The Samsung Galaxy A51 will adopt Apple’s new iPhone SE for 2020.
Samsung / screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt / CNET
The timing of the new iPhone SE – what’s going on Pre-order today and arrives April 24th – couldn’t have been better for Apple. As the Corona virus brings millions of people unemployed all over the worldAn iPhone worth $ 400 will appeal to people who are looking for an iPhone Budget device that does it all. But Samsung already has a competitor worth $ 400 (£ 329 converted to AU $ 645) – the Galaxy A51 – and at least on paper, Samsung’s chances are good.
The Galaxy A line is new to the U.S., although Samsung itself has a long-standing legacy and it’s not clear how buyers will respond to the budget and mid-range phones. Samsung announced that six Galaxy A models will come to the US by summer, a step up or maybe a replacement for the Galaxy J series. The real test of Samsung’s reputation is whether buyers actually notice the A51 or whether the iPhone SE draws the wind from Samsung’s sails.
This price of $ 400 is crucial for both Galaxy A51 and iPhone SE. Smartphone shipments already fell 38% in February due to the pandemic and are expected to drop to a 10-year low by the end of the year. Low-cost phones are likely to sell far better than expensive phones like Apple’s $ 1,100 iPhone 11 Pro max and Samsung’s $ 1,400 Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Read on for Samsung’s secret weapon, Apple’s not-so-secret weapon, and how the technical specs of competing phones are compared.
also read: Why the iPhone SE is the perfect iPhone for the time.
Size matters: small against large
The two phones cost the same, but only the iPhone SE appeals to people looking for a pocket-sized device. It’s small by current standards, with only a 4.7-inch display, which is almost unknown these days. The Galaxy A51 is oversized and has a 6.5-inch screen geared towards media consumption such as videos, photography, and online reading.
In many cases, the screen size is a good substitute for the dimensions. In this case, however, the iPhone SE seems to have thicker frames. Most phones these days have screens that take up most of the phone’s face. Therefore, the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10e, a “small” Samsung phone, is just a stone’s throw from Apple’s new phone – and yet with a much larger screen (note that we haven’t seen the iPhone SE in person yet .)
Here are the dimensions:
- iPhone SE: 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches
- Galaxy S10e: 5.6 x 2.8 x 0.27 inches
Even with a discount ($ 600 at Verizon over an original retail price of $ 750), the S10e costs significantly more than the iPhone SE, making Apple’s phone a cheaper choice for small phones.
The iPhone SE has a physical fingerprint reader and a power switch that reduces the available screen area.
Apple
Apple has the upper hand with carrier support
Back to the $ 400 cell phones. Between the Galaxy A51 and the iPhone SE, the iPhone is the most widely used device.
During quarantine, shelter-in-place, and stay-at-home orders, you cannot go to a carrier or other retail store for a personal check. However, if the iPhone SE is pre-ordered on April 17 and offered for sale on April 24, it will be sold across all major U.S. networks. However, the Galaxy A51 currently only sells with Verizon and Sprint. Although there will eventually be other carriers and retailers, limited availability puts it behind the SE for now.
Samsung’s secret weapon
Perhaps the biggest difference is storage. The fine print is that the iPhone SE starts at $ 400 ($ 399 if you want to be precise) for 64 GB of internal storage. The Galaxy A51 offers you double (128 GB) for the same price. If you want the 128GB iPhone SE option that I would suggest, pay $ 449.
To top it off, the Galaxy A51 accepts up to 512 GB of expandable memory. Yes, you have to buy it yourself, but a 128 GB microSD card might reset you $ 20. In the meantime, the iPhone SE with 256 GB costs $ 549.
- Galaxy A51 (128 GB) plus 128 GB microSD card: $ 420
- 256 GB iPhone SE: $ 549
If you store your large photos and videos online, all of your onboard storage may not matter to you. If you’d rather have your media on hand, the Samsung A51 is the far greater value.
Samsung’s new A51 phone costs $ 400, has a fingerprint sensor on the display, and four cameras.
Samsung
Apple’s not so secret weapon
The appeal of the iPhone SE is based on the same DNA that Apple fanboys are so committed to their cause: Apple’s “it” factor. Perhaps it is due to the tight integration with MacOS or the appearance of the phones. Perhaps a buyer is already included in Apple’s ecosystem or derives some kind of identity if he is an iPhone “person”.
Apple’s less obvious leverage is messaging, which gives the iPhone SE the impression of being a premium device with the same core internalities as the iPhone 11 – processor, software, and primary camera. Yes, face detection is missing (the old home button is used) and several camera lenses. For comparison: the quad cameras of the Galaxy A51 shout “more!” However, Apple’s value proposition is clear: this is thoroughly an iPhone, only modest.
The iPhone SE is also waterproof and offers support for wireless charging – two functions that the Galaxy A51 lacks in the middle.
Samsung’s perception problem
Samsung has sown the Galaxy A cell phones with US carriers at a time when the appetite for expensive premium cell phones is already waning. But with an unknown portfolio that hasn’t reached all vendors, it’s not clear that the Galaxy A51 will do the damage Samsung certainly hopes to do in these uncertain financial times – especially against an established player like the iPhone SE.
So why should you choose the Galaxy A line instead of developing a Galaxy S20e to replace last year’s Galaxy S10e? Perhaps Samsung wanted to highlight the Galaxy S20 line as a premium product while building the Galaxy A portfolio to make it its own. We reached for a comment.
Here is another setting:
“”[The Galaxy A51] adds further safeguards against iPhone SE and blocks this part of the market for other Android players from customers who want a well-known brand of mid-tier smartphones, “said CCS Insight research chief Ben Wood to CNET.
Even if the iPhone SE outperforms the Galaxy A51, a future battle between mid-priced Android phones could still be imminent.
Galaxy A51 vs. iPhone SE vs. Galaxy S10E
| Samsung Galaxy A51 (4G) | Apple iPhone SE (2020) | Samsung Galaxy S10E | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.5-inch FHD AMOLED; 2,400 x 1,080 pixels | 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334 x 750 pixels | 5.8 inch AMOLED; 2,280 x 1,080 pixels |
| Pixel density | 405ppi | 326ppi | 438ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.24 x 2.90 x 0.31 inches | 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches | 5.6 x 2.8 x 0.27 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm | 142 x 70 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 6.07 oz; 172 g | 5.22 oz; 148 g | 5.3 ounces; 150 g |
| Mobile software | Android 10 | iOS 13 | Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI |
| camera | 48 megapixels (standard), 12 megapixels (wide angle), 5 megapixels (macro), 5 megapixels (depth detection) | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle) |
| Front camera | 32 megapixels | 7 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
| Video recording | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| processor | Samsung Exynos 9611 processor (Octa-Core) | Apple A13 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (Octa-Core) |
| camp | 128 GB | 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| R.A.M. | 4GB | Not revealed | 6 GB, 8 GB |
| Expandable memory | Up to 512 GB | No | Up to 512 GB |
| battery | 4,000 mAh | Not announced, but Apple claims it has the same battery life as the iPhone 8 | 3,100 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | Home “button | Power switch |
| Interconnects | USB-C | lightning | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | Yes | No | Yes |
| Special features | 15W quick charge | Waterproof (IP67); Dual SIM functions (nano-SIM and E-SIM); Wireless charging | Wireless PowerShare; waterproof (IP68); Fast wireless charging 2.0 |
| Price outside the contract (USD) | $ 400 (128 GB) | $ 399 (64GB), $ 449 (128GB), $ 549 (256GB) | $ 600 (initial retail price $ 750) |
| Price (GBP) | £ 329 (128 GB) | £ 419 (64 GB), £ 469 (128 GB), £ 569 (256 GB) | £ 669 (initial retail price) |
| Price (AUD) | Converted to: AU $ 645 | AU $ 749 (64 GB), AU $ 829 (128 GB), AU $ 999 (256 GB) | AU $ 1,199 (initial retail price) |