Argos offers iPhone at ‘lowest’ price but Apple may have something better soon
If you want to upgrade to a new iPhone for the lowest price possible and without having to sign up to a lengthy mobile contract, your best bet is to buy an unlocked iPhone outright when there’s a decent model on sale.
That’s exactly the case right now over at Argos. The familiar high street brand is currently advertising its “lowest price” for the iPhone 16e, selling the phone for £499. That’s a decent £100 saving on the current RRP for Apple’s latest entry-level iPhone.
Since Apple discontinued the iPhone SE range, the iPhone 16e has been the cheapest current iPhone you can buy directly from the tech giant. At the current £499 asking price, it’s an excellent deal.
The phone was released in February 2025 and essentially has the internal specs of an iPhone 16, but in a body more akin to the older iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. That means you get the powerful A18 processor, but you don’t get the newer Dynamic Island design, which has a floating cut out in the screen for the Face ID sensor and front facing camera.
If you don’t mind the older style iPhone notch (which is debatably the most iconic iPhone design to date) then the 16e will suit you while saving you £300 on the next-cheapest current iPhone, which is the £799 iPhone 17.
One thing to bear in mind if you want the very latest iPhone is that Apple is rumoured to be readying the release of the iPhone 17e as soon as this month. If that happens, it would likely replace the iPhone 16e in the line up.
But if you don’t mind which iPhone model you have, as long as it is relatively new and the price is right, the iPhone 16e for £499 remains a good offer.
It only has one rear camera but it is Apple’s 48MP Fusion camera, which means while you don’t have an ultra-wide option, you can zoom to 2x without losing photo quality. The addition of the A18 chip means this phone works with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s AI tools – unlike most iPhones that came out before the iPhone 16 – plus there’s the Action Button to customise to your liking and satellite features for contacting emergency services when there’s no signal.
Argos does not state how long this offer price will continue for, but it’s the cheapest we’ve ever seen this current-generation iPhone sold at.
