iPhone SE 2020 or Galaxy A51? Apple's closest battle against Samsung

The battle between Apple and Samsung continues with the arrival of the “economical” iPhone SE 2020, the second generation of the cell phone of the same name launched in 2016, only this time it has the powerful A13 Bionic chip and the physical dimensions of the iPhone 8. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy A51 is the successor to the Galaxy A50, which stood out for its beautiful appearance and versatile camera at a more affordable price than Samsung’s flagship models. Both the new iPhone SE and the Samsung Galaxy A51 are priced at $400, making them direct competitors.

But which is better?

Specifications

Design, screen and durability

iPhone SE and Galaxy A51 have opposite approaches in their aesthetics. Basically, the new iPhone SE is an iPhone 8 with a more modern hardware. As such, it has the same dimensions as the old phone and shares the same thick bezels as well as the physical start button. Some people may be delighted with what could now be described as a “retro” look, but others will find it outdated.

In contrast, the look of the Galaxy A51 is based on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20 range. It features a display that is only interrupted by a Selfie camera, giving it a very contemporary and elegant look. The larger screen has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, but even with its larger screen size (6.5 inches compared to 4.7), it offers more pixels per inch, giving the A51 a sharper, more vibrant display than the SE.

One point in favor of the iPhone SE is that it is smaller and feels better when held. The A51’s larger dimensions make it harder to grip, while the relatively inexpensive plastic case on its back can end up being slippery for some.

As for durability, the iPhone SE comes with an IP67 rating, allowing it to survive short falls into the water. This is good, but the Samsung Galaxy A51 is better, as it has an IP68 rating, indicating that it can withstand longer dives in the water.

Winner: Galaxy Samsung A51

Performance, battery life and charging

Yes, the iPhone SE is a backward design. However, Apple has equipped it with its powerful A13 Bionic processor, the same as the iPhone 11 range. So while we haven’t had enough time to test the new SE, you can be almost certain that it will run applications and perform high-level tasks.

The Samsung Galaxy A51 also has a lot of computing power behind that low-cost housing, albeit in a different way. It comes with Samsung’s Exynos 9611 processor, which isn’t as fast as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 used in Samsung’s current premium models. That said, the A51 comes with 4GB of RAM, which is more generous than the 3GB of the iPhone SE. However, Android and iOS use RAM differently, so even with 1 GB extra, the A51 may have difficulty keeping up with the SE.

The Galaxy A51 has better performance in terms of battery life. While the iPhone SE battery has a capacity of 1,821 mAh, the A51 offers 4,000 mAh. Like the A50, this means it is likely to last a day even under heavy use, while the SE may have difficulty spending a full day if you are an avid gamer or movie buff.

On the other hand, the new iPhone SE offers 18 W of fast charge, unlike the 15 W of the A51. It also allows for wireless charging, which compensates for the shorter battery life.

Winner: iPhone SE

Cameras

The Galaxy A50 had a surprisingly powerful triple-camera system for a cheaper smartphone. The A51 goes further, adding a 5 megapixel macro camera to an enhanced 48 megapixel wide-angle lens, a 12 megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and a 5 megapixel depth sensor. Basically, the macro camera helps you take more detailed and vivid close-up pictures, while the more powerful wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses will improve the clarity and vividness of your normal pictures.

The iPhone SE only has a 12-megapixel rear camera. This may not look like much on paper, but the SE comes with optical image stabilization, portrait mode, panorama mode, and the A13 Bionic’s neural engine, which help squeeze out the 12 megapixels. However, it doesn’t outperform the A51’s four-lens set, particularly if you want to take higher quality or more creative pictures.

Still, the iPhone SE lets you record video at 4K at 60 frames per second, while the best the A51 can do is record 4K at 30 fps. However, since most people are usually more interested in taking pictures than in filming, let’s give this round to the Galaxy A51.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A51

Software and updates

The usual Android vs. iOS rivalry is complicated here by the tight operating system of the Galaxy A51. It works with Samsung’s One UI 2 interface, which is built on Android 10. As we saw on the A50, it is one of the best Android layers on the market, offering a smooth user experience. That said, One UI 2 does not introduce any significant changes according to what we have seen.

iPhone SE 2020 works with iOS 13, which for the first time brings a dark mode as well as improvements in performance and privacy. This does not necessarily make it better than One UI 2, but shows that the SE software offers more new things compared to its predecessor.

One thing that is better with the iPhone SE compared to the Galaxy A51 is the updates. Apple delivers operating system updates with a quick click, while Samsung has often been slow to deliver Android updates, sometimes taking nearly half a year to bring Android 9.0 Foot to the Galaxy S9 series. For this reason, we have to say that the iPhone SE is almost better when it comes to software.

Winner: iPhone SE

Special features

Neither the iPhone SE nor the Galaxy A51 offer any significant special features. Basically, both are affordable versions of the more premium models, which means they eliminate some of the most exclusive features of their more expensive teammates.

For example, the iPhone SE gets rid of the iPhone 11’s Selfie TrueDepth camera and Face ID. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A51 lacks the 120 Hz refresh rate of the Galaxy S20 and also the latter’s impressive 563 pixels per inch display.

However, one trick that the Galaxy A51 has up its sleeve is that it also comes in a 5G version (not yet released). To be fair, 5G networks are not particularly extensive at the moment, but the option of adding 5G (for an additional $100) prepares the phone for the future and this is not the case with the iPhone SE.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A51

Price and availability

iPhone SE 2020 is currently available and costs $400 for the 128GB version, while the 256GB model is worth $550. It is available at major retailers, including AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Walmart and Xfinity Mobile.

Also, the Samsung Galaxy A51 starts at $400, but if you want the 5G version, you’ll have to pay $500, although it hasn’t been released yet. The standard version is sold through Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, Verizon and Walmart.

Final Winner

Despite their different strengths and weaknesses, the iPhone SE and the Samsung Galaxy A51 are equal, but the iPhone SE wins by a hair’s breadth. The Galaxy A51 has a more attractive look, a better screen and a more powerful camera. On the other hand, the iPhone SE has a perfectly usable screen and camera, but also offers superior computer performance and slightly better software (at least in terms of updates). It’s a close battle, but for us, the iPhone SE’s more powerful processor and its fast, long update schedule make it the slightly better of the two for the budget-conscious.

But watch out, it’s not a clear win. If you’re a fan of Android phones, don’t even think about it, and buy the Samsung. Also, if you compare the Galaxy A51 5G version with the iPhone SE, then you’d have a stronger argument to conclude that the A51 is a little better than Apple’s economy phone. We haven’t had the chance to see the 5G version, which is not yet available, but the higher speeds of 5G would make the A51 a noticeably better machine for surfing the web on the move.