A steady drumbeat of rumors claiming that a new iPhone SE is on the way means we’ve got an iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a face-off in our future. After all, both the SE and Google’s A Series of phones are the go-to devices when you’re looking for a sub-$500 handset that doesn’t skimp on features, so you’ll want to know which phone offers the better value.
The iPhone SE 3 doesn’t figure to differ too much from the current model that first debuted two years ago, save for one crucial difference — Apple is eager to add 5G to the SE, so that it can fill in a big hole in its phone lineup. If you want a 5G phone from Apple right now, you’ve got to pony up at least $599, the starting price for the iPhone 12 mini .
The Pixel 5a doesn’t make that demand. At $449, it’s got one of the best camera setups among lower-cost phones while also offering a superior software experience to many of the best Android phones. The Pixel 5a sets a pretty high bar for any low-cost phone, the iPhone SE included.
Can the iPhone SE 3 clear that bar? We won’t know for certain until Apple reveals more details about this still-rumored device. But with a spring launch date approaching, rumors have picked up, giving us enough details to speculate about who fares better in an iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a face-off.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Specs compared
| iPhone SE 3 (rumored) | Google Pixel 5a | |
| Screen size | 4.8-inch LCD | 6.43-inch OLED |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| CPU | A15 Bionic | Snapdragon 765G |
| Rear camera | 12MP | 12MP main; 16MP ultrawide |
| Front camera | 7MP | 8MP |
| 5G support? | Yes | Yes |
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Price and availability
More than any other feature, any iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a battle comes down to price. And Apple could be poised to undercut Google on how much its budget phone costs.
You may remember that the Pixel 4a stole some of the current iPhone SE’s thunder by coming in at $349 — $50 less than what Apple charges for its cheapest iPhone. However, the addition of 5G compatibility, doubling the storage to 128GB, and a second lens to the Pixel 5a drove up the cost of that phone. It’s now $449, which is certainly cheap for the kind of features you get, but not iPhone SE cheap.
So the proposition facing Apple is this: if it can add 5G support to the iPhone SE while holding the line on the current model’s $399 price tag, it not only has the chance to undercut Google, but it could lay claim to the title of best 5G phone for less than $400. We’ll be watching Apple’s pricing moves very carefully, especially when it comes to storage.
Another advantage Apple could hold in this category is availability. Google limited the Pixel 5a’s release to the U.S. and Japan, likely because of component shortages. In the U.S. Google’s own Google Fi was the only carrier offering the Pixel 5a. It’s since appeared at other discount carriers, but you won’t find the Pixel 5a at Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T.
It’s unlikely the iPhone SE 3 is going to suffer from that limitation — we’d anticipate a wide release with multiple phone carriers selling the device in the U.S. Current rumors suggest the iPhone SE 3 will appear in April or May.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Design
You could compare the Pixel 5a to Apple’s current iPhone SE model — the iPhone SE 2020 — and those observations are likely to still be relevant when the iPhone SE 3 arrives. That’s because the new Apple phone is rumored to be retaining the design of the current model.
That means rather than a more modern display reminiscent of Apple’s current iPhones, the iPhone SE 3 will bear a strong resemblance to 2017’s iPhone 8 — a 4.8-inch display surrounding by thick bezels on its top and chin, hosing the front camera and Touch ID-equipped Home button, respectively. The current iPhone SE uses a glass-and-aluminum design and we’d expect that to continue with the iPhone SE 3.
The Pixel 5a, in contrast, uses plastic as its main material. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, and minimal bezels around the 6.43-inch display. Instead, Google uses a punch-hole cutout in the corner of the screen to include a front camera.
You can have the Pixel 5a in any color you want, so long as you choose black. iPhone SE color options are only a little less limited, with the current model featuring black, white, and red versions. We hope Apple breaks from tradition with the iPhone SE 3 and works in more colors to the mix.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Display
The Pixel 5a is a rarity among budget phones in opting for an OLED panel instead of an LCD one. That’s not a distinction Apple has made, as the two least expensive phones in its current lineup — the iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone 11 — use LCD. It’s possible that the next iPhone SE could turn to OLED, since Apple now uses that type of display in its other phones, but this seems like an area where Apple can keep costs down by sticking with LCD.
While fast refresh rates are all the rage among phones these days — even budget models — neither the Pixel 5a nor the iPhone SE figure to join the party. The Pixel 5a has a 60Hz refresh rate, standard for most phones. Since the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini remain stuck at 60Hz, too, you’d doubt Apple would introduce a faster refresh rate to the less expensive iPhone SE 3.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Cameras
Here’s an area where the iPhone SE 3 could have its work cut out for it. The Pixel 5a is one of the best camera phones out there — certainly the best you can buy for less than $500. And that’s not just because of Google’s penchant for software-powered photo features, but also because this phone has some heft to its hardware.
In addition to the 12MP main lens, Google has equipped the Pixel 5a with a 16MP ultrawide angle shooter. That gives the phone greater flexibility than single-lens devices like the iPhone SE, as the Pixel 5a can switch to ultrawide mode to capture more of the surrounding background in a shot. The Pixel 5a is also pretty adept at night photography, a feature that the current iPhone SE doesn’t support.
We think that the iPhone SE 3 is going to address that shortcoming by introducing a Night mode to the camera features Apple packs into its cheapest model. We’re less convinced about a second camera lens joining the main shooter on the iPhone SE 3. First of all, leaks and rumors about the upcoming iPhone haven’t indicated that such an improvement is in the works. Secondly, another camera would surely drive up the iPhone’s cost.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Performance and 5G
The iPhone SE 3 should hold the edge over the Pixel 5a in the performance department, especially if Apple follows the pattern it’s set with previous iPhone SE releases. Typically, a new iPhone SE features the same chipset as the flagships Apple introduced the previous fall. For the iPhone SE 2020, that meant the A13 Bionic that powered the iPhone 11. In the case of the iPhone SE 3, we’re looking potentially at the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic chip.
If true, that’s great news for anyone who buys an iPhone SE 3. The A15 Bionic is the fastest chip we’ve ever tested, outperforming any Android device, and you’d be able to get all that power in a low-cost Apple phone. We’d certainly expect the iPhone SE 3 to outmuscle the Pixel 5a and its Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip. While that’s a capable midrange chipset, it’s no match for top-of-the-line Apple silicon.
The Pixel 5a connects to 5G networks, but just sub-6GHz 5G. (The device is not currently listed among the phones that work with the faster C-Band 5G networks that AT&T and Verizon have launched, however.) While this gave the Pixel 5a an edge over the iPhone SE 2020, that figures to disappear once the iPhone SE 3 arrives. That phone’s entire raison d’être is to add 5G compatibility to the low end of Apple’s iPhone lineup.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Battery life and charging
Battery life is one area waiting for either the iPhone SE or Pixel A series devices to distinguish themselves. The current iPhone SE turned in a below-average time on our battery test, in which we time how long it takes to drain a phone that’s been continuously surfing the web over cellular. The Pixel 5a fared slightly better, thanks to a 4,680 mAh battery. That helped Google’s phone hold out for 9 hours and 45 minutes, which is in line with the average for a smartphone.
Can the iPhone SE 3 do better? We won’t know until the phone comes out and we have more details about its power efficiency. Given the SE’s compact size, it’s unlikely that Apple can squeeze in much more than the 1,821 mAh power pack inside the current iPhone SE. Given the power demands of 5G, though, Apple will have to do something. After all, increasing the size of the batteries in the iPhone 13 helped those phones turn in better results than their iPhone 12 counterparts.
With support fort 18W charging speeds, the Pixel 5a isn’t exactly a speed demon when it comes to recharging the battery, though we wouldn’t expect the iPhone SE 3 to put up much of a challenge here. The current iPhone SE also supports 18W charging, and we don’t expect Apple is likely to improve that with the follow-up model. The iPhone SE does support wireless charging, though — a feature missing from the Pixel 5a.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Software and special features
Because Google makes both the phone and the software that powers it, the Pixel 5a doesn’t have to wait long for software updates like other Android phones do. That’s why the Pixel 5a runs Android 12, even though its own release pre-dates the arrival of Google’s updated phone software. Pixel 5a owners can count on three years of software updates.
The iPhone SE 3 will run the latest version of Apple’s phone software when it arrives — iOS 15 in this case. We’d expect software support to continue for some time. The original iPhone SE, which came out six years ago, is also able to run iOS 15, though it lacks support for more processor-intensive features.
iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a: Outlook
Until the iPhone SE 3 actually debuts this spring, we can’t fully compare the two phones. Even then, an iPhone SE 3 vs. Google Pixel 5a competition might be short-lived, as Google may be moving up the launch of the Pixel 6a to spring this year instead of late summer.
Still, looking at what Apple and Google have to offer the more budget-minded side of the phone market is always illustrative, particularly when it comes to how the phones’ respective cameras compare. That — and how much the iPhone SE 3 ultimately costs — will go a long way to deciding which phone maker is the king of budget devices.
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