Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone.

We now have confirmation of why the iPhone 16e lacks MagSafe, and the reason is not solely financial.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

One of the most surprising aspects of the new iPhone 16e is its lack of MagSafe. MagSafe is an Apple-created tech that’s so good that the Wireless Power Consortium adopted it as the basis of the Qi2 wireless charging standard used by non-Apple devices. But it’s not on the iPhone 16e, and that’s by design.

When Apple first introduced MagSafe for the iPhone in 2020, I did not fully appreciate it. iPhones had supported wireless charging for a few years at that point—and Android phones started doing so in 2012—and while MagSafe offered faster and less finicky charging,

The iPhone 16e doesn't officially support MagSafe charging, but a test shows that you might want MagSafe cases nonetheless.

With a premium MagSafe case, this should enable the phone to lock magnetically to the MagSafe charger, ensuring alignment between the charger and the phone’s wireless charging coil, and therefore optimized coupling between the coils of the phone and the charger.

Apple’s decision to remove MagSafe from the iPhone 16e has brought criticism, but the company believes it won’t matter to target customers.

You may also have seen in Apple's comparison tool that the iPhone 16e lacks “DC-HSDPA,” even though it's available in its pricier siblings. This is a 3G carrier aggregation technology that isn't as common these days, since 3G networks are being deprecated, so it shouldn't be an issue.