Apple recently launched a compact version of the iPhone 6S and named it iPhone SE. The 4-inch smartphone comes with the same capabilities as the iPhone 6S, but it is locked inside a body similar to the iPhone 5S.
The iPhone SE is actually the cheapest ever iPhone to be launched, but it has some of the most powerful hardware in the smartphone industry. The phone is targeting the developing markets where users would really want to try out the experience of iOS devices, but are usually scared by the pricing aspect.
Speaking of developing markets, Apple is clearly aiming to take on Samsung in markets where the South Korean tech giant is well versed with. Samsung recently released its flagship Galaxy S7. The phone is expected to compete with the upcoming iPhone 7, but here is how it competes with Apple’s recent introduction.
iPhone SE
As mentioned at the beginning, the iPhone SE houses the hardware of the iPhone 6S. Despite its compact size, the phone packs the latest 64-bit A9 chipset that is also accompanied by the M9 motion co-processor. On storage matters, the phone packs a smaller 16GB variant and another decent variant that houses 64GB of onboard storage.
Apple installed a faster LTE connection on this device and it also supports VoLTE as well as things like NFC that allows Apple Pay payments and the latest Bluetooth v4.2. The iPhone SE further packs a 12MP iSight camera on the rear with similar performance capabilities as the 12MP iSight snapper that appears on the rear of the iPhone 6S. However, the front-facing snapper is similar to the 1.2MP snapper used on the 2014 flagship – iPhone 6.
The phone packs a 4-inch IPS display with the LED-backlit technology behind it. It has a resolution of 640 by 1136 pixels that manage a pixel density of 326ppi. This is the same pixel density that the larger iPhone 6S comes with.
Of course, the iPhone SE is a decent phone, but comparing it to Samsung Galaxy S7 is a bit of unfair. This is true because the Galaxy S7 is a phone targeting the elites while the iPhone SE is looking for the mid-range consumers.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Unlike the iPhone that comes with a compact display size and scaled-down resolution, the Galaxy S7 has a massive 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with 2K resolution and pixel density of 577ppi. Under the hood, the Galaxy S7 packs a Snapdragon 820/Exynos 8890 chipset and 4GB RAM. On storage matters, the S7 has both 32GB and 64GB variants in addition to supporting for expandable storage, something that Apple doesn’t entertain on its iPhones.
Just like the iPhone SE, the latest Galaxy S7 also supports the latest connectivity standards, among them NFC for making Samsung Pay and Android Pay payments.
Pricing
The pricing of these two phones is interesting. The iPhone SE has a price tag of $399 for the 16GB variant while the 64GB variant is priced at $499. These are the lowest ever prices for an iPhone on its official launch date, which signals that Apple could be redirecting its resources to the mid-range club.
On the other hand, you’ll need at least $670 for you to get a 32GB Samsung Galaxy S7 model.
Apple’s iPhone 7 is expected in September this year, which is about the same time Samsung will be releasing the Galaxy Note 6, or maybe earlier than this date.