Apple officially launches brand new iPhone with breakthrough feature everyone wanted

Apple has announced its latest smartphone after Tim Cook cranked up the hype machine for 'the newest member of the family'.

Given the way the company tends to release its iPhones the expectation is that this was going to be a new entry in the iPhone SE range.

Apple almost always releases its newly numbered iPhone in September, with the latest in that range being the 16, and it would seem to be a few months too soon for the next one in the pipeline.

However, the SE range has typically been released much earlier in the calendar year, prompting speculation that Apple has been getting ready to unveil the SE 4, instead it appears to be called the 16e.

Apple claims this one will have 'extraordinary battery life', which has always been a bit of a bugbear on the backs of iPhone users.

Pre-orders for the device will open on 21 February, and the first phones will go on sale right at the end of the month on 28 February.

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said: “iPhone 16e packs in the features our users love about the iPhone 16 lineup, including breakthrough battery life, fast performance powered by the latest-generation A18 chip, an innovative 2-in-1 camera system, and Apple Intelligence.

"We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the lineup as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people.”

While there's only a solitary camera on the back of the thing it is a 48 megapixel powerhouse which Apple says 'is like having two cameras in one'.

According to the site, prices for the iPhone 16e will start at £599 for the model with the least storage space at 128GB.

If you want to kick things up to 256GB it's expected to set you back £699, while the top of the range iPhone 16e will have 512GB of memory and is expected to sell for £899.

The phone also comes with a range of features that'll work when it's outside coverage areas, with Apple's Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite still functioning.

You can have the new phone in whichever colour you like, as long as it's black or white.

The phone uses Apple’s latest-generation A18 chip, which the company says can be up to 80 percent faster than an iPhone 11.

Basically, if you want an iPhone 16 but don't want to pay iPhone 16 prices this seems like your best bet.