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The Trump administration is terminating thousands of foreign assistance grants and awards, according to a court filing. The move effectively guts the six-decade-old agency.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 27.

Asus ROG Pelta: one-minute review

The ROG Pelta is another banger device from Asus’ gaming division. Compatible across most platforms with wired (via USB-C, no 3.5mm in-line sound) and wireless (Bluetooth and 2.4GHz dongle) connectivity, the Pelta gets the important things right and skips the over-the-top extras.

The headphones, which are a step down in price and features from the flagship ROG Delta II, axe things like an extensive battery life, full-range size adjustment, extra cushioning and excessive RGB (though you’ll still find a programmable, glowing ROG logo on both sides).

Simplifying the things that made the Delta II such an attractive headset into a more affordable unit makes sense when it feels like everything is getting expensive around us. The same microphone and 50mm audio drivers are used between the Delta II and the Pelta, so you’re not missing out on sound and performance, but perhaps you’ll miss the comfort and battery life boasted by the top model.

Moreover, the greater points of adjustment present on the Delta II would have been welcome on the Pelta, as it can be difficult to find that comfort sweet spot when you only have three size options instead of telescopic arms. The microphone will also be tiresome if you’re the type to remove it when it’s not in use, as its plastic exterior needs to align perfectly with that of the headset if it’s to make a successful connection.

Finally, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack for audio between your machine and your headphones (again, unlike the Delta II), so if you want to connect this thing over a wired connection, you’ll need to settle for a USB-C cable. Not a huge issue, but it may be a dealbreaker for some users.

For me, though, I’ve been very satisfied with this headset and its feature set. I’ve enjoyed it for the features it offers, including a useful pause/play button on the side and a slider that toggles between Bluetooth/off/2.4GHz, and I’d happily continue to use it instead of my Logitech G Pro X2 headset.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar) Asus ROG Pelta: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $129.99 / £124.99 / AU$269
• When is it available? Available now in US/UK, coming soon to Australia
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, Australia and other regions

Coming in at a much lower price point than the ROG Delta II headphones (those were priced at $229 / £219 / AU$369 when they released late last year), the Pelta streamlines a lot of what made the top-end ROG headset so good. In our ROG Delta II review, we criticized the headphones for perhaps being a bit feature light, and the Pelta keeps this up but at a much more attractive cost.

That being said, even the ROG Pelta is in hot competition with more feature-rich rivals, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$299) and its companion app. The Pelta, though, doesn't give the impression it's losing out on the features front.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar) Asus ROG Pelta: Specs Asus ROG Pelta: Features

• 50mm titanium-Plated Diaphragm Drivers
• Immersive stereo sound
• Great physical buttons on the left cup

The Pelta recontextualizes the ROG headset offering. The Delta II was already skimping on extras when it was released last year, but the Pelta adapts the Delta II’s impressive upgrades (in particular its titanium drivers) into a much more affordable package.

That means, for the most part, you’re getting the same high-end beast but cheaper. The 20Hz - 20KHz audio frequency response is the same across both units, as is the 100Hz - 10KHz microphone.

I’ll swear by the sound quality and microphone quality of the Pelta. It’s rich, deep and loud, maintaining high-quality sound to its loudest volume and allowing for a lot of customization in ROG’s Armory Crate application. Though heavy bass does suffer compared to a headset like the Logitech G Pro X2.

The 900mAh battery capacity is impressive, offering up to 90 hours with lighting off and 60 hours with it on. Using the headset casually across four weeks, between games and watching TV shows and Twitch streams, I only needed to charge it twice while having the RGB enabled. It’s an acceptable battery life and a welcome downsize from the enormous 1,800mAh battery in the Delta II.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The microphone is removable and can be bent around freely, though I found putting the microphone back into the jack could be a pain if you don’t align it just right, due to its unique triangular shape.

Finally, the buttons present on the headset feel very sensible. A volume wheel is there with a decent amount of travel for your fingertip, alongside a microphone off/on button and, my favorite, a pause/play button. Given I'd been using a keyboard that doesn’t have media controls during my testing period, this has been a fairly useful feature and one that I hope more headsets adopt. The off/on slider is mixed with a connection toggle – the central position selects off, sliding up selects Bluetooth, and down selects 2.4GHz. A soundbite played through the headset will indicate if it’s turning on or off and if it’s connecting to either the dongle or Bluetooth.

Just keep in mind that the ROG Pelta uses a USB-C dongle – in case you don’t have a free USB-C port on your device, this may present itself as an issue.

• Features: 5/5

Asus ROG Pelta: Sound quality

• High-end audio in a cheap unit
• Terrific adjustment options
• Good but not the best deep bass

Carrying over the audio quality from Asus’ top gaming headset, the ROG Pelta doesn’t disappoint where it matters. The standard stereo sound profile is well balanced for all kinds of audio-visual media, which of course includes games, but it’s also fit for music streaming, TV shows and movies. Sound is crystal clear even with the volume cranked to maximum, though bass depth may leave you craving something with a bit more punch.

Asus’ ROG Armory Crate app offers a decent user experience for making sound quality adjustments. For the most part, I set the headset to the ‘communication’ sound profile as it offered the balanced mix I preferred the most (as I switch between a racing, shooting, RPG and sim game quite readily), though I was pretty blown away with the depth of the FPS preset, which made projectiles and explosions in Marvel Rivals really jump out at me. Still, finding the mode that set the best experience across all uses kept me from constantly dipping in and out of Armory Crate, so that’s what I did.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

Of course, you don’t merely have to use a preset. There are plenty of sliders to fiddle with so you can tailor the sound to your ears, and there’s also some useful sliders for bass boosting, voice clarity and voice compression.

The microphone quality was a bit middle-of-the-road, but I didn’t expect breathtaking clarity. The much more expensive Logitech G Pro X2 has the same microphone arrangement and produces similar results. You’ll have no problem being understood with this microphone, but it’s certainly not broadcast spec.

On the whole, the headset's sound quality is immersive and had no trouble bringing the worlds of Avowed, Marvel Rivals, Forza Horizon 5, The Headliners and other games to life.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar) Asus ROG Pelta: Design

• Comfortable ear cushions
• Only three points of adjustment
• Microphone can get a bit annoying

I’m content saying that these are extremely comfortable headphones, particularly for long gameplay sessions in the summer. My home doesn’t have air conditioning, and I’ll typically play games at my computer for hours, often leading to discomfort in and around my ears from the sweat and the constant contact. The ROG Pelta headset hasn’t been irritating my skin as much as other headsets have in the past, and I feel like I can play for longer durations with its comfortable cushioning.

Still, design is another area where the Pelta took a noticeable step down from the Delta II. It features slightly lower-end mesh fabric cushioning around the ears (as above, I personally found this fine), along with only three points of size adjustment for the headband as opposed to the telescoped design you’ll find on many other high-end headsets. This means that it can be difficult to find that comfort sweet spot and, unlike telescoping headsets, you’re stuck with the one size you’ve selected unless you go through the (admittedly easy) process of removing and reapplying the headband. This is no dealbreaker and, indeed, the sizing options are far reaching enough to satisfy a good range of users.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The only other thing that irked me on the design front was the microphone. It’s surrounded by a triangular plastic casing and needs to be inserted at the exact angle. It’s not easy if you aren't looking at the port while plugging it in, and it’ll feel firmly inserted even if the jack isn’t making proper contact with the port. This led to some audio technical difficulties on Discord a couple of times, but once you catch it, it’s easy to identify.

The inclusion of a red light on the end of the microphone boom to indicate if you’re muted or not is also a great feature and I appreciated it being there.

• Design: 4/5

Should you buy the Asus ROG Pelta? Buy them if...

You want high-quality sound without the price tag

Sporting the same drivers as the ROG Delta II, you’ll likely be comfortable with the sound achieved by the Pelta.

You’re already in the ROG-o-sphere

For the sake of lowering the amount of peripheral programs on your computer, you may want to skip these if you don’t want Armory Crate.

Don’t buy them if…

You’re an Xbox gamer

Due to the lack of a 3.5mm jack, the Pelta isn’t natively compatible with Xbox consoles.

You’re concerned about it fitting on your head

The three size options may be a bit limiting if you tend to take some time to find the perfect fit for your head.

Also Consider

Asus ROG Delta II

More premium and more expensive, the ROG Delta II might be attractive for its longer battery life, greater comfort and more flashy RGB.

Read our full Asus ROG Delta II review

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

Available at the same price in many markets, the Arctis Nova 5 is considerable for its great battery life, build quality and brilliant companion app.

Read our full Steelseries Arctis Nova 5 review

Razer Barracuda X Chroma

Similar to the ROG Pelta, the Barracuda X Chroma offers top-end audio quality as a more budget-friendly model.

Read our full Razer Barracuda X Chroma review

How I tested the Asus ROG Pelta

• Tested for four weeks
• Used across various Windows PCs
• Mostly used for gaming, also used for watching TV and music streaming

From the moment I received the Asus ROG Pelta for review, I immediately got to work testing them. I used the headset across a mix of Windows devices and my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra phone, but I primarily used them for gaming.

The games I tested the headset with include Marvel Rivals, Avowed, The Headliners, Forza Horizon 5. Across these games, I changed up my audio settings with the ROG Armory Crate app, and used both the Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections, along with the wired connection. I would play games and watch shows for hours on end with the Pelta headset and often wear them while doing housework and cooking.

• First tested in February 2025

• xAI’s Grok 3 chatbot has added a voice mode with multiple personalities
• One personality is called “unhinged” and will scream and insult you
• Grok also has personalities for NSFW roleplay, crazy conspiracies, and an “Unlicensed Therapist” mode

AI voice assistants are usually polite, informative, and calm when they respond to you. xAI’s Grok 3 has apparently decided to set that strategy on fire, sending it literally screaming into the void.

Grok 3 has multiple voice options, each with a distinct personality, including an “unhinged” option that will yell, insult, and indeed scream at you before shutting down in the right circumstances.

AI developer Riley Goodside showcased just how wild the unhinged voice for Grok 3 can be in a recording where he repeatedly interrupts Grok’s responses. The AI soon becomes frustrated and finally snaps, letting out a disturbingly long, horror-movie-worthy shriek. It then throws in a final insult before cutting the call. A masterpiece of customer service, this is not. You can hear it in the clip below.

Grok 3 Voice Mode, following repeated, interrupting requests to yell louder, lets out an inhuman 30-second scream, insults me, and hangs up pic.twitter.com/5GtdDtpKceFebruary 24, 2025

Voice of the unhinged

The “unhinged” personality is just one of several that Grok’s new voice mode offers. There’s also “Storyteller,” which does exactly what it sounds like; “Conspiracy,” which is really into Sasquatch and alien abductions; and “Unlicensed Therapist,” a personality that apparently failed the exams, possibly over a lack of empathy.

Then there’s “Sexy” mode, which is labeled 18+ and, unlike the voice settings of competitors like ChatGPT, does not shy away from full-on roleplaying NSFW scenarios. So, Grok will scream at you or whisper sweet nothings into your ear, depending on your preference.

It's a vision of AI that may not appeal to everyone. That said, it completely aligns with how CEO Elon Musk described xAI's goals in countering what he claims are overly sanitized and politically correct AI models from companies like OpenAI. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT has a voice feature, it’s still programmed to maintain a neutral, controlled demeanor. Grok, on the other hand, is unpredictable. It doesn’t just let you talk over it; it may react aggressively or emotionally. Not that you'd notice in the official promotions, however.

Try Grok voice conversation mode!Requires a Premium+ or SuperGrok subscription. pic.twitter.com/247Ev60DoJFebruary 24, 2025

Most mainstream AI tools have strict guidelines about content, particularly around "adult" topics. Grok 3 has seemingly been programmed with the opposite philosophy, except for when the company decides the model needs to be "corrected" in claims about the CEO.

Of course, this approach isn’t without controversy. AI personalities like “Unlicensed Therapist” could easily give people misleading or unhelpful advice, while a chatbot that openly encourages conspiracy theories seems like it could go off the rails quickly. And the “Sexy” mode? Well, that’s another ethical discussion that few would expect to have regarding mainstream AI tools. There’s also the question of how much of this is genuinely useful versus just pure spectacle. Very loud spectacle.

You might also like

• Elon Musk says Grok 2 is going open source as he rolls out Grok 3 for Premium+ X subscribers only
• Grok steps out to mobile with new standalone iOS app
• Grok-2 arrives on X with AI image creation, precious few guardrails, and lots of questions

As you celebrate Pokemon Day this year you might want to catch 'em all, enter a multiplayer online battle arena or solve an engrossing mystery. Whatever you want to play -- the Pokemon series has you covered.

Apple didn't include every bell and whistle, but the company wisely incorporated many of the best ones

Apple iPhone 16e: Two-Minute Review

The iPhone 16e is a good phone. It has a pleasing design, and it feels like a true member of the iPhone 16 family. It is not a great phone, though – how could it be with a retro notch in the Super Retina XDR display and just a single 48MP camera?

There are 'budget' phones that cost far less and which have larger screens and multiple rear cameras. They're not iOS handsets, and that counts for something – any new iPhone joins an expansive and well-designed ecosystem offering connective tissue between excellent Apple services and other Apple hardware. I mostly live in that world now, and I appreciate how well my iPhone 16 Pro Max works with, for instance, my Mac, and how all my cloud-connected services know it's me on the line.

It's been a while since I've had such conflicting feelings about an iPhone. I appreciate that Apple thought it was time to move away from the iPhone SE design language, one that owed most of its look and feel to 2017's iPhone 8. I'm sure Apple couldn't wait to do away with the Lightning port and the Home button with Touch ID (which lives on in Macs and some iPads). But instead of giving us something fresh, Apple took a bit of this and a bit of that to cobble together the iPhone 16e.

The display is almost the best Apple has to offer if you can ignore the notch, aren't bothered by larger bezels, and don't miss the Dynamic Island too much. The main 48MP Fusion camera is very good and shoots high-quality stills and videos, but don't be fooled by the claims of 2x zoom, which is actually a 12MP crop on the middle of the 48MP sensor. I worry that people paying $599 / £599 / AU$999 for this phone will be a little frustrated that they're not at least getting a dedicated ultra-wide camera at that price.

Conversely, there is one bit of this iPhone 16e that's not only new but is, for the moment, unique among iPhone 16 devices: the C1 chip. I don't know why Apple's cheapest iPhone got this brand-new bit of Apple silicon, but it does a good job of delivering 5G and even satellite connectivity. Plus, it starts moving Apple out from under the yolk of Qualcomm, Apple's cellular modem chip frenemy. That relationship has been fraught for years, and I wonder if Apple had originally hoped to put the C1 in all iPhone 16 models but the development schedule slipped.

The iPhone 16e (center) with the iPhone 16 (right) and iPhone SE 3 (left). (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

In any case, while it's hard to measure the connectivity benefits (it's another good 5G modem), Apple says this is the most efficient cellular modem it's ever put in an iPhone (that seems like a swipe at Qualcomm), and helps to deliver stellar battery life: a claimed 26 hours of video streaming. Battery life in real-world use will, naturally, be a different story.

On balance, I like this phone's performance (courtesy of the A18 chip and 8GB of RAM), its looks, and how it feels in the hand (a matte glass back and Ceramic Shield front), and I think iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence is well-thought-out and increasingly intelligent (though Siri remains a bit of a disappointment); but if you're shopping for a sub-$600 phone, there may be other even better choices from the likes of Google (Pixel 8a), OnePlus (OnePlus 13R) and the anticipated Samsung Galaxy S25 FE. You just have to be willing to leave the Apple bubble.

Apple iPhone 16e: Price and availability

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e on February 19, 2025. It joins the iPhone 16 lineup, and starts at $599 / £599 / AU$999 with 128GB of storage, making it the most affordable smartphone of the bunch. It's available in black or white.

While some might consider the iPhone 16e to be the successor to the iPhone SE 3, it has little in common with that device. In particular, that was a $429 phone. At $599, Apple might be stretching the definition of budget, but it is $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 16. The phone's price compares somewhat less favorably outside the iOS sphere. The OnePlus 13R for instance is a 6.7-inch handset with three cameras, and the Google Pixel 8a matches the iPhone 16e's 6.1-inch screen size (though at a lower resolution), but also includes two rear cameras.

You won't find more affordable new phones in the iOS space. The iPhone 15 has the main and ultra-wide camera and the Dynamic Island, but it costs $699 / £699 / AU$1,249. A refurbished iPhone 14 costs $529, but neither it nor the iPhone 15 supports Apple Intelligence.

• Value score: 4/5

Apple iPhone 16: Specs Apple iPhone 16e: Design

• No trace of the iPhone SE design remains
• Hybrid iPhone 14/15 design
• Sharper edges than the current iPhone 16 design

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There's no question that the iPhone 16e is a part of the iPhone 16 family. At a glance, especially when the screen is off, it's almost a dead ringer for the base model; the aerospace aluminum fame is only slightly smaller.

Upon closer examination, those similarities recede, and I can see the myriad differences that make this a true hybrid design. This is now the only iPhone with a single camera, which almost looks a little lonely on the matte glass back. The edges of the metal band that wraps around the body are noticeably sharper than those of any other iPhone 16, but the phone still feels good in the hand.

The button configuration is essentially what you'd find on an iPhone 15. There's the power / sleep / Siri button on the right, and on the left are the two volume buttons and the Action button. Unlike the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup the 16e doesn't get the Camera Control, but at least the Action button is configurable, so you can set it to activate the camera or toggle the Flashlight, Silent Mode, Voice Memo, and more. I set mine to launch Visual Intelligence, an Apple Intelligence feature: you press and hold the Action button once to open it, and press again to grab a photo, and then you can select on-screen if you want ChatGPT or Google Search to handle the query. Apple Intelligence can also analyze the image directly and identify the subject.

The phone is iP68 rated to handle water and dust, including a dunk in six meters of water for 30 minutes. The screen is protected with a Ceramic Shield to better protect it from drops, though I'm not sure it does much to prevent scratches.

I put a case on the phone, never dropped it, and handled it gingerly, and yet within a day I noticed a long scratch on the screen, although I have no recollection of brushing the display against anything. I had a similar situation with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra; I await the phone that can handle life in my pocket (empty other than the phone) without sustaining a scratch.

Overall, if you like the looks of the iPhone 16 lineup (or even the iPhone 14 and 15 lineups) the iPhone 16e will not disappoint.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Apple iPhone 16e: Display

• Almost Apple's best smartphone display
• The notch is back
• The bezels are a little bigger

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If you're coming from the iPhone SE to the iPhone 16E, you're in for quite a shock. This 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen is nothing like the 4.7-inch LCD display on that now-retired design.

The iPhone 16e features a lovely edge-to-edge design – with slightly larger bezels than you'll find on other iPhone 16 phones – that leaves no room for the dearly departed Touch ID Home button. Instead, this phone adopts the Face ID biometric security, which is, as far as I'm concerned, probably the best smartphone face recognition in the business. Face ID lives in the TrueDepth camera system notch, which also accommodates, among other things, the 12MP front-facing camera, microphone, and proximity sensor.

While I never had a big problem with the notch, I can't say I'm thrilled to see it return here. The rest of the iPhone 16 lineup features the versatile Dynamic Island, which I think most would agree is preferable to this cutout.

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The iPhone 16e (left) next to the iPhone SE 3 (middle), and the iPhone 16. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Image 2 of 3

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The iPhone 16e shares the iPhone 16's 460ppi resolution, but it does lose a few pixels (2532 x 1170 versus 2556 x 1179 for the iPhone 16). It still supports True Tone, Wide color (P3), and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The only area where it loses a bit of oomph is on the brightness front. Peak brightness for HDR content is 1,200 nits, and all other content is 800nits. The iPhone 16's peak outdoor brightness is 2,000 nits. As with other non-pro models, the refresh rate on the iPhone 16e sits at a fixed 60Hz.

Even so, I had no trouble viewing the iPhone 16e screen in a wide variety of lighting situations, and any shortcomings are only evident in the brightest, direct sunlight.

In day-to-day use, everything from photos and video to AAA games, apps, and websites looks great on this display. Colors are bright and punchy, and the blacks are inky. I'm not distracted by the notch on games, where it can cut a bit into the gameplay view, and most video streaming defaults to a letterbox format that steers clear of it, with black bars on the left and right sides of the screen.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Apple iPhone 16e: Software and Apple Intelligence

• iOS 18 is a rich and well-thought-out platform
• Apple Intelligence has some impressive features, but we await the Siri of our dreams
• Mail and photo redesigns leave something to be desired

iOS 18 is now smarter, more proactive, and more customizable than ever before. I can transform every app icon from 'Light' to 'Tinted' (monochromatic), fill my home screen with widgets, and expand them until they almost fill the screen. This customizability carries through to the Control Center, which is now a multi-page affair that I can leave alone, or completely reorganize so the tools I care about are available with a quick swipe down from the upper-right corner.

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Apple Intelligence, which Apple unveiled last June, is growing in prominence and utility. It lives across apps like Messages and Email in Writing Tools, which is a bit buried so I often forget it exists. It's in notification summaries that can be useful for at-a-glance action but which are sometimes a bit confusing, and in image-generation tools like Image Playground and Genmojis.

It's also in Visual intelligence, which, as have it set up, gives me one-button access to ChatGPT and Google Search.

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Apple Intelligence Clean Up does an excellent job of removing those big lights (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Image 2 of 2

See? (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I think I prefer the more utilitarian features of Apple Intelligence. like Clean Up and Audio Mix. The former lets you quickly remove people and objects from photos as if they were never there in the first place. Audio Mix is a powerful way to clean up the messiest audio to make it usable in social media, podcasts, or just for sharing with friends.

iOS 18 also features updated Photos and Mail apps with Apple Intelligence. I've struggled a bit with how Photos reorganized my images, and I've had similar issues with how Mail is now reorganizing my emails. I hope Apple takes another run at these apps in iOS 19.

Siri is smarter and more aware of iPhone features than before. It can handle my vocal missteps, and still knows what I want, but remains mostly unaware of my on-device information, and feels far less conversational and powerful as a chatbot than Google Gemini and ChatGPT.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPhone 16e: Camera

• 48MP Fusion is a good camera
• The front-facing camera shines as well
• A single rear camera at this price is disappointing

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

With a more powerful CPU, a bigger screen, and the new C1 chip, I can almost understand why Apple set the iPhone 16e price as high as it did. Almost… until I consider the single, rear 48MP Fusion camera. Most smartphones in this price range feature at least two lenses, and usually the second one is an ultra-wide – without that lens you miss out on not only dramatic ultra-wide shots but also macro photography capabilities. Had Apple priced this camera at $499, I might understand.

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Still, I like this camera. It defaults to shooting in 24MP, which is a bin of the 48MP available on the sensor (two pixels for each single image pixel to double the image information). There's a 2x zoom option, which is useful, but it's only shooting at 12MP because it's only using the central 12 megapixels from the full 48MP frame. These images are still good, but just not the same resolution as the default or what you could get shooting full-frame.

Overall, the camera shoots lovely photos with exquisite detail and the kind of color fidelity I appreciate (in people and skies especially) in a wide variety of scenarios. I captured excellent still lifes, portraits, and night-mode shots. I was also impressed with the front camera, which is especially good for portrait-mode selfies. Much of this image quality is thanks to the work Apple has done on its Photonic Engine. Apple's computational image pipeline pulls out extraordinary detail and nuance in most photographic situations, even if it is for just these two cameras.

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• Camera score: 4 / 5

Apple iPhone 16e: Performance

• The A18 is an excellent and powerful CPU
• It's ready for Apple Intelligence
• C1, Apple's first cellular modem, is effective for 5G and satellite connectivity

If you're wondering why the successor to the iPhone SE is not a $429 smartphone, you might look at the processing combo of the powerful A18 and the new C1.

The A18 is the same chip you'll find in the iPhone 16, with the exception of one fewer GPU core. I promise you'll never notice the difference.

Performance scores are excellent, and in line with the numbers we got for other A18 chips (and slightly lower than what you get from the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max).

The A18 has more than enough power not just for day-to-day tasks like email and web browsing, but for 4K video editing (which I did in CapCut) and AAA gaming (game mode turns on automatically to divert more resources toward gaming). I played Asphalt 9 United, Resident Evil 4, and Call of Duty Mobile, and made things easier for myself by connecting my Xbox controller. My only criticism would be that a 6.1-inch screen is a little tight for these games. The audio from the stereo speakers, by the way, is excellent – I get an impressive spatial audio experience with Resident Evil 4.

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There's also the new C1 chip, which is notable because it's Apple's first custom cellular mobile chip. Previously Apple relied on, among other partners, Qualcomm for this silicon. I didn't notice any difference in connectivity with the new chip, which is a good thing – and I was impressed that I could use text via satellite.

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I didn't think I'd get to test this feature, but AT&T connectivity is so bad in my New York neighborhood that the SOS icon appeared at the top of my iPhone 16e screen, and next to it I noticed the satellite icon. I opened messages, and the phone asked if I wanted to use the Satellite texting feature. I held the phone near my screen door to get a clear view of the sky, and followed the on-display guide that told me which way to point the phone. I got a 'Connected' notification, and then sent a few SMS texts over satellite. It's a nifty feature, and it was a nice little test of the C1's capabilities.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Apple iPhone 16e: Battery

• Long lasting
• Wireless charging
• No MagSafe

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

It's clear that Apple has prioritized battery life on the iPhone 16e over some other features. That would likely explain, for instance, why we have wireless charging but not MagSafe support – adding that magnetic ring might have eaten into battery space. The C1 chip is apparently smaller than the modem chip in other iPhone 16 models, and even the decision to include one camera instead of two probably helped make room for what is a larger battery than even the one in the iPhone 16.

Apple rates the iPhone 16e for 26 hours of video-rundown battery life – that's about four hours more than the iPhone 16. In my real-world testing the battery life has been very good, but varied use can run the battery down in far fewer than 26 hours.

On one day when I did everything from email and web browsing to social media consumption and then a lot of gaming, battery life was about 12 hours – gaming in particular really chewed through the battery and made the phone pretty warm.

My own video rundown test (I played through episodes of Better Call Saul on Netflix) returned about 24 hours of battery life.

I used a 65W USB-C charger to charge the phone to 57% in 30 minutes, with a full charge taking about one hour and 50 minutes. I also tried a 20W charger, which charged the phone to 50% in 30 minutes.

• Battery score: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Apple iPhone 16e? iPhone 16e score card Buy it if..

You want an affordable, smaller iPhone

This is now your only brand-new 'budget' iPhone choice.

You want sub-$600 access to Apple Intelligence

Apple squeezed a A18 chip inside this affordable iPhone to give you access to Apple's own brand of AI.

Don’t buy it if...

You're a photographer

A single, albeit excellent, rear lens won't be enough for people who like to shoot wide-angle and macros.

You never liked the notch

Apple bringing back a none-too-loved display feature doesn't make a lot of sense. If you want the Dynamic Island at a more affordable price than the iPhone 16, take a look at the iPhone 15.

You want a real zoom lens

The 2x zoom on the iPhone 16e is not a true optical zoom; instead, it's a full-frame sensor crop. If a big optical zoom is your thing, look elsewhere.

Apple iPhone 16: Also consider

iPhone 15

For $100 more you get two cameras, the Dynamic Island, and the Camera Control.

Read TechRadar's iPhone 15 review.

Google Pixel 8a

As soon as you step outside the Apple ecosystem you'll find more affordable phones with more features. The Pixel 8a is not as powerful as the iPhone 16e, but it has a nice build, two cameras, excellent Google services integration, and affordable access to Gemini AI features.

Read TechRadar's Google Pixel 8a review.

Apple iPhone 16: How I tested

I've reviewed countless smartphones ranging from the most affordable models to flagships and foldables. I put every phone through as many rigorous tests and everyday tasks as possible.

I had the iPhone 16e for just under a week, and after receiving it I immediately started taking photos, running benchmarks, and using it as an everyday device for photos, videos, email, social media, messaging, streaming video, and gaming.

First reviewed February 26, 2025

Apple’s latest $599 iPhone isn’t the best bang for your buck.

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Almost all of the time spent during Amazon’s February 26, 2025, ‘Devices and Services’ event was on Alexa Plus. It’s the glow-up we’ve been waiting for, seemingly making Alexa much more natural, leagues smarter, and potentially invaluably helpful.

Even so, at the center of all the demos – including the ones led by Devices lead Panos Panay – was one device, the Echo Show 21. It’s the biggest smart display from Amazon and the largest touchscreen Alexa interface, supporting an all-new Alexa Plus user interface (UI) at launch.

Both of those attributes likely made it easier to demonstrate Alexa’s new tricks to a large audience on stage and in demo rooms, but even so, it speaks to Amazon’s bigger ambitions. With Alexa Plus, you can talk more conversationally, interrupting it when necessary just like you would when talking to another person, all without repeating the wake word.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

But it’s also a touch-first experience – now more than ever. When you ask Alexa to call an Uber or another rideshare service for your friend from Newark Airport in New Jersey to an office in New York City, Alexa will read out the first option. However, you can also tap to select whichever ride level is best for your needs to speed up the interaction.

The same goes for asking Alexa to check if anyone walked the dog – it can pull up all the recent Ring video alerts where a dog was pictured. Rather than waiting for it to cycle through them all, you can swipe with a finger along the bottom of the screen UI. As impressive as chatting with the new Alexa is, the interface was designed with touch in mind.

Further, Amazon will give you first dibs on trying Alexa Plus – well, access to the service during the initial rollout phase – if you have a household with an Echo Show 8, 10, 15, or 21. Keep in mind that you’ll need to be in the United States with a Prime membership or pay $19.99 a month.

The screen part of the Alexa experience is more critical than ever before. It’s not just for showing a weather graphic depicting the conditions outside or for displaying a fun GIF when you ask Alexa for a joke. Your Echo Show isn’t even just for streaming a TV show or movie from Prime Video. Beyond just chatting it up with Alexa, Amazon wants you to interact with Alexa Plus with touch.

That’s almost a retraining, and one that is ideal for Amazon – or at least, I think if you ask them – to put the importance of getting an Echo Show in your home at the highest spot on the list. I already find the Echo Show handy. It's a multipurpose screen that potentially lets you put your phone away. With the Echo Show 21 and Alexa Plus, as you ask for help ordering groceries, making dinner reservations, or even securing concert tickets, you can have a natural conversation with the AI and jump in touch when necessary.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

And even if you only have an Echo Show in the kitchen or mounted on the wall in a hallway, it can always be the central device for your queries. Let’s say you really want to get tickets for Bruce Springsteen on his upcoming European tour or for Sabrina Carpenter – I mean, we all want to hear Busy Woman live – you can start by asking Alexa Plus on an Echo Dot for tickets, but rather than hear a laundry list of all the available sections, you say, "Show it to me on my Echo Show (or even Kitchen Echo, if that’s where it is)" and from there you can scroll and see visuals of all the seat locations. That could be really handy, plus you get the added benefits of a larger screen Echo.

It’s part of Amazon’s larger play here: to get an Echo screen into everyone’s home. I’m for it, especially after seeing the experience of ordering Amazon Fresh and letting Alexa Plus do some of the heavy lifting. That’s awesome, but it’s also the smarter reminders and the fact that it doubles as a TV, a shared calendar, and so much more.

It also fits in with the strategy of other brands. Samsung comes to mind first, as they famously push the idea of a screen everywhere, from an actual TV to a screen in, say, your fridge, stove, and dryer or washer. That tech giant won’t make a smart display, but Apple, on the other hand, is rumored to be entering this category with a device that could mark a major win for its Home ecosystem, which has had its speed bumps.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Amazon has a unique opportunity to actually end up with a screen in most of its users' homes, though. It’s long offered an Echo Show in various sizes, with the 5 and 8 being some of the most affordable, so there’s a good chance you might already have one. Alexa Plus will likely excite you with an AI infusion that is set to be way more natural and make the smart home easy to control – advanced routines and all – in a device that isn’t a phone.

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I don't want to overstate things but, between us, Alexa Plus may be the Alexa you've been waiting for. Amazon unveiled its massive digital assistant overhaul, which makes the platform smarter, more conversational, more personal, proactive, and a true doer. I might've considered this all a bit of hype if I hadn't seen so many live demos and, yes, even tried it out for myself.

Alexa Plus is Amazon's first attempt at a true generative AI system that can respond to natural language prompts, retain context, remember facts about you and your life, and quickly solve prompts that range from building grocery lists to figuring out if anyone has walked the family dog.

After Amazon CEO Andy Jassy gave us a deep model dive and Amazon Devices head Panos Panay and other execs walked us through the details of the new Alexa Plus (along with Alexa.com and the new app), Amazon walked me through a series of demos that illustrated the platforms new, and formidable AI powers. Executives tell me that the device manages its queries locally on device and in the cloud. The decision depends on complexity, and those requiring AI models will largely be in the cloud.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Finally, a truly smart home

The Alexa Plus smart home demo was a true eye-opener from an impact standpoint. Amazon Alexa VP Scott Durhan showed us on an Echo Show (all demos were on the 21-inch smart display) how he could say to Alexa, "I've been away on business, can I see a quick summary of what's happened in the house while I was away?" Alexa Plus works with Ring (also owned by Amazon) and uses the platform's new smart video search (a premium service) to quickly find video snapshots from around the home that are within that time frame.

One of the hallmarks of the new Alexa Plus is its ability to maintain context and answer follow-up questions. Durham asked if his dog had gotten walks in that time frame, and Alexa Plus returned videos showing when the dog was taken outside. Durham, notably, did not have to repeat Alexa's name or spell out every detail of what he wanted in the prompt (they call this old way of engaging with the digital assistant "Alexa Speak") to add details like the fact that he owns a dog or its name.

Durham had shared that information previously with Alexa Plus, and it was remembered and integrated into the system.

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One of my frustrations with the current Alexa platform is that, even when you use the app, it is still incredibly difficult to set up away routines. I want to just speak to Alexa and make it happen. Durham showed me how you can now simply describe what you want, "I'm gonna be away for a week, can you create a routine so that the lights kind of come on and look like someone's home." A moment later, Alexa Plus created an "Away Mode Lights 7PM-to-9PM" routine. That was simple and effective.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

There's also the long-standing issue of naming smart gadgets in the home and Alexa not responding properly unless you use that exact name in your query. Alexa Plus doesn't seem to mind some significant vagueness. You can tell it that you want it to turn off a light in the sitting room, and it will turn off the light in that room, which is called "Sofa Light," even though you didn't call it by name.

I only hope that Alexa Plus works as well in the real world (read "my smart home").

Let's go shopping

We also got a look at Alexa Plus' upcoming grocery feature, which can work with Amazon Fresh (among other grocers) to build meal plans and grocery lists based on skeletal information.

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I told Alexa Plus that I wanted to build a dinner for vegetarians who like meat-like products. Soon, I had dishes using ingredients like Beyond Meat. When I asked for side dishes that would work, it remembered the vegetarian aspect and found foods like corn on the cob and vegetarian cole slaw.

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Alexa Plus can then quickly take those recipes and spin up a shopping list that you can alter by tapping the screen or asking it to change specific grocery items. Alexa Plus' ability to stay in the moment was remarkable.

Sucking in docs and details

Alexa Plus can also read documents you email to alexa@alexa.com. Sending Alexa one of your emails may seem odd and a bit of a privacy issue, but assuming you trust Amazon, it's easy enough to do.

We saw how when you mail Alexa an email describing an upcoming tennis match (you can also send PDFs, Word Docs, and TXT files), Alexa Plus can identify that there's an event and automatically add it to your calendar, which will appear on the Echo Show. If the doc has multiple events, Alexa Plus will email you back and ask which one you want to add. We saw how you can query Alexa Plus and ask, "Where is my first match?"

If there's a small detail you need from the email, you can ask about that and then tell Alexa Plus to memorize it and remind you if you need any equipment for the match.

Naturally, Amazon execs showed us how easy it is to go from talking about the match to asking Alexa Plus to help you find a new tennis racquet. It can even watch for deals on the racquet of your choice. For now, this only works with Amazon and not third-party retailers.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) That's entertainment

One of the most entertaining demos was using Alexa Plus to discover and find music and movies with only scant information.

Watching this demo, I felt like Amazon must have been listening in on conversations between me and my wife, where we try to describe a movie or TV show to each other: "It has that guy in from Dawson's Creek, but he's on a boat...?"

I watched as Alexa Plus deftly handled piecemeal prompts like, "What is the song that Phoebe thinks is about Tony Danza?" Alexa Plus knew it was "Hold Me Closer Tiny Dancer" and we were referring to the Friends episode where Phoebe thinks it's about the Who's the Boss? star.

We went through a series of movie prompts that reminded me of Jeopardy! questions where we failed to stump Alexa Plus.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Alexa Plus is not just smart about entertainment; it's also pretty good at managing how you enjoy it in ways that make customization dead simple.

We started on an Echo show that was "in the kitchen" and asked Alexa to play "The song at the end of The Breakfast Club" in the Living Room (an Echo Studio). Then we asked it to switch the music to the living room (another Echo Studio on the other side of the demo space). Finally, the exec told Alexa Plus that he was going "to do some dishes, move it there," and Alexa Plus shifted the music to the Echo Show in the "kitchen."

From accurately guessing "Don't You Forget About Me," to deftly moving the music around without all the specific details it usually takes, Alexa Plus AI-powered entertainment skills appear formidable.

Exciting but

It was a series of impressive demos, but I do have questions about privacy and support for screenless Echos. Amazon has already confirmed that not every Echo ever made will support Alexa Plus (they'll still work with the original Alexa), but I do wonder what the experience will be like on smart speakers.

The Ring integration is exciting, but you have to pay for that video feature. Otherwise, queries about activities over the last two weeks might come up with nothing.

I am glad Amazon is including Alexa Plus in Amazon Prime. It's hard to imagine paying $19.99 a month for the privilege of using it.

I also wonder just how much of Anthropic's Claude is at work here. Amazon called them a partner, but are we still talking to Alexa, or is this now Claude in Alexa Plus clothing?

Even so, this is the change Alexa desperately needed, and I think it's safe to say that Amazon has officially entered the consumer AI race.

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Brazilians are flocking to the theaters to see its Oscar-nominated film I Am Still Here. It tells the story of a family devastated by the military dictatorship that ruled from 1964. There has never been a truth commission to investigate abuses or prosecutions of those accused of wrongdoing during a two-decade-long rule. Advocates hope the film might lead to a better understanding of that dark past.

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