Apple dares users to fix 'budget' iPhone 16e themselves

But factor in the price increase, and it might be worth sitting this one out

Apple has launched a new budget iPhone. Rather than discussing specifications or the price hike, the real question is whether the company's latest and cheapest can be repaired.

Terrors of the Torx screw iFixit tore Apple's iPhone 16e apart and found good news and bad.

First, the bad news. Besides the price hike, which takes Apple's phone for the budget-conscious from $/£429 to $/£599, there is some missing functionality and curious design decisions. There's no MagSafe, a baffling omission that will irritate consumers using wireless charging. Then there's the USB-C port for connectivity and charging, which requires disassembling the phone to access.

Apple gets kudos for providing a repair manual for charging ports – one of the smartphone components most likely to need repair or replacement during its lifetime. However, iFixit still called the repair "a beast."

"It's wild to bury such an important part under essentially every other component, but now at least Apple spells out the process," the team said.

On to the good news. First, the battery uses the same electrically released adhesive seen in other devices in the iPhone 16 line-up, so removal is relatively straightforward once the case has been pried open. The team also didn't encounter parts-pairing issues that repairers often face when swapping components.

Digging further into the phone, the iFixit team found Apple's replacement for the Qualcomm modem, the C1. There is also the A18 chip (with a weaker GPU than other models), a selection of front and rear-facing cameras, and, of course, no home button on the front.

While some users might grumble about the final departure of the home button from Apple's line-up, iFixit described it as "probably a repairability win."

The component experienced high wear and tear and served as an ingress point for dust and water. Because it had Touch ID, replacing it was a pain. According to iFixit, "it has remained untouched by parts-pairing limitations in Right to Repair laws that exempt biometric authentication components."

"We won't be crying any tears for the home button. It's a fragile, often damaged component that's got frustrating software limitations on repair. In favor of simplification, good riddance."

The device received a provisional 7 out of 10 for repairability, reflecting Apple's progress in making repairs easier. However, does that mean it is worth getting one?

"Still, there's not much worth writing home about here, especially with the increased price. All the more reason to skip the upgrade and, when you do eventually replace your phone, buy refurbished." ®