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On Wednesday morning, Apple pulled the wraps off the iPhone 16e, now the cheapest model in the company’s current lineup. It essentially replaces the outdated 2022 iPhone SE as the “affordable” option, but it marks a shift away from the significant discount the older SE line was known for. The iPhone 16e starts at $599, narrowing the gap between it and the $799 iPhone 16 that came out last fall. It will be available for pre-order starting Friday, Feb. 21 with the street date following the next week on Friday, Feb. 28.

The iPhone 16e is also the first phone to feature Apple’s C1 cellular modem. Apple has had a lot of success with its in-house chips, such as the M1 and up in its computers and the A-series chips in its mobile devices. The cellular modem is a critical but oft-overlooked element in phones, and if Apple hasn’t stuck the landing on the C1, it could mean all sorts of connectivity issues. Hopefully Apple learned its lesson from the “Antennagate” scandal – when iPhone 4 struggled with cell signal strength because of the design and placement of the antennas – and ensured the iPhone 16e’s connectivity is up to snuff.

From the front, you’d be hard pressed to tell this phone apart from the iPhone 14. The specifications of the display are identical, offering a 6.1-inch OLED with a 2532×11170 resolution panel and 1,200-nit peak brightness. This isn’t as sharp or nearly as bright as the iPhone 16. The iPhone 16e does get the Action button and a USB-C port, though it misses out on the Camera Control.

Around the back, the iPhone 16e is more distinct from its iPhone kin, as it has just a single camera, much like the iPhone SE before it. It’s a 48MP sensor with a lot in common with the current iPhone 16’s main camera, but Apple reserves a few elements for the higher-tier phone, like sensor-shift stabilization, the latest version of Photographic styles, and the ability to adjust focus in portrait mode. Meanwhile, the selfie camera appears to be identical and brings Face ID to the iPhone 16e.

The phone is cased in aluminum, a glass back, and Apple’s Ceramic Shield on front. While Apple still suggests that this Ceramic Shield is “tougher than any smartphone glass” in its press release, it’s worth noting that Apple itself offers a newer blend of Ceramic Shield that claims to be “two times tougher than any smartphone glass.” That certainly raises some question about how tough the older Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 16e really is, especially when I saw plenty of wear and tear on the display when I reviewed the iPhone 16.

The internals of the phone are an interesting demonstration of product stratification. There was already a gap between the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro in that the Pro models got an A18 Pro chip with faster speeds and more GPU cores. While the iPhone 16e is packing an “A18” chip like the iPhone 16, it’s not quite the same. It has the same number of CPU cores, but it only gets a 4-core GPU, down from the iPhone 16’s 5-core GPU. Given the iPhone 16’s small performance deficit next to the iPhone 16 Pro, I’d expect the iPhone 16e to take yet another step down. Still, with the Neural Engine intact on the iPhone 16e, it will be able to tap into the various Apple Intelligence features, for whatever that’s worth.

Naturally, there is some compromise for the iPhone 16e – there had to be for it to land with a lower price than the other phones in Apple’s roster. All told, it doesn’t seem overly compromised, but it’s also not carrying as much of a discount as the early iPhone SE models did. Coming in at $599 may make it Apple’s cheapest phone, but Apple’s last budget model, the 2022 iPhone SE, launched with a $429 price tag while carrying the same chip as the then $799 iPhone 13. Its design was very dated at the time, but there was no ignoring the nearly 50% discount it provided. This time, Apple is at least basing the iPhone 16e on a design that’s just a couple years old, even if it’s gotten minor tweaks every year since 2018.

We’ll have to see how well the iPhone 16e actually performs. But with the Android market already offering some compelling iPhone alternatives around $600, like the OnePlus 13R, Apple may have a hard time courting buyers who aren’t already locked into the Apple ecosystem.

Mark Knapp is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything electronics and gaming hardware. He has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry with bylines at PCMag, Reviewed, CNET, and more. Find Mark on Twitter @Techn0Mark or BlueSky at @Techn0Mark.

It’s time to mobilise fellow bargain hunters because the new discount list just dropped. Leading the charge is Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a moustachioed Switch must-have alongside perennial PC classic Skyrim Anniversary for 77% less. I’m also mega impressed by a similar percentage off Shin Megami Tensei V on Xbox plus an all-out war on the RRP of Space Marine 2 on PlayStation. These deals won’t last forever, friends, so loot ‘em while they’re hot.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m celebrating the 22nd birthday of Rez, Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s synesthesia masterpiece. One part Panzer Dragoon on-rails shooting and another part LSD degrees of “ohhh, I can seeee the muuuusic,” this Dreamcast must-own stands up today, particularly inside of a PS VR2 headset.

The ROG Ally burst onto the scene in 2023 as a great alternative to the Steam Deck, offering access to even more games thanks to it running on a Windows operating system. Last year saw the release of the ROG Ally X that not only beefed up the internals, but also made the device far more comfortable to hold with better cooling.

While the ROG Ally’s biggest selling point is its portability, it’s nice to have the option to kick back on the couch and play games on the TV or on gaming monitor. Thankfully, both ROG Ally models can be connected to an external display so you can experience your games on the big screen. Check out the full rundown below to find out how to connect your ROG Ally to a TV or monitor, as well as step-by-step instructions and recommendations.

How to Connect With an Adapter

There are multiple ways to connect your ROG Ally to your TV or monitor, but an adapter is a simple solution that doesn’t take up much space. Whether you prefer a small dongle-style adapter, direct cable, or the official ROG Gaming Charger Dock, there are plenty of options available.

What You’ll Need

The next season of Daredevil is fast approaching and the creators are already thinking about what’s next, even maybe a Defenders reunion.

In a big profile on EW. Marvel Studios’ head of streaming and TV Brad Winderbaum is certainly exploring the opportunity to reunite the street level heroes of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, better known as The Defenders.

While there’s nothing officially set in stone, Winderbaum tells EW, “It’s certainly exciting to be able to play in that sandbox… Obviously, we don’t have the unlimited storytelling resources like a comic book, [where] if you can draw it, you can do it. We’re dealing with actors and time and the massive scale of production in order to build a cinematic universe, especially on television.”

He adds, “But I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring.”

We already know Daredevil: Born Again will be a direct continuation of the Daredevil story started on Netflix. And that Netflix did briefly host their own Marvel universe albeit on a smaller scale thanks to shows like Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. Based on Winderbaum’s comments, Daredevil: Born Again could be a launchpad to revive all those characters on Disney’s own terms through Disney Plus. After all, the new season already includes Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, so that’s another Netflix hero officially transferred over.

For now, we’ll have to see what happens in Daredevil: Born Again when it premieres on March 4 before speculating how Daredevil can tie into the larger MCU.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

A new Street Fighter movie has selected its challenger, I mean, director.

The Hollywood Reporter says Kitao Sakurai, writer, director, and executive producer on the absurd comedy show The Eric Andre Show, will direct a new film adaptation of Street Fighter for Legendary Entertainment.

Capcom is said to be “deeply involved” with the adaptation with the movie already given a March 20, 2026 release date.

This will be the latest attempt at bringing Street Fighter to the big screen, though who can ever forget the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile, Ming-Na Wen as Chun-Li, and the late Raul Julia as M. Bison. A masterpiece, even if critics at the time didn’t think so.

No word yet on casting, but you can probably expect to see some of your favorite Street Fighter characters appear in this one.

A previous version of this film initially had Talk to Me directors Danny and Michael Philippou attached to helm the film, but they departed the project in the summer of last year. The choice of Eric Andre Show alum Sakurai could mean that Legendary is moving in a new, more absurdist direction for the film. As a fan of the more cartoony elements of Street Fighter, I’m actually excited if this is the case.

In the meantime, you can play the most recent Street Fighter game, Street Fighter 6 which recently released its newest fighter, Mai Shiranui. Check out our full Street Fighter 6 review here.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.