Three years have passed between the release of the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 16E, Apple's latest budget phone. That's a relatively long time for mobile developments to evolve -- and for the sticker price to rise alongside those improvements.

Apple stopped treating its affordable iPhone as a second class citizen. We expected a new iPhone SE, but we got the iPhone 16e, which sits at the same table as the other iPhone 16 models. It’s not just the name,

A $599 entry-level iPhone with limited features, basic design, and tough competition from older models. Is it worth it?