Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The new Apple iPhone 16e has a lot going for it: an affordable price, the latest iOS features, and flagship-tier performance. Well, that last point comes with a little asterisk. The Apple A18 processor inside the iPhone 16e isn’t quite the same as the A18 in the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus, which itself is already a downgrade on the A18 Pro in the latest iPhone 16 Pro.
While sliding performance for more affordable products is very much the status quo, the fact that Apple brands the iPhone 16e as having an A18 processor might lead many to incorrectly assume they’re buying flagship performance on the cheap, which they certainly aren’t.