The iPhone 16e is now on sale. (Image: Apple)
usually only announces one slew of iPhones in September every year, which saw the introduction of the series last year. But the tech giant has just announced a brand new, cheaper model called the iPhone 16e, which goes on sale today, Friday February 28.
Express.co.uk’s technology editor Dave Snelling has used and , giving it four stars out of five.
The iPhone 16e is a stripped-back version of the £799 iPhone 16 and retails for £599. It has a single 48MP camera, a 6.1-inch OLED display, a Face ID notch rather than the newer Dynamic Island design, and comes in plain black or white colour options.
Though not a direct successor to Apple’s older iPhone SE phones, the 16e now replaces the SE in the iPhone line up as Apple no longer sells 2022’s £429 SE. Now, the £599 16e is the cheapest iPhone you can buy.
If you want to get your hands on the newest iPhone, you can buy it directly from Apple, or instead opt for a contract plan from a UK mobile operator. These contracts spread the cost of the handset over several months while also including a monthly payment to cover your chosen mobile plan and SIM so you can make and receive calls and texts and use mobile data for internet connected apps and services.
We’ve scoured the web to find the best iPhone 16e deals for the device’s launch. The two best deals are from and , as they offer the new phone for the cheapest overall price over two years.
Mobiles.co.uk is a contract phone seller owned by high street retailer Currys, and sells contracts with Vodafone or iD Mobile, the latter also owned by Currys. You can currently , which uses the Three network, for £28.99 per month and a one-off £9 cost for the handset. This gives you a whopping 100GB of monthly 5G data along with unlimited calls and texts.
The cost over 24 months therefore is £704.76, which includes the £9 upfront cost, though note the contract price will rise in April 2026 to £30.49 per month, so overall you’ll pay slightly more, but it’s still a great deal for 100GB data with the brand new iPhone.
Meanwhile, , but with less mobile data. You can get the iPhone 16e on a two-year, 24-month contract for just £20 per month with no upfront cost, plus £7 per month for 3GB data. This £7 cost will rise mid-contract as it does with the majority of two-year deals, in April 2026.
£27 per month over two years will cost you £648, plus any additional costs linked to contract price rises. Check with Sky before committing as to how much this is.
This deal also allows you to swap to a new phone for free after 24 months, so it could be a good option to lock in this brand new iPhone at a very cheap price and then be able to upgrade to a new model once your contract needs renewing.