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iPhone SE vs Galaxy A51: which $ 399 cell phone is better?

2020-05-21T23:41:06.542Z


This year may very well end up being the year of mid-range cell phones. Only in the last few weeks have we seen how Samsung's Galaxy A51 and Apple's new iPhone SE burst into the me ...


This year may very well end up being the year of mid-range cell phones. Only in the last few weeks have we seen how Samsung's Galaxy A51 and Apple's new iPhone SE burst onto the market. Both are priced at $ 399, and both offer features and capabilities that rival more advanced cell phones from the same companies.

For example, have you seen the screen on the A51? It is almost as bright as that of the Galaxy S20. And the performance of the iPhone SE? It's on par with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, a phone that starts at $ 1,099. Yes really.

Samsung and Apple now have competitive mid-range cell phones that are sure to appeal to customers looking to save some money, but that forces a decision between the two. We will try to help you.

Design

The iPhone SE is familiar, matches that of the iPhone 8, including the home button and thick frames above and below the 4.7-inch screen. At the bottom is Apple's Lightning port for charging and transferring data. You won't find a headphone jack on the SE. Apple has long been betting on wireless headphones. The iPhone SE comes with a water and dust resistance rating of IP67, which means it should survive a meter deep for thirty minutes.

The A51 looks a lot like other Galaxy phones, but has a unique design. The 6.5-inch screen covers almost the entire front, with slim bezels. There is a cutout, which is where the front camera is located. At the bottom of the A51 there is a USB-C port and a headphone jack. On the left side of the case, you'll find the SIM card and MicroSD card tray, allowing you to add up to 512 GB of additional storage. Samsung doesn't include any kind of IP rating for the A51, so you should do everything possible to avoid splashing and accidental falls in the pool this summer.

Samsung's offering is a bigger phone with an impressive display, while Apple is using its more stable design to cut costs and perhaps arouse some nostalgia for iPhone enthusiasts.

If you are not a fan of big phones then the A51 is one that you will want to avoid. There is something to be said for the size of the iPhone SE and the ease with which it slides into your pocket.

Camera

Apple chose a single 12-megapixel camera on the iPhone SE, relying instead on software to enable more advanced features like portrait mode.

The A51, on the other hand, has four cameras. There's a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 5-megapixel macro shooter. The fourth sensor is a 5-megapixel-deep camera used for Live Focus, Samsung's name for portrait mode.

The iPhone SE is clearly outnumbered compared to the A51, but the number of cameras doesn't tell the whole story. Apple has done a lot of work on software and processing, giving the iPhone SE camera excellent performance. Images are clear, sharp and realistic-looking. Portrait mode photos have a precise sense of depth. It is also an excellent video camera with 4K resolution.

Beyond multiple cameras, the A51's camera has its own software features. For example, Scene Optimizer will automatically identify what's in the photo and try to capture the best possible photo.

In the end, our opinion is that the cameras on these two phones are very competitive and ultimately come down to personal preference. We like to take photos with iPhone SE and Galaxy A51.

Performance and battery life

Performance is one area where there is a clear winner: the iPhone SE. Apple uses the same A13 Bionic processor as in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The end result is a phone that never crashes or slows down, and is able to keep up with common tasks and games smoothly.

However, the Galaxy A51 uses Samsung's Exynos 9611 processor, and our experience has been mixed. Most of the time, the A51 works as you might expect; applications open smoothly, and switching from one application to another is easy. However, there are times when apps take too long to open, leaving you with the feeling that the phone froze for no apparent reason. Something as simple as opening the Gallery app after taking a couple of photos can jam the phone. It is confusing and frustrating.

It is not just our personal experience. The popular benchmarking app Geekbench 5 also shows that there is a significant difference. Geekbench 5 runs intense processes that mimic real-life use cases and provides a score based on phone performance.

The Galaxy A51's single-core Geekbench 5 score is 345, with a multicore score of 1,301. The iPhone SE scored 1,330 and 2,434 in the same tests. Those figures are not even close, and our personal experience tells us that they are representative.

When it comes to battery life, the A51's 4,000 mAh battery lasts longer than the iPhone SE's 1,821 mAh battery, but not long. The A51 ran for 12 hours and 31 minutes from our battery discharge test. The iPhone SE lasted nine hours and 20 minutes in the same test.

In real-world use, either phone has more than enough to survive a full day of use, just don't expect multiple days of battery life with either one.

Summary

Deciding between the A51 or SE cannot be summed up if you want an Android phone or an iPhone. There are some valid differences between the two phones, outside of their underlying operating system.

The A51's camera has more features and an impressive display, but the overall performance isn't impressive. The iPhone SE's performance is reliable and fast, and the camera does a good job, but when you look at the screen next to the A51, you'll be a little envious.

All that said, we are inclined to recommend the iPhone SE over the A51 because it is a better deal at that price level. You really have the experience of a high-end phone at a fraction of the cost. However, if you prefer Android and you are looking for a good terminal at a reasonable price, the A51 is a good candidate that offers better support than that offered by other smaller brands.

Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of article posting.

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2020-05-21

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