Dynamic Island, ProMotion, and MagSafe. Could I really go without all of these features I’ve come to expect?
After one week of using this phone that most people have criticized straight out of the gate, I’ve come away with a surprising revelation.
Does your iPhone display really need to be always on?
One of the first things I thought I would miss about my iPhone 16 Pro is the Always-On Display. The feature has been exclusive to the Pro models since the iPhone 14 Pro, and I have enjoyed having it for the last three years. Or so I thought.
After using the iPhone 16e for a week, I found myself not missing the Always-On Display from the iPhone 16 Pro at all. In fact, I found that I was happier without an Always-On Display. With the iPhone 16e, I couldn’t glance at my screen and be distracted by notifications. Checking my phone became a deliberate act.
It turns out that an Always-On Display isn’t as good of a thing as I originally thought. Perhaps we were better off without them. At least, I found that to be the case.
While dynamic, I’m OK on this island
The second thing I thought I would miss from my iPhone 16 Pro was the Dynamic Island, which Apple calls “a magical way to interact with iPhone.” The Dynamic Island also launched with the iPhone 14 Pro, so we are three iPhone generations deep with the feature.
After a week of returning to the notch, I can say that, while the Dynamic Island is undoubtedly cool, it has not yet evolved into a feature that feels vital to the iPhone experience. Is it nice to see the album cover of the song playing while you are scrolling through Apple News? Sure, but it’s not necessary.
After a week without it, I was doing just fine and did not feel strongly drawn back to it.
You can’t see pro if you don’t motion
Out of all of the features I was losing by downgrading from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 16e, this is the one that I’d thought would hurt the most. Apple initially launched Promotion on the iPhone 13 Pro, which has been a big reason why many people choose a Pro iPhone — that 120Hz is just too smooth.
If you can’t tell the difference, you wouldn’t care. Unfortunately, I can immediately tell the difference between a 60Hz and 120Hz display, so I have been buying the Pro model of the iPhone for the last four years because of it. I thought I would hate giving up the feature that has been a key selling point for me.
Surprisingly, I survived the week without it. Maybe it was getting used to a 60Hz display with my iPad mini that did it, but I did fine with the inferior refresh rate of the iPhone 16e. After a few days, I honestly forgot about it. Even though I could tell the difference in a heartbeat if you put the iPhone 16e and the iPhone 16 Pro next to each other, I got used to not having it.
I’m safe without the magnets
MagSafe charging became the biggest drawback of the downgrade.
I was so focused on losing ProMotion in my quest to downgrade to the iPhone 16e, that a seemingly small feature I barely paid a thought to quickly became the thing that halted my quest of downgrading from the iPhone 16 Pro. Of all the features I thought I’d miss the most, MagSafe charging became the biggest drawback of the downgrade.
Apple brought MagSafe to the iPhone with the iPhone 12 in 2020, and it has been featured on both the regular and Pro iPhone models since. An entire ecosystem of accessories, including cases, wallets, batteries, stands, and more, has been built around the feature. While it has not gotten rid of the charging port on the iPhone just yet, it has become a product staple.
Once I got the iPhone 16e, I realized how much of a fan of MagSafe I have become. I have a MagSafe case. I have a MagSafe wallet. And my charging stand, which also charges my Apple Watch and AirPods, also supports MagSafe.
However, after a week without it, I found that this too was something I could live without. The battery life on the iPhone 16e is so good that, like my Apple Watch, I found myself charging it solely when I took a shower every day.
I also realized that, if I really wanted some MagSafe in my life, Elago and other third-party case makers had options as little as $19 that would add it back to my phone. So, while MagSafe is great, and I wish the iPhone 16e had it natively, it’s not worth the $200 upgrade to the iPhone 16 to get it.
The iPhone 16e is the iPhone mini of 2025
After a week of living with the iPhone 16e instead of my iPhone 16 Pro, I’ve come to realize just how much I do not need an iPhone 16 Pro — or any Pro iPhone for that matter. In fact, I don’t even need the “base” model iPhone 16. I’m doing just fine with the iPhone 16e.
It’s smaller, lighter, and a more simple device. I don’t need much from a phone, and the iPhone 16e delivers the essential experience that, I imagine, most people actually need anyway. This experiment has also made me realize that, while the advancements of the past few years have been cool, none of them have changed the core experience of using my phone, and living without them hasn’t either.
This is the first iPhone I’ve used since the iPhone 13 mini that, in addition to being a good phone, is actually — dare I say — delightful. It’s smaller, lighter, and simpler. It reminds me of the iPhone mini. Not that it’s a cut for cut remake with the same features, but that it’s the core iPhone experience in a more simple device. For someone like me, that means a lot. I loved the iPhone mini, and this is about as close as we are going to get to one moving forward.
As a result of this experiment, I find myself questioning whether or not to sell my iPhone 16 Pro and get off the hamster wheel that is the iPhone Upgrade Program. Is a Pro iPhone worth $400 more in 2025? The iPhone 16e has me really struggling to justify that price difference.
More from Laptop Mag
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
