Does iPhone 16e support HDMI output?

If you compare the Technical Specifications for the various iPhone 16e models, it looks like Apple did, indeed, leave USB-C (DisplayPort) support off the iPhone 16e. USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) is what devices like your UGREEN USB-C to HDMI adapter depend upon to function.

iPhone 16e

Charging

USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s)

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

Charging

DisplayPort

USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s)

iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max

Charging

DisplayPort

USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s)

BookmDano wrote:

I’m having the exact problem. Has Apple gotten back to you with an answer? Or a workaround? As a tech teacher I need my new 16e to be able to plug into the various TVs I teach on. Most of the TVs don’t have wireless mirroring capabilities and I need to be able to connect via HDMI cable. My iPad 10th gen connects perfectly fine via my Apple adapter, but my brand new 16e will not.

This is a user-to-user forum. Apple isn't here except to moderate it.

I think it is pretty clear from the experiences of other posters who actually have an iPhone 16e, and from the Technical Specifications that I found, that the iPhone 16e does not support USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode). Without that, you can forget making direct HDMI cable connections. That's the answer – even if it is not the answer that you wanted to hear.

There are set-top boxes (e.g., Apple TV 4K) and streaming sticks (e.g., some Roku streaming sticks) that can receive wireless AirPlay video, and output it over HDMI for the benefit of a TV set that does not have AirPlay.

If that is not satisfactory, you may need a different iPhone than the iPhone 16e.

VIcM123 wrote:

It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

Trade-in (or switch to galaxy) are the only known cures.

Or for a different model of iPhone that does support it. When you buy the low-end model in any range of products, you can expect to get fewer features than the high end models.

Very disappointed to discover that the 16e USB C doesn’t support HDMI output…. My iPhone SE (3rd Gen) did so it is very weird that the 16e doesn’t…

Anyways, for the teacher (or anyone else) looking to use his 16e in class for presentations… have a look at the YOTON Y3 Video Projector - the 16e works flawlessly with it with a USB C to USB cable… surprise surprise…. The little projector cost about $60 on Amazon…

takemetotheorchard wrote:

All the previous SE models supported lightning to HDMI.

Someone once tore down a Lightning Digital AV Adapter and found a small ARM-based System on Chip inside. The hypothesis was that Lightning did not have enough bandwidth to carry a 1080p signal, and that the iPhone was actually doing "AirPlay over Lightning" to the adapter, which was then taking the lower-quality compressed signal and putting it out on a HDMI connector.

USB-C is a newer connector than Lightning, and USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) was explicitly designed to carry video. So iPhones that have USB-C connectors and that support DIsplayPort Alt Mode may well support higher-quality HDMI output than iPhones with Lightning connectors did.

It's a shame that the 16e does not have DisplayPort Alt Mode output – but it is what it is. If that is a deal-breaker, you should be looking at another phone, such as a regular 16e. (For me, the deal-breakers on the 16e would be the lack of MagSafe and the lack of an Ultra-Wide camera.)

Those were half cost of a 16e.

According to MacTracker,

• The cheapest iPhone 16e costs $599 USD. It has 128 GB of storage.
• The cheapest iPhone SE (1st generation) with the same amount of storage cost $499 USD. That was the most storage you could get on the SE (1st generation), and you had to wait a full year after the introduction of the SE before it was even an option.
• The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation SEs had 2, 3, and 4 GB of RAM, respectively. Only devices with at least 8 GB are compatible with Apple Intelligence. So while the 2nd and 3rd generation SEs will be getting iOS 26, Apple Intelligence will never be coming to those phones.

BookmDano wrote:

I’m having the exact problem. Has Apple gotten back to you with an answer? Or a workaround? As a tech teacher I need my new 16e to be able to plug into the various TVs I teach on. Most of the TVs don’t have wireless mirroring capabilities and I need to be able to connect via HDMI cable. My iPad 10th gen connects perfectly fine via my Apple adapter, but my brand new 16e will not.

If that's a requirement, then you bought the wrong phone.

You should have checked to make sure it met your requirements before purchasing it.

If you purchased it directly from Apple, you have 14 days to return it for a refund.

You bought the "bargain" version of the iPhone 16...

Like the iPhone 5c, SE, and XR, they are designed to be more affordable versions of Apple's flagship products, meaning they lack some features and capabilities packed into they more expensive cousins.

You should "assume" that if you purchase a less expensive version of a product, it may be lacking some features of the more expensive version...

Caveat emptor.

TMacRice wrote:

Very disappointed to discover that the 16e USB C doesn’t support HDMI output…. My iPhone SE (3rd Gen) did so it is very weird that the 16e doesn’t…

No iPhone has native HDMI output. Many can output video, over a wire, in some form that can be converted to HDMI. For Lightning-equipped iPhones, like your iPhone SE, that form would be "whatever the Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter expects." For all USB-C-equipped iPhones except the 16e, it would be DisplayPort Alt Mode.

Anyways, for the teacher (or anyone else) looking to use his 16e in class for presentations… have a look at the YOTON Y3 Video Projector - the 16e works flawlessly with it with a USB C to USB cable… surprise surprise…. The little projector cost about $60 on Amazon…

If that works, it makes me wonder what would happen if you were to daisy-chain a $49 Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter and a $29 Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter, and plug those into an iPhone 16e.

Apple does not list the Lightning to Digital AV Adapter as being compatible with the iPhone 16e. But if the 16e has no DisplayPort Alt Mode support, and that YOTRON Y3 Video Projector works, and does not require installation of any special app, that might suggest that it looks to an iPhone like an Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter.

Gwranne wrote:

So has the HDMI output facility been left off the 16e, as one of the sacrifices to bring the price down?

Bingo, you win the internet today, along with MagSafe charging.

c348 wrote:

Saying that the information can be deduced from the tech specs is worse than useless.

That's why Apple also has people you can talk to. And a return policy.

I just found this out the hard way. The iPhone 16e doesn't support an external monitor via the USB C port. This is kind of a deal breaker for me. Most of the parts are iPhone 14 & 15 parts. To be fair, the C1 modem chip does give me better cell service.

VIcM123 wrote:

I expect the reviewers to elucidate significant shortcomings and they did not!

You expect random people on the internet to give you all the information you need to make an expensive purchase? That's not going to end well.

Reviewers review the things they care about and that interest them. If I were to write a review of an iPhone (any iPhone), it probably wouldn't say anything about HDMI out. I didn't even know any iPhones did that. Now that I know, I'll probably forget about it as I don't care whether they do or not.

If there are features that are important to you, read the specs. Contact Apple and ask. Go into an Apple Store and test as much as you can, and ask the folks in the Apple Stores. Take personal responsibility for spending your money.

I checked before buying it. Nowhere in the phone comparisons on apple site is mentioned anything about it. Even the tech people from apple store were reassuring me that hdmi conexion would work on 16e… until we tested it right there. Surprise. So i returned it and bought a 15 on another store, (cheaper than from apple btw). I hope you find this constructive .

takemetotheorchard wrote:

All the previous SE models supported lightning to HDMI. Those were half cost of a 16e.

My previous base model car had an AM radio. My current one does not. Oh, well.

Useless16e wrote:

Apple misrepresented the 16E. They do not tell the consumer it does not support HDMI. I’m out $700 and I’m done with Apple. Hello Galaxy!

They also didn't tell the customer that it doesn't work as a high-powered telescope. Tech specs (which you need to read) tell you what features a device has, not what it doesn't have. Apple didn't misrepresent anything.

Samsung makes a great product. And, they seem to have gotten the exploding phone problem under control.