Why the Pixel 6a Is Better Than the IPhone SE
iPhone SE offers essential iPhone features at an affordable price. This is a mid-range Apple smartphone and is a good option for many users who don’t want to spend money on features they don’t need. While I would have been quick to recommend the SE in the past, that recommendation changed this week when Google unveiled its latest mid-range smartphone: the Pixel 6a .
6a will not be available until the end of July, with pre-orders starting on the 21st and availability starting on the 28th. That’s why I’m warning you against buying an iPhone SE right now. If you need a new phone right now, this article is not for you. But if you have the luxury of time, take a look at these comparisons to see which mid-range phone is more worth your money.
What do Pixel 6a and iPhone SE have in common?
Let’s start with the similarity of the device. The Pixel 6a and iPhone SE are both 5G-enabled smartphones, which means you can enjoy the latest generation of fast cellular speeds (when available, of course).
The two phones also start at similar price points, with the 6a starting at $449 and the SE at just under $429 – they’re mid-range smartphones from Google and Apple, so it’s useful to see what you get by spending roughly the same amount on both companies. .
In terms of megapixels, the main cameras are very similar. The Google main camera is 12.2MP and the SE is 12MP, both cameras shoot 4K video at 60fps. The front cameras are also the same, with the 6a having an 8MP front camera, while the SE has a 7MP one. Both shoot 1080p video at 30fps.
We need to wait until the 6a units get into the hands of reviewers (especially photographers and videographers) before we know how the images themselves compare to the SE. But we don’t need reviews to know that this is where the camera similarities end (more on that below).
Why the Pixel 6a is better than the iPhone SE
But it’s where the phones differ that the 6a’s benefits add up quickly. It starts as soon as you take a look at both devices: Apple decided to redesign the same iPhone 8 design used for the previous iPhone SE, with two large bezels sandwiched between a 4.7-inch 750p IPS display. Not only is this design five years old, but it’s not too far from the design of the iPhone 6 ( especially the front), which means the phone looks like it’s from 2014.
The Pixel 6a, on the other hand, looks downright modern, with a 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display that works edge-to-edge. Google has opted for a camera cutout at the top of the screen, as they do with many smartphones these days: this phone doesn’t scream “mid-range” by any means.
Let’s talk about cameras again. It’s true that the main arrows on both smartphones are about the same on paper, but that’s just the beginning of the story. Google put a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the 6a, which Apple noticeably omitted from the SE. Even if you’re not a fan of ultra-wide cameras, the 6a’s camera features knock the SE out of the water.
Google, unlike Apple, has decided that middle-class customers deserve night vision on their smartphones, allowing you to take high-quality photos in the dark. The lack of a night sight on the SE with its A15 Bionic chip is unacceptable. Google Phone also comes with Magic Eraser which automatically removes unwanted people and objects from your photos. The new Android feature will also let you change the edit color to blend it better with your image’s background.
While both phones are 5G ready, they are not equally ready. The SE is only compatible with 5G sub-6GHz, which provides a slight speed boost over 4G LTE. However, the Pixel 6a is compatible with mmWave 5G, which you’ve probably heard of, with super-fast speeds and Wi-Fi-like reliability. MmWave is still in its infancy with most 5G out there below 6 so I wouldn’t call it a deal breaker. However, it’s worth pointing out the difference as Apple doesn’t want to do that.
The SE is $20 cheaper than the 6a, but it’s not exactly apples-to-apples. The base model 6a has 128GB of storage, while the SE only has 64GB. If you need 128GB of storage on your SE, it will cost you an extra $50, which means the 128GB SE ends up being $30 more than the 6a.
The main advantages of iPhone SE over Pixel 6a
At the moment, there are two features of the iPhone SE that set me apart from the 6a. The first is the processor: both phones feature their companies’ own SoCs. The iPhone SE has the A15 Bionic, the same chip found in the iPhone 13 and iPad mini lineup. The 6a has a Google Tensor chip, which is the SoC the company used for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. However, A15 tends to be slightly superior to Tensor.
There is currently one benchmark on Geekbench for the 6a , where the device scored 1050 in single-core and 2833 in multi-core. For some reason, Geekbench doesn’t have third-generation iPhone SE benchmarks, but a look at the iPhone 13 shows the power of the A15: it scored 1685 in single-core and 4498 in multi-core. The numbers aren’t everything, but in terms of sheer power, the A15 seems to outperform the Tensor.
Another major benefit that I think of is durability. Google has never extended software updates for its Pixel phones for more than three years ( Pixel 3a is about to lose support, for example ). The company has committed to releasing security updates for the 6a within five years, which helps keep your phone protected for quite some time, but it’s less clear if the phone will get new Android features after 2025.
Apple, on the other hand, has a history of software updates. The company supports iPhone 6s running iOS 15, a phone released in 2015. If Apple, which makes its own hardware and software, can extend software and security support by seven years, so can Google.
However, 6a is better than SE.
According to this tech reviewer, the 6a is the best phone overall. I love the iPhone SE and have a soft spot for the “classic” iPhone design, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the 6a offers so much more for the money. This is if you don’t need iOS . If you’re the type who can’t imagine your Apple friends’ text messages going green , or you don’t have FaceTime ready ready, or you’ve left all the money you’ve spent on Apple-specific apps, 6a might not be For you. . Switching mobile platforms is still harder than it should be, especially with Apple refusing to accept RCS messaging.
However, if you are a flexible user, 6a is the way to go (on paper). Of course, we should wait to see how the phone performs in person. In July, you should know exactly which of these two phones you want to buy, unless something else comes along to steal the show.