What is the secret recipe for the best cheap phone? Apple and Samsung seem to believe they have figured it out, launching new mid-range handsets similar in price a few days apart. However, as our Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020 face-to-face highlights, these devices take very different paths to reach this low price.
For the new iPhone SE 2020, it’s a story of high-end performance in a pint – and certainly boring – case. The Samsung Galaxy A51, meanwhile, aims to offer a large screen and modern design, but at the expense of a fast processor or exceptional camera quality.
Here’s how these two $ 399 phones stack up.
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: Specifications
| Model | Samsung galaxy a51 | iPhone SE |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $ 399 | $ 399 |
| Screen | 6.5 inch OLED (2400×1080) | 4.7 inch LCD (1334×750) |
| CPU | Exynos 9611 | A13 Bionic |
| Storage room | 128 GB; expandable up to 512 GB | 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB |
| Storage room | 4GB | 3 GB |
| Rear camera | 48MP wide (ƒ / 2.0), 12MP ultra wide (ƒ / 2.2), depth 5MP (ƒ / 2.2), macro 5MP (ƒ / 2.4) | 12MP (ƒ / 1.8) |
| Front camera | 32MP (ƒ / 2.2) | 7MP (ƒ / 2.2) |
| Colors | Prism Crush Black | Black, White, Red Product |
| Weight | 6.07 ounces | 5.2 ounces |
| Dimensions | 6.24 x 2.90 x 0.31 inch | 5.5 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches |
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: prices and operators
The Galaxy A51 and iPhone SE both cost $ 399 and are available unlocked or through most major carriers at a reduced price.
There is only one noticeable difference in terms of price breakdown, and it actually works in favor of Samsung. The Galaxy A51 comes with 128 GB of storage, which is quite generous these days when you consider that some flagship products still only give you half of it, unless you spend more (looking at yourself, Apple and Google). The iPhone SE, however, starts at $ 399 for a 64GB model, and you’ll have to spend an additional $ 50 if you want 128GB. It’s not that great, but it’s something that iPhone buyers should beware.
Winner: Samsung galaxy a51
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: Design
These phones couldn’t be more different. The Galaxy A51 is larger than the iPhone SE in all dimensions – it measures almost an inch more, a third of an inch more, and 0.8 ounces more. For that, Samsung buyers also get a much larger screen: a 6.5-inch panel surrounded by extremely thin bezels, as opposed to the cutting-edge 4.7-inch iPhone SE for 2014.
The Galaxy A51 also sports an on-screen optical fingerprint sensor and a headphone jack, and you won’t find this latest 3.5mm port on any modern iPhone.
However, the iPhone SE has certain advantages over the Galaxy A51. Apple’s phone may be a lot smaller, but it’s made from higher-end materials, like metal and glass, rather than plastic like the A51. It is rated IP67 water resistant and also supports Qi wireless charging.
The design of the Galaxy A51 might be more over time, although it doesn’t feel quite as premium. In the end, Samsung wins here because it’s hard to imagine not just feeling a little cramped with Apple’s 4.7-inch panel, but the gap is not as wide than you might assume.
Winner: Samsung galaxy a51
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: screen
One of the main features of the Galaxy A51 must be its screen. This 6.5-inch OLED screen offers rich hues and deep blacks, and its sheer size makes it much more immersive than the 4.7-inch LCD screen on the iPhone SE.
The differences in display technologies are also important to note. The screen of the iPhone SE can certainly become brighter, with a peak of 653 nits for the 353 nits of the Galaxy A51. But the colors of the screen of the iPhone are dull compared to those of the panel of Samsung, because the LCD screens do not have the possibility of extinguishing the pixels in total darkness or to correspond to the saturation obtained with OLED technology. Samsung also offers two display modes – Natural and Vivid – to let you adjust the appearance of the content as you want, which Apple doesn’t do.
With the A51 set to Vivid mode, it was able to restore 212.2% of the sRGB color space, compared to 111.2% for the iPhone SE. However, with this setting, the colors of the Samsung device are less precise than those of the iPhone, as evidenced by the Delta-E rating of the A51 from 0.30 to 0.20 of the iPhone SE (the numbers closer to zero are better.)
Winner: Samsung galaxy a51
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: Cameras
The rear camera of the Galaxy A51 has four objectives to that of the iPhone SE. Normally, you think this puts Apple’s handset at a disadvantage when it comes to photos – but never underestimate the power of a great camera as opposed to a handful of average cameras.
The main 48-megapixel shooter, ƒ / 2.0 of the A51 can capture scenes that compare well with those of the 12-megapixel lens of the iPhone SE, ƒ / 1.8, in the right conditions. Both phones provide a startling amount of detail in their respective tiki torch photos, but the Galaxy benefits from the shallow depth of field offered by Samsung’s Live Focus mode, as well as the phone’s 5 MP depth sensor. The iPhone can only take this kind of portraits of people, not objects.
However, when the light is less abundant, the photo quality of the A51 falls from a cliff. These photos were taken at dusk, and the iPhone example offers impressive detail and dramatic lighting, despite the relatively bleak conditions. Samsung’s phone, on the other hand, artificially increases ISO and exposure in the stratosphere, and pumps magenta hues to an absurd degree. Even the development was delicate for the A51; he repeatedly struggled to focus on the factory, while the iPhone connected itself fairly quickly.
Inside, the A51 also shot a dark plane and blew a few books off my desk. The iPhone SE nailed the colors and also produced a sharper result – something more clearly visible in the text of the graphic novel on the left.
The Galaxy A51 contains a 32MP selfie lens, compared to the iPhone SE’s 8MP shooter. With four times the pixels, the A51 can certainly capture a sharper result, although I prefer to have the portrait of the iPhone, for its slightly more natural color and better exposure of the sky against the trees in the background. Apple’s camera produced a slightly too hot photo, but it’s still the one I prefer to share without modification.
The Galaxy A51 has two other lenses that we haven’t discussed yet: an ultra-wide 12MP and a macro 5MP. The ultra wide shooter is nice to have, and probably the only real advantage of the A51 over the iPhone SE, as it allows you to take perspectives that are clearly not possible on the Apple device. The macro lens of the A51 is also nice, although we found the results of this camera to be weak and lack color, and most buyers are less likely to use it anyway. Finally, the A51 also has a night mode – a feature missing from the action of the iPhone SE – although in our tests, it often does more harm than good to low-light images taken by the A51.
Winner: iPhone SE
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: performance
You wouldn’t expect this tour to be a big competition and, well, that’s not the case. The iPhone SE’s A13 Bionic chip is the same as that of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, and unsurprisingly, it wipes the floor with Samsung’s mid-range Exynos 9611 processor in the Galaxy A51.
The way the numbers compare is almost laughable. Where the iPhone SE scored 3,226 points in the system-wide Geekbench 5 test, all that the Galaxy A51 could muster was a meager 1293. And in 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme graphics test, where the iPhone SE scored 4,001 points, the A51 proved to be half as powerful, with a score of only 2,057.
You can also feel the difference in performance with regular use. Applications on the A51 sometimes take two or three seconds to open; the camera application may encounter a mode change; the games are not as sharp or run as fast; and scrolling or scanning animations are choppy when they need to be smooth. The iPhone SE does not suffer from any of these setbacks, and therefore the winner here is as clear as day.
Winner: iPhone SE
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: battery life and charging
The iPhone SE’s 1821mAh battery is less than half the size of the 4000mAh inside the Galaxy A51, and yet the two phones worked almost identically in the Tom’s Guide custom battery test.
The A51 surfed the web on LTE for 9 hours and 16 minutes until it ran out of juice – just two minutes less than the iPhone SE, which ran for 9 hours and 18 minutes. The best phone battery life in our tests starts around 11 am, so none of these results are particularly encouraging.
However, the difference in battery size does mean interesting things for charging. IPhone SE only ships with a 5-watt brick, although it also supports wireless charging and can be charged quickly using Apple’s 18-watt USB-C adapter , if you take it separately for $ 48 (taking into account the price of the brick and cable together). The Galaxy A51 comes with a 15 watt charger out of the box. Because of the way the numbers shake, the two phones have roughly equal charge times, which takes half an hour to go from dead to 30% completely with their adapters packed.
The iPhone SE narrowly wins here for its wireless charging advantage, although it is interesting to see the efficiency that Apple was able to extract from this small battery, probably largely thanks to the very small screen of the SE.
Winner: iPhone SE
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: software and special features
Samsung intends to support the Galaxy A51 with two years of Android software updates and quarterly security fixes. It’s actually pretty good for a budget phone, though Apple’s track record is second to none in this regard. Cupertino still supports the original iPhone SE and iPhone 6S with new versions of iOS 13, which is the type of long-term support you rarely see in this industry – especially if you’re talking about less than $ 400 in particular.
Samsung’s One UI implementation of Android 10 adds some useful features, although we found that the latest Apple edition of iOS was better, thanks to improvements in a number of apps, such as Maps and photos, Connect with Apple for added security and a full Dark Mode that further affects the user interface.
There is one area of the Galaxy A51 that could use certain settings in future editions of the phone in particular, and that is Samsung’s on-screen fingerprint sensor. The A51’s built-in scanner doesn’t seem as fast or precise as the flagship Galaxy S20’s ultrasound, and it’s particularly sensitive to humidity. If your hands are even slightly damp, your impressions will probably not be recorded. Meanwhile, as Apple used an old-fashioned capacitive sensor for Touch ID, the iPhone SE’s scanner is less finicky.
Winner: iPhone SE
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE 2020: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A51 may have a lot to offer, but the iPhone SE is simply a more practical purchase if you’re looking for a $ 400 phone.
The performance of the iPhone is unmatched and its build quality is second to none, even if the design was blocked yesterday. Its unique camera captures better photos than the Galaxy A51’s four rear shooters, especially in low light. And Apple’s long-standing software support will give you peace of mind that your iPhone will benefit from at least some of the latest features long in its lifespan.
| Model | Samsung galaxy a51 | iPhone SE |
|---|---|---|
| Prices and Availability (10) | 9 | 8 |
| Design (15) | 13 | ten |
| Display (10) | 9 | 5 |
| Camera (20) | 13 | 18 |
| Performance (15) | 9 | 15 |
| Battery and charge (20) | 13 | 14 |
| Software (10) | 8 | ten |
| Total (100) | 74 | 80 |
The A51 is more difficult to recommend than the iPhone SE, especially because of its lackluster processor. However, if the iPhone’s small screen just doesn’t work for you, or if you really want an OLED screen to enjoy games and movies, or a headphone jack for listening to music, the mid-range Galaxy Samsung is a decent choice. For those with specific needs, this will be the right budget phone. But right now, Apple’s value is simply undisputed in this class; maybe Google Pixel 4a will do better when he arrives later this spring.
