Apple has launched its new iPhone 16E with an updated design, additional features and no home button or MagSafe charging. This revamped version of the companys budget phone will be going for $599 and will include a USB-C port, a notch, a customizable Action Button, a fast A18 chip, and lots of extras. So what does that do for those who might have been looking forward to a smaller phone? Is the new Action Button a good thing? Will you miss MagSafe?We asked the staff of The Verge for their first impressions of the iPhone 16E. Of course, we will be running a full review of the phone, which will ship on February 28th. But meanwhile, here are some of the feelings that the news has generated in some of our iPhone users.You cant go Home againLook, Im just as much a fan of physical home buttons as anyone, but maybe its time we say our goodbyes for good. The swipe-up gestures for unlocking, returning to the homescreen, or managing apps feels natural and fluid now. I sure dont miss the excessive bezels, and I appreciate the reclaimed screen real estate to enjoy every dot of edge-to-edge OLED goodness I can. And you know what? As much as I hate the notch, it adds more to the overall aesthetic and user experience than it detracts from it, so Im fine with that tradeoff, too. Quentyn Kennemer, commerce writerA customizable Action ButtonI love that Apple brought the Action Button to its new affordable iPhone 16E. Its one of the better hardware features Apple introduced in recent years. It launched on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and was included on all iPhone 16 models in 2024. I have mine set to launch a flashlight (and use it all the time), but you can set it to launch other apps, too, like Apple Translate, the camera app, shortcuts, and more. Im sort of surprised Apple included it since previous iPhone SE mid-year launches usually included a newer processor but in a body a few years old. Todd Haselton, deputy editor, reviews and commerceMagSafe is missingThats a no for me. Not so much for MagSafe charge speed wired is always faster anyway but because the magnetic ring is so handy. You can always add a magnetic case, though, so if the camera is decent enough, I guess its not the end of the world. Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editorOLED at a nice 6.1 inchesAs someone who currently wields a 6.7-inch brick of a phone, Ive started to long for my iPhone 6S days. At 6.06 inches, the iPhone 16Es screen size seems like the perfect medium between too big and too small. Its bigger than the iPhone SE released in 2022 but roughly the same as the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 16 (though its also 0.1mm narrower and 0.7mm shorter). That will hopefully be a plus for those of us who want to put our phones in our pockets.And while the iPhone 16E may be (slightly) smaller and cheaper than the iPhone 16, but Apple isnt skimping out on quality: unlike the last iPhone SE, the iPhone 16E comes with an OLED display panel. Its nice to see Apple bringing some of its premium features to its budget-friendly devices. Emma Roth, news writerIm slightly relieved to see the new iPhone 16E uses the current A18 processor found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Previous iPhone SE models also borrowed the latest chips from the pricier iPhones of their time, but there was a part of me that wondered if Apple might surprise us with something like a last-gen A17. (Remember when the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus got year-old holdovers from the 14 Pro?) The A18 in the 16E does have one fewer GPU core (four instead of five), but I doubt anyones really going to feel that difference. Maybe if you do some side-by-side comparisons with high-end games like Resident Evil 4, but nobody buying an iPhone 16E is going to do that (and apparently nobodys really buying those games anyway).Having the latest-gen processor means the iPhone 16E should see years of support, which is one of the benefits of buying an iPhone. And its arguably more important these days now that some Android manufacturers have gotten their act together and promised up to seven years of software updates on some of their latest models. Antonio G. Di Benedetto, reviewerBye-bye Lightning, hello USB-CI love my iPhone 12 Mini, but Ive also been thinking about upgrading because I want an iPhone with a USB-C port. I probably dont actually need most of the fancier features on the main iPhone 16 lineup, so the new iPhone 16E seems like it could serve me well for many years.But do I really want to pay $599 mostly for a USB-C port? My iPhone 12 Mini still works well, especially after I replaced the battery last year. My Lightning cables still work fine for charging, as does my Lightning-equipped MagSafe Duo. I dont really need a USB-C port for any other reason except convenience.I think Im just going to hang on to my iPhone 12 Mini and see whats in store for the iPhone 17 lineup. But I dont think Ill wait much longer to get a USB-C iPhone. Jay Peters, news editorAn easy unlock with Face IDAt this point, switching between phones is actually pretty simple. Both Android and iOS have made upgrades easy, and you can even switch between operating systems with a cable and a couple of hours. But every time I switch to a device without Face ID or a similar gaze-based authentication system, my muscle memory collapses. Whether Im paying for stuff, accessing passwords, or trying to lock myself out of social media apps, I use the biometric system more than I realize and face unlock is faster, more reliable, and just easier. I love the tactility and smashability of a home button, but Ill happily trade it for that instantaneous, my phone is already unlocked feeling you get from Face ID. David Pierce, editor-at-largeThe new iPhone 16E has a notch which means theres no iPhone on the market with an uninterrupted display. Image: AppleNow with a notchThis design change means the SE finally feels like a modern take on an affordable phone: extremely powerful, packed with AI (for better or worse), and with a full-screen design that doesnt stick out like a sore thumb.The notch isnt exactly Apples bleeding edge I guess well have to wait a few more years for the Dynamic Island to work its way down to the SE line but it brings with it both Face ID and a lot more screen real estate. It is the end of an era, though: theres no longer any iPhone on the market that has an uninterrupted display. Dominic Preston, news editorOnly one rear camera? No problemIt isnt remotely surprising to me that the iPhone 16E only provides one rear camera. Not only does that mirror the 2022 iPhone SE (which sported a 12-megapixel sensor, compared to the iPhone 16Es beefier 48-megapixel sensor), but cameras also tend to have a noticeable correlation with phone price. This is an ideal choice for people who dont need all the fancy camera hardware provided on powerful, more expensive flagship phones.Photography-driven creative folk typically splurge on the latest Pro or standard iPhone model anyway or use a dedicated camera. The design and performance of the iPhone 16E have already been modernized in line with most of Apples current generational lineup any more and it might as well just be an iPhone 16. Jess Weatherbed, news writerThe right price for a proper phoneIts been a long time since Apple offered an affordable iPhone that doesnt require making massive feature tradeoffs for the price. That seems to be changing in the new $599 iPhone 16E, and its about time. The Android ecosystem has had some really nice options around $500 for the past few years from Google, Samsung, and OnePlus all with big, modern screens, plenty of storage, and night mode in the camera app. Thats just not a combination you could get from a new iPhone for under $800 over the last three years. Some folks might be disappointed by losing the home button or having to switch to USB-C (one of us one of us), but I think bringing a modern feature set to the iPhone SE and keeping the price relatively affordable more than makes up for the loss. Id love for it to be a bit cheaper, and not offering MagSafe is a weird choice. But this might be the phone that finally gets my husband to upgrade from his XR, and for that, I am grateful. Allison Johnson, reviews writerSee More: