Apple's Home Button is dead and gone: iPhone 16e

 I've been using Apple devices with a Home Button since the 2nd generation iPod touch around 2009.

With the iPhone 16e, the Home Button is gone.  There is still a fingerprint reader in some iPad Power Buttons but that's it.  The iPhone 16e has Face ID, along with a passcode to secure the device.

As someone who has kept with the original aesthetic through the 2022 iPhone SE, I'm not sure that I want to switch, but will probably do it just to arrive sooner than later.  I dislike the inane gestures, and there won't be any substitutes as there are on Android.  People around me have switched and when they need help, we struggle a fair amount.

The price is up US$170 with a minimum storage size of 128 GB in contrast to the 64 GB base of the 2022 iPhone SE.  When I bought the 2020 and 2022 models, I paid the extra $150 up front to get the 256 GB model.  Then, the 2020 was $0.00 per month (for 18 months) with credits and the 2022 as $1.25 per month (for 24 months) with credits.  If I remember correctly, I had a pay off at the end of the 2020 plan.  I would expect to pay something like $3.75 per month for the iPhone 16e.

What's good is that it has a version of the iPhone 16 SoC (System on a Chip), just as the 2022 iPhone SE had a version of the iPhone 13 SoC.  It's probably not as powerful, but better than the competition and 40% faster than the 2022 iPhone SE.  It has more RAM for games and AI.  I have zero use for AI right now.  In 30 years, it will probably be very useful.  Right now, it's an infant and I don't want to change diapers.

It also has the Apple-developed 5G cellular modem that they bought from Intel who bought from someone else. The modem in the 2022 iPhone SE isn't particularly quick but it is reliable.  This new one is the first of its kind.  It might work okay.  Supposedly, there are some outstanding patent issues they need to settle.  It does not support the infamous mmWave, which is just fine with me.  Who will be close enough to the tower, without obstructions, to actually use mmWave connections?

I hope that the OLED technology is at least as reliable as the LCD is on the current model.  It's a 60 Hz OLED display and that could mean problems scrolling.  I've seen how bad that could be with the Google Pixel 6a.  I don't care to revisit such a situation with an iPhone.

They replaced the 12 MP camera sensor with 48 MP and a 26 MP telephoto mode.  That's more than either of my camera bodies and they will still have better image quality because they're not trying to squeeze so much into a small space.  I have referred to this as a noisy bus.  The bus is nice and quiet with a few passengers, but when you overload it and have people standing in the aisle, people will be unhappy and complain.  The size of most phone sensors is tiny.

All that said, if you're looking for an iPhone, the 16e is a place to start.  It's only US$100 cheaper than the next available phone.  You can get less expensive Android-based phones.  If you're looking for something Android, take a look at OnePlus.  I saw a deal on a 120 Hz OLED display, 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for US$599.  It's a OnePlus 13R.

Update 2025.02.27: Apparently, the 16e has better battery life than the iPhone 16, and the 5G modem is partly responsible.

Update 2025.03.07: I just bought an iPhone 15 with my 2022 iPhone SE going back as a trade-in device.  It won't be as powerful as the 16e but it will have a better display.  At about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months, it wasn't a huge difference.  I would normally wait for Memorial Day deals but I don't care for the iPhone 16e.  I'm not saying that it's a bad phone.  It's just not a good choice for me.

With the iPhone 15 having a better SoC than the iPhone 13 generation, I'll have better power.  Being pushed into a 6.1 inch display, I'd rather have one that is a bit better.  I'm not sure the extra camera module will have any significance.  I'd rather take a real camera with me.

OM System OM-3: Is it for you?

 Those of us who have been using micro Four-Thirds for a while have been waiting for this HUGE announcement of a retro camera.  The company showed the original, 135 Format OM-3.

 I've been happy with the way the E-M1 worked but not necessarily its shape.  The grip was a bit cramped for my fingers and the rear display out in the open meant that I could change settings with my nose.  They fixed the rear display, and they slightly changed the grip with the E-M1 Mk II.

Time passed and the photographic division of Olympus was sold to a holding company.  They paid to finish updates that had already been through the engineering phase, and they created the OM-1.  Then, the time ran out for using the "Olympus" name and they modified it to say "OM System" and slightly modified it otherwise.

The other day the OM-3 arrived, as slippery as my old OM-1N from the 1970s.  Nikon has two bodies like that, the Z f (135 Format) and the Z fc (APS-C) .  I don't understand why, except for nostalgia, anyone would want a slippery camera body.  They're too expensive to drop. 

At US$2000, it's way too expensive to drop.  I immediately thought about buying an E-M1 Mk III to get much of the functionality without the risk.  The OM-3 is priced between the OM-5 and the OM-1 Mk II.  The functionality is between the two.

The one difference that the OM-3 has is the Creative Dial.  This is something they added to the Pen-F, a model which won hearts but didn't sell well enough for a follow-on camera body.

I've seen a few of the first impressions videos on YouTube.  Most of them are sales pitches, which isn't a good idea.  PetaPixel's Chris Nicholls and Jordan Drake tell it how it is but OM Digital probably doesn't appreciate that.

It's a good camera body.  The Creative Dial gives it interesting options that no other camera has.  I like my Panasonic S5 Mk II for the ability to use LUTs to change the look of photos or video.  It's color grading in the camera.  The OM-3 Creative Dial goes further.  You can play with the color as you're looking at the scene to create your own look right there.  That's impressive, but who will spend the time to use it?

There are a lot of Pen F users who feel abandoned by the lack of a Pen F Mk II.  Would they spend US$2000 for the OM-3 to get an update? 

Update 2025.02.20: Watching Micro Four Nerds video about the re-made 17mm f/1.8 and 25mm f/1.8 lenses that arrived with the OM-3, she states that they're rated IPX1, which is just slightly better than nothing.  I don't have the 17mm f/1.8 but I won't be replacing the 25mm f/1.8 until it's inoperable.

It's all interesting that OM Digital has been around five years now and they've survived.  The OM-1 was an improvement over the E-M1 Mk III with a new sensor but will they just create equipment by using what parts are already in the warehouse?  To many of us who became familiar with Olympus in the 1970s, it just seems sad that the innovator has gone away.  Other companies have examined and re-created Olympus' innovations over the years and put their own name on them, but without the company, would any camera body today be so good? 

Update 2025.02.21: I have mentioned the E-M1 Mk III on a few YouTube videos about the OM-3 and to my surprise, when I looked for one today, they were all gone.