Apple’s best iPhones don’t come cheap. That said, it’s been better about launching affordable versions of its flagship phones in the past few years. The iPhone 16e is the latest iteration of the cheaper SE series, which opens the gates for those of us who don’t have as much money to spare. It succeeds the iPhone SE 3, a “small in size, big in value” phone that’s been waiting for an upgrade for over two years.
Apple has stepped forward in some aspects, like adding premium features like Apple Intelligence and face recognition to the iPhone 16e, but it still might be a while until we see an increase in iPhone refresh rates. Here’s everything we know about the iPhone 16e refresh rate and why a 120Hz rate is so appealing.
The iPhone 16e does not have a 120Hz refresh rate. At its launch event, Apple confirmed it would come with a 60Hz display, which matches the trend with its latest iPhones. The iPhone 16e is a budget iPhone, and not even the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a privilege reserved for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. For reference, both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have a 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone SE 3 also had the same refresh rate.
While we listed the 60Hz refresh rate as a con in our iPhone 16 reviews, the 60Hz refresh rate on a cheaper phone is a little more reasonable.
A high refresh rate can add fluidity and minimize lag on your phone so that navigating it feels as seamless as possible. It’s an especially attractive quality for watching live broadcasts or playing mobile games. The refresh rate on your device equates to how quickly it’ll refresh the screen at any given time, so a 120Hz refresh rate is capable of refreshing at almost double the speed of a 60Hz phone. A 60Hz display might seem choppy in comparison.
However, you might not even need a 120Hz display for an iPhone. One of our staffers found that 60Hz on the iPhone 15 is actually fine, possibly because Apple’s powerful processors make up for it. Having the same refresh rate for a phone that’s expected to cost a fraction of the price sounds like a win to me.
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