The Samsung Galaxy A51 takes on Apple’s new iPhone SE for 2020.
Samsung/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
The timing of the brand new iPhone SE — which matches on preorder as we speak and arrives April 24 — couldn’t have been higher for Apple. As the coronavirus places tens of millions of individuals out of labor around the globe, a $400 iPhone (£419, AU$749) will enchantment to individuals seeking a price range machine that does all of it. But Samsung has a $400 competitor already on sale (£329, converts to AU$645) — the Galaxy A51 — and on paper a minimum of, Samsung’s probabilities look good. The Galaxy A line is new to the US, although Samsung itself has an extended legacy, and it is not clear how patrons will reply to the price range and midrange telephones. Samsung introduced six Galaxy A fashions coming to the US between now and summer season, a step up or maybe substitute for the Galaxy J sequence. The actual check for Samsung’s repute is that if patrons will really discover the A51 or if the iPhone SE will scoop the wind from Samsung’s sails. That $400 price ticket is essential for each the Galaxy A51 and iPhone SE. Smartphone shipments have been already down 38% in February on account of the pandemic and are anticipated to plunge to a 10-year low by the tip of the 12 months. Low-cost telephones are more likely to promote much better than expensive handsets 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 the way the rival telephones’ specs examine.Read additionally: Why the iPhone SE is the proper iPhone for the occasions.

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Size issues: Small versus bigThe two telephones price the identical, however solely the iPhone SE appeals to individuals on the lookout for a pocket-size machine. It’s small by present requirements, with only a 4.7 inch show, which is sort of unprecedented today. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A51 goes supersize, with a 6.5 inch display that targets media consumption like movies, images and on-line studying. In many circumstances, display measurement is an efficient stand-in for dimensions, however on this case, the iPhone SE seems to have thicker bezels. Most telephones as we speak have screens that take up a lot of the cellphone face, so the 5.8-inch Galaxy S10e, a “small” Samsung cellphone, is barely a smidge bigger than Apple’s new cellphone — but with a a lot bigger display (notice that we’ve not seen the iPhone SE in particular person but.)Here are the size:iPhone SE: 5.45 by 2.65 by 0.29 inchesGalaxy S10e: 5.6 by 2.8 by 0.27 inches Even at a reduction ($600 at Verizon versus a $750 unique retail worth), the S10e prices considerably greater than the iPhone SE, which makes Apple’s cellphone the higher price range “small phone” selection.The iPhone SE has a bodily fingerprint reader and energy button, which shrinks the obtainable display area.
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Apple has the higher hand with service supportBack to the $400 telephones. Between the Galaxy A51 and the iPhone SE, the iPhone is the extra broadly obtainable machine. During quarantine, shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders, you’ll be able to’t go to a service or different retail retailer to examine them out in particular person, however when the iPhone SE goes on preorder April 17 and on sale April 24, it’s going to be bought by all main US networks. But the Galaxy A51 at the moment sells solely with Verizon and Sprint. Though it will definitely will come to different carriers and retailers, a extra restricted availability places it behind the SE for now.Samsung’s secret weaponPerhaps the most important distinction is storage. The tremendous print is that the iPhone SE begins at $400 ($399 if you wish to be exact) for 64GB of inner storage. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A51 offers you double that (128GB) for a similar worth. If you need the 128GB iPhone SE possibility, which is the configuration I’d recommend, you will pay $449.To prime it off, the Galaxy A51 accepts as much as 512GB in expandable storage. Yes, you will have to purchase that your self, however a 128GB microSD card will set you again possibly $20. Meanwhile, the 256GB iPhone SE prices you $549.Galaxy A51 (128GB) plus 128GB microSD card: $420256GB iPhone SE: $549If you retailer your massive pictures and movies on-line, your complete onboard storage won’t matter to you. If you favor to maintain your media readily available, then Samsung’s A51 is the far larger worth.Samsung’s new A51 cellphone prices $400, has an on-display fingerprint sensor and 4 cameras. 
Samsung
Apple’s not-so-secret weaponThe attract of the iPhone SE comes from the identical DNA that makes Apple fanboys so dedicated to their trigger: Apple’s “it” issue. Maybe it is the tight integration with MacOS or the appear and feel of the telephones themselves. Perhaps a purchaser is already locked into Apple’s ecosystem or derives some kind of id from being an iPhone “person.”Apple’s much less apparent leverage is its messaging, which supplies the iPhone SE the impression of being a premium machine with the identical core innards because the iPhone 11 — the processor, software program and major digicam. Yes, it is lacking Face ID (it makes use of the legacy residence button) and several other digicam lenses. By comparability, the Galaxy A51’s quad cameras scream “more!” But Apple’s worth proposition is obvious: that is an iPhone by and thru, simply modestly. The iPhone SE can be water-resistant and has wi-fi charging help — two options that the distinctly midrange Galaxy A51 lacks.Samsung’s notion ‘drawback’Samsung seeded the Galaxy A telephones with US carriers at a time when the urge for food for costly, premium handsets is already dwindling. But with an unknown portfolio that hasn’t reached all of the carriers, it is not clear that the Galaxy A51 will make the dent that Samsung certainly hopes it is going to throughout these unsure monetary occasions — particularly in opposition to such a longtime participant because the iPhone SE.So why solid your lot with the Galaxy A line as a substitute of making a Galaxy S20e to exchange final 12 months’s Galaxy S10e? Perhaps Samsung wished to let the Galaxy S20 line stand out because the premium product whereas increase the Galaxy A portfolio to develop into its personal factor. We reached out for remark.Here’s one other take:”[The Galaxy A51] adds further defense against the iPhone SE and also locks out that part of the market to other Android players for customers that want a well-known brand of midtier smartphone,” Ben Wood, chief of analysis for CCS Insight, instructed CNET.So even when the iPhone SE does outsell the Galaxy A51, a future battle amongst midprice Android telephones may but be at hand.Galaxy A51 vs iPhone SE vs Galaxy S10E

Samsung Galaxy A51 (4G)

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Samsung Galaxy S10E

Display measurement, decision

6.5-inch FHD AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels

4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels

5.8-inch AMOLED; 2,280×1,080-pixels

Pixel density

405ppi

326ppi

438ppi

Dimensions (Inches)

6.24 x 2.90 x 0.31 in

5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in

5.6 x 2.8 x 0.27 in

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; 172g

5.22 oz; 148g

5.3oz.; 150g

Mobile software program

Android 10

iOS 13

Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI

Camera

48-megapizel (commonplace), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth sensing)

12-megapixel

12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (extremely wide-angle)

Front-facing digicam

32-megapixel

7-megapixel

10-megapixel

Video seize

4K

4K

4K

Processor

Samsung Exynos 9611 processor (Octa-core)

Apple A13 Bionic

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (Octa-core )

Storage

128GB

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

128GB, 256GB

RAM

4GB

Not disclosed

6GB, 8GB

Expandable storage

Up to 512GB

No

Up to 512GB

Battery

4,000 mAh

Not disclosed, however Apple claims it has the identical battery life as iPhone 8

3,100 mAh

Fingerprint sensor

In-screen

Home button

Power button

Connector

USB-C

Lightning

USB-C

Headphone jack

Yes

No

Yes

Special options

15W quick charging

Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wi-fi charging

Wireless PowerShare; water-resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0

Price off-contract (USD)

$400 (128GB)

$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)

$600 ($750 preliminary retail worth)

Price (GBP)

£329 (128GB)

£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)

£669 (Initial retail worth)

Price (AUD)

Converts to: AU$645

AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)

AU$1,199 (Initial retail worth)