If you’re looking for value in a smartphone, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than Apple’s recently released iPhone SE.
Priced at $399, Apple’s next-gen SE boasts an A13 processor and, as a result, the device can outperform any number of pricier Android flagships. And as we covered earlier this week, even Android enthusiasts have taken note of the value proposition the iPhone SE brings to the table.
When the original iPhone SE was released in 2016, the device proved to be far more popular than even Apple executives anticipated. And just yesterday, during Apple’s earnings conference call, Tim Cook said that Apple has already seen a “strong customer response to the iPhone SE.”
What’s more, Cook anticipates that the value provided by the iPhone SE will help lure over Android users.
“And I expect some fair number of people switching over to iOS,” Cook said in reference to the company’s new wallet-friendly device. “And so it’s an unbelievable offer. It’s, if you will, the engine of our top phones in a very affordable package. And it’s faster than the fastest Android phones, and so it’s an exceptional value.”
As an illustrative point, here’s how the iPhone SE stacks up against a similarly priced Android device, courtesy of Android Police:
Almost across the board, the iPhone SE beats the current Pixel 3a, which is our favorite mid-range phone. It has an IP rating, the Pixel 3a doesn’t. It has a flagship chipset, the Pixel 3a doesn’t. The SE has wireless charging, amazing haptics, and ambient color-adapting True Tone. The Pixel 3a might have a better camera, but that’s just one point in its favor. In almost every other metric the 2020 iPhone SE meets or exceeds not just the Pixel 3a, but every other mid-range Android phone at the $400 price — outside the question of software, anyway. And it looks like the SE will probably beat Google’s upcoming Pixel 4a, too.
Honestly, I’m upset that there isn’t a $400 Android phone that’s as all-around good as the new iPhone SE, but Apple is just able to compete with its economy of scale here in a way that Android manufacturers can’t.
Even if we disregard price, the iPhone SE’s performance can easily outperform Android devices with Snapdragon 855 chipsets. What’s more, it even comes out on top when going toe-to-toe with top of the line Android handsets with Snapdragon 865 chipsets. In one review that made the rounds earlier this week, Apple’s iPhone SE was able to outmatch Samsung’s Galaxy S20+. And whereas the iPhone SE costs $399, the Galaxy S20+ will set you back $1,199.
Apple doesn’t release iPhone sales figures anymore, let alone provide sales breakdowns across specific models, but it stands to reason that the iPhone SE will prove to be an incredibly popular device over the next few months.
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