Apple iPhone 16e has become the budget 'successor' in the iPhone series, replacing the iPhone SE and iPhone 14. Sure, it's missing some flagship features, but it has one unexpected superpower — gaming performance.

Thanks to the new A18 chip (which has one less GPU core than the standard iPhone 16), the iPhone 16e is a real find for mobile gamers who want smooth gameplay, decent battery life, and good temperature control.

So, is the iPhone 16e a true gaming smartphone? Let's delve into this question. 

Gaming Performance of iPhone 16e: Flagship DNA at a Mid-Range Price

Let's start with the hardware. For $599, the iPhone 16e offers the latest Apple A18 chip, the same as in the iPhone 16, but with one important difference: a quad-core GPU instead of a five-core. For some, this might seem like a downside, but in practice, it almost doesn't affect performance in most games, even the most demanding ones.

Compared to the iPhone 15 or even previous Pro models, the 16e holds its own. It has the same 8 GB of RAM, the same fast NVMe storage options (from 128 to 512 GB), and full software support you would expect. Moreover, it runs games that previous models, including the iPhone 15, couldn't handle — such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.

Regarding raw performance — benchmarks place the iPhone 16e somewhere between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, which makes sense given the GPU difference. But thanks to Apple's optimization, in real-world use, these differences are minimal. Geekbench results are nearly identical to the iPhone 16 in single-core tests, and even slightly better in multi-core scenarios.

The benchmarks speak for themselves. Geekbench 6 scores 3,441 in the single-core test and 8,362 in the multi-core, which is even better than the iPhone 16 results. In GFXBench Aztec Ruins, the iPhone 16e scored 3,783 frames at 58.8 FPS, while the iPhone 16 scored 3,867 frames at 61.2 FPS.

3DMark Wild Life Extreme shows the difference in graphical capabilities even more clearly — the 16e scored 3,041 points with an average FPS of 18.4, while the iPhone 16 scored 4,132 and 24.7 FPS. If you're a hardcore mobile gamer, you might need the power reserve of the Pro model.

During testing, the phone easily handled projects like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG, NBA 2K25, Asphalt 9: United, and even Resident Evil 4 — without lags, freezes, but with some FPS fluctuations depending on graphics settings. The performance is crisp, and the graphics are good, especially for a smartphone without the Pro label.

A pleasant bonus is the support for hardware ray tracing. This feature was previously available only on Pro chips, and now it allows playing AAA projects like Assassin’s Creed: Mirage on a regular iPhone without any compromises.

Ergonomics and Comfort of Use

As for the screen — yes, it's only a 60 Hz OLED, not 120 Hz like in flagship models with ProMotion, but even so, gaming feels smooth and rich. The OLED display offers vibrant colors, deep contrast, and although the bezels around the display are a bit thicker than you'd like to see in 2025, they quickly fade from focus when you dive into a game.

However, the cutout for the front camera feels noticeably outdated. It doesn't completely ruin the experience, but in portrait mode or games involving the top part of the screen, it can be a bit distracting.

The heat dissipation is also impressively handled. The iPhone 16e is one of the first iPhones to truly solve the overheating problem that plagued the iPhone 15. Even when the A18 is running at full capacity in Genshin or titles from Apple Arcade, the phone remains only slightly warm — never too hot and, importantly, not uncomfortable.

Towards the end, when the charge drops below 10%, the body, especially the aluminum sides, becomes warmer, but there's no noticeable drop in performance until the very last percent, when slight stuttering appears.

Gaming Battery Life

Now — onto the gaming battery life test. You can drain the iPhone 16e from 100% to 0% by playing continuously, with connected controllers (both wired and wireless), with heavy projects like Genshin and 2K25 for 5-6 hours of gameplay.

After an hour in Genshin at maximum settings, the charge typically drops only to 84%. Two hours in Call of Duty bring it down to 60%, and PUBG kept the phone at a comfortable level of about 55%. Overall, this entire gaming session, the iPhone 16e lasts somewhat longer than the iPhone SE, and even longer than the iPhone 16 Pro.

In total — almost 5 hours of continuous gaming with maximum brightness and controller use. For comparison: the iPhone 16 Pro would last only 4 hours and 10 minutes in a similar scenario.

For another clear illustration, a battery stress test was conducted in the game Resident Evil 2 on different versions of the iPhone 16. Each device had a full battery charge, the same graphics settings, and the same hero idling location. The test results are shown in the table below:

Partly, this battery endurance is thanks to Apple's well-balanced solutions. The 60 Hz display consumes less energy, and the quad-core GPU is less power-hungry. Add a slightly larger battery and a new, more efficient 3 nm chip — and you get a smartphone that lasts longer than even some of its more expensive counterparts during extended gaming sessions.

Does the iPhone 16e support controllers?

Compatibility with controllers is another significant advantage. Thanks to USB-C and Bluetooth, connecting a PlayStation or Xbox controller is a matter of seconds. Wired connection offers almost zero latency, and wireless works very stably. Playing Resident Evil 4 with a gamepad on the phone feels almost like a console experience, especially with such graphics quality and immersive sound through stereo speakers.

So, is the iPhone 16e a gaming smartphone? Formally — no. But in terms of performance, efficiency, and temperature control — it might be the best budget gaming iPhone Apple has ever created. And if you're not deterred by 60 Hz and a bit of bezel, this smartphone could become a sleeper hit among mobile gamers in 2025.