With Apple teasing us all about what\u2019s in store for iOS 27, I\u2019m stoked about the new Apple Intelligence features and Siri AI. The latter is especially important because not all iPhones are going to get it, which is why this iPhone 16e deal is your cheapest way of getting it.<\/p>\n
For a limited time, Cricket Wireless has the iPhone 16e down to $9.99<\/a> \u2014 a substantial discount compared to its $599 retail cost. But in order to get it, you\u2019ll need to port in an existing number and prepay for service. You\u2019re looking at $60 each month for its Supreme Unlimited Plan, which comes out to an upfront $180 cost for the required service. All told, your out-of-pocket cost to get an iPhone 16e that will support Siri AI is $190.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I really like this deal for a number of reasons. For starters, it\u2019s in an exclusive club of devices that will get Siri AI<\/a> when it launches. That\u2019s a big deal because Apple\u2019s assistant is getting a tremendous upgrade that will allow it to do things it has never done before \u2014 like being able to take more actions in apps, understand your personal context to get you relevant results, feature a dedicated Siri app, and much more.<\/p>\n Siri AI is going to make the iPhone 16e feel like a totally new device when it launches later this year, but this Cricket Wireless deal is still worth getting for all the other Apple Intelligence features<\/a> that are coming with iOS 27<\/a>. For example, I\u2019ve already tested the improvements made to its Photo Clean Up tool<\/a> \u2014 which I pointed out when I compared the iOS 26 vs iOS 27 versions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beyond the software features, I mentioned in my iPhone 16e review<\/a> that I like it for its compact size and svelte construction. And despite having only a single rear camera, I\u2019ve shown in my countless photo face-offs, like against the Pixel 9a<\/a>, that it still delivers outstanding results. I\u2019m most surprised by its low-light camera performance because it makes pitch-dark scenes look like they’re lit by some nearby light source.<\/p>\n