Apple has finally released their newest model – the iPhone 16e. It’s picking up where the iPhone SE left off to provide all of Apple’s latest smartphone tech with a (semi) reasonable price tag.
While the new smartphone looks mighty promising, the Sony Xperia 10 VI has a lot going for it as well.
We have not had the opportunity to get our hands on the iPhone 16e yet, but in the meantime we can compare its specifications to the Sony Xperia 10 VI to get an idea of how the two compare.
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: price
The Sony Xperia 10 VI is one of the cheaper smartphones available that we have given five stars, retailing for £349 on paper for 128GB, which is already a steal in the realm of smartphones. We have seen reductions on this already reasonable price as well, with some retailers selling it for £299. The phone is not available to buy in the US or Australia, though.
Pricing for the iPhone 16e starts at £599 / $599 / AU$999 for 128GB, £699 / $699 / AU$1119 for 256GB and £899 / $899 / AU$ 1549 for 512GB. It will be available for pre-order in the US, Australia and the UK starting 21 February, and first orders will arrive on 28 February.
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: design
The iPhone 16e boasts a 6.1-inch OLED screen display, meaning it is about the same size as Apple’s standard iPhone 16. It weighs in at 167 grams, and is available in just a black or white finish. It has a notch at the top which is used for the Face ID support. We have not been able to see the phone up close yet, but from what we can tell the design looks much like a combination of the iPhone 14 and 16.
Sony’s entry is also an OLED 6.1-inch, and is slightly lighter than the iPhone at 164 grams. There are also a few more finish options available, with black, white and blue on the cards. It has a 1080 x 2520 and a pixel density of 449ppi.
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: features
One of the most notable features of the iPhone 16e is its C1 modem, which is the first cellular modem designed by Apple. Apple claims it is the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, set to deliver speedy and reliable 5G cellular connectivity. There’s also support for HDR, portrait mode, and night mode.
AI, or Apple Intelligence as the brand calls it, also plays a big part in the iPhone’s functionality thanks to the A18 chipset. Apple says the six-core CPU is up to 80 percent faster than the A13 Bionic chip on iPhone 11. This AI skillset includes support for features such as Genmoji, Writing Tools, Clean Up in the Photos app, and ChatGPT integration. You can also access Visual Intelligence via the Action button. Turning to battery life, Apple says it has “the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone, lasting up to six hours longer than iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE.”
As with all the latest iPhone models, it has integrated Face ID support. You can also find a USB-C port at the bottom for charging and data transfer. The device also features the Action button instead of the classic mute switch. We have not had the chance to test the iPhone 16e’s camera, but will be keenly awaiting our chance to test it out. It has a single 48MP Fusion camera and will take high-resolution 24MP photos, but you can also choose to take 48MP images. In terms of video quality, we do know it offers 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60 frames per second.
But what about the Sony Xperia 10 VI? The phone’s lower price point does mean it lacks a few features, but that does not mean it should be underestimated. Its display is 60Hz, and supports HDR. Its chipset is not as powerful as that of the iPhone 16e, using the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM.
It runs Android 14, whereas the iPhone 16e runs iOS 18, giving you access to Google’s latest AI features, including the Magic Eraser photo editing tool and the Gemini assistant. The latter proved useful during testing, as we were able to produce a coherent meal plan in a matter of seconds. The Sony Xperia 10 VI slightly underwhelmed when it came to the camera. We said in our review: “It gets the job done for quick snaps here and there, but if you’re serious about smartphone photography, this phone will not satisfy your needs.”
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: picture
Once again, we have not tested the iPhone 16e so cannot comment on its picture quality.
For the Sony Xperia 10 VI, we were surprised by its three-dimensional depth during testing. It balanced colour well too, with skin tones being portrayed as lively yet not overly bright. The darks don’t quite reach the blackest depths of more expensive models, but that is to be expected at such a reasonable price.
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: sound
All the usual caveats; we have yet to get close and personal to the iPhone 16e so cannot vouch for how it sounds. We do know it has Dolby Atmos support through headphones or built-in stereo loudspeakers.
The Xperia 10 VI’s speakers are more than acceptable, and while they won’t knock your socks off, they’re perfectly usable for watching the occasional TV show without connecting headphones. We said that the phone’s speakers were “more than useable” with a decent sense of weight and well organised.
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: early verdict
We have not given the iPhone 16e anything close to a full review, so will reserve judgement until we get to do so. But its comparatively low price compared to the rest of the iPhone family is welcome, especially considering its impressive specifications. We’ll have to see how they all play out in practice, though.
With an affordable price tag and solid overall performance, we think the Xperia 10 VI is a great buy. But will the iPhone knock Sony’s offering off its pedestal as the best affordable smartphone? We'll update this page once we've reviewed the iPhone 16e.
MORE:
Here is the review of the Sony Xperia 10 VI
This is what we know so far about the iPhone 16e
These are the best smartphones we recommend
