From: tech...@groups.io <tech...@groups.io> On Behalf Of David Goldfield via groups.io Sent: Friday, February 28, 2025 2:36 AM To: tv <tech...@groups.io> Subject: [Tech-VI] Hands On with the iPhone 16e: My First Impressions AppleVis: Recent Blog Posts - Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Hands On with the iPhone 16e: My First Impressions iPhone 16e availability in the U.S. is less than 24 hours away, and ahead of the launch, I was provided a unit for review. Going into today, I was looking forward to sharing the iPhone 16e with our community, especially as there has been much anticipation and excitement on AppleVis surrounding this phone in particular. Unboxing podcasts <https://www.applevis.com/sites/default/files/podcasts/AppleVisPodcast1644.mp3> are a lot of fun, especially when the recording goes well. And I am of the opinion that as Apple no longer sells a device with a Home Button, we should be doing everything possible to ease the transition for people who are still on older devices for whatever reason. It’s a bigger deal than you might think, especially for the everyday blind, DeafBlind, or low vision user who really relies on that Home Button as an anchor. All in all, there is a lot to talk about with the iPhone 16e, but I wasn’t going to say any of it today. But that changed when I actually experienced the iPhone 16e for myself. The iPhone 16e is Apple’s most affordable phone at US$599, and, to be honest, I was disappointed by the price when it was announced. I see the iPhone 16e as the iPhone for the everyday person, the person who just needs an iPhone to do the basic things. And I really was hoping Apple could get the price down to something under $500 and make that phone available to as many people as possible. On the other hand, the iPhone 16e has a lot of advanced tech (a current-generation A18 processor, Apple Intelligence, the Action Button, an all-new Apple-designed modem, just to name four); so the starting price is more understandable when you consider what all you’re getting. Concerns about price aside, I tried to approach reviewing the iPhone 16e with an open mind. I know what I like in an iPhone, and I also know that the iPhone 16e is meant for a different type of user than me. And yet, I interact with people from all walks of life; and for many of them, all they want is a basic iPhone. So the iPhone 16e interested me at first for those reasons: Is this the modern iPhone for everyone? As interested as I first was in the iPhone 16e, I never expected that I would personally ‘like’ it—especially after only a few hours with the device. But I do like it—a lot. Generally, I gravitate towards the bigger phones for their battery, speaker, and bigger ‘feel’. ‘Bigger’ has always meant ‘better’ to me. But the iPhone 16e challenges my assumptions in a pretty big way, no pun intended. Contrary to my expectations, I actually really like the thing. I like the way it feels in my hand. Picking it up, holding it while on the phone, even sending messages with Braille Screen Input—it feels great. And this was unexpected to say the least. Perhaps just as unexpected and even better than the device’s ‘hand-feel’, are the speakers. Yes, I said ‘speakers’ because both the bottom speaker and earpiece speaker are noticeably better than my $600-more-expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max. In my review of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, <https://www.applevis.com/blog/iphone-16-pro-max-review-some-thoughts-which-model-buy> I shared about issues with the quality of sound output from the speakers. Other members of the community have experienced similar issues. <https://www.applevis.com/forum/ios-ipados/problem-sound-eloquence-voice-my-new-iphone-16-pro-max> I am happy to report that the sound on the iPhone 16e has none of these issues. At higher volume, the iPhone 16e puts out a lot of bass for its size. (I remember my iPhone 15 Pro being similar.) But, unlike my personal iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 16e better maintains this bass at lower volumes. There is none of the dramatic fluctuation in bass with volume adjustment that I see on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, and this is a subtle—but nevertheless huge—improvement. And it is not just the bottom speaker that is improved; the earpiece speaker has more bass as well, making the sound fuller and more natural. I was on a FaceTime audio call shortly after setting up the iPhone 16e, and I actually called the person back from my iPhone 16 Pro Max to be sure I wasn’t just imagining things. I wasn’t—the speaker quality is just better. If the speakers are important to you, you will really like the iPhone 16e. The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch display, similar to recent smaller iPhones. If you have seen an iPhone 13 or 14, or their Pro counterparts, for example, the iPhone 16e’s size will be familiar to you. The iPhone 16e has the same A18 series processor as other iPhone 16 devices, and VoiceOver performance is as snappy as on my iPhone 16 Pro Max. In the iPhone 16e, Apple has tried to make the iPhone 16 experience available to more people at a lower price. The device has a lot to like: the same series of processor, support for Apple Intelligence, and other key features of the iPhone 16 family—even an Action Button. But there is no getting around the fact that the iPhone 16e’s starting price tag of US$599 is still way out of reach of a lot of people, which is both unfortunate and also a lost market opportunity for Apple. Nevertheless, everything I have seen with the iPhone 16e so far suggests that Apple may very well have a hit on its hands. Watch this space. Tags * Log in <https://applevis.com/user/login?destination=/blog/hands-iphone-16e-my-first-impressions%23comment-form> or register <https://applevis.com/user/register?destination=/blog/hands-iphone-16e-my-first-impressions%23comment-form> to post comments https://applevis.com/blog/hands-iphone-16e-my-first-impressions David Goldfield, Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my training services by visiting WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com <http://www.screenreadertraining.com/> Am Yisrael Chai The Nation of Israel Lives! JAWS Certified, 2022 <https://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certification/> NVDA Certified Expert <https://certification.nvaccess.org/> Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field. 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