As much as it may seem, the story is by no means a hoax. Anyway…I’m really surprised how Apple can come up with something like the iPhone SE (2022).
For those too young or #blessed to know, the iPhone SE is mostly a 2014 iPhone 6 with pretty much just one 2022 hardware component inside, which of course is the A15 Bionic processor that powers the phone. Oh, and the SE also features the iPhone 8’s front and rear camera sensors.
While several insiders are now reporting that Apple is scaling back production of the iPhone SE (2022) due to lower-than-expected demand, rest assured that Cupertino’s cheapest iPhone will likely outsell any 2022 release. Android flagships – it’s just the phone world we live in. Most people in the US, UK, Europe or elsewhere are reluctant to spend their flagship phone money on an Android flagship. The iPhone SE (2020) is the eight best-selling phones of 2021, surpassing any Android flagship and trailing only two low-budget Android devices – Samsung’s Galaxy A12 and Xiaomi’s Redmi 9A (sixth and seventh) ).
So, Apple’s SE magic led me to a fictional question that’s still fun to answer…
What if Samsung and Google, which currently make some of the best flagship and mid-range phones on the market, pulled out of Apple and launched a 2014-2015 phone with a new processor and sold it for around $400? To make it easier, imagine that instead of launching the full-fledged Galaxy A53 (5G), Samsung launched what is essentially a Galaxy S6 and called it the “Galaxy SE” for $430. Then, of course, Google will have to replace the unannounced Google Pixel 6A with a… wait… Motorola Nexus 6.
What could go wrong? !
Spoiler: a ton. There are plenty of reasons why even the biggest Android phone makers can’t follow Apple’s “brave” iPhone SE move. But it’s not all bad…
Galaxy SE (2022): What Samsung’s iPhone SE equivalent will look like
Galaxy SE Design
It’s a bit ironic to start with the design, but it’s also understandable that the Galaxy S6 actually looks a bit more modern than the iPhone SE, since Samsung’s 2015 flagship phone has thinner bezels than the iPhone.
It also matches the iPhone’s glass sandwich and aluminum construction, as well as a home button that doubles as a fingerprint reader. For the record, Samsung’s Galaxy SE may or may not have an IP rating for dust and water resistance — the Galaxy S6 doesn’t, but since it’s 2022, it’s fairly fair to assume Samsung will add this feature.
Galaxy SE display
In terms of display, the imaginary Galaxy SE will feature a 5.1-inch 2K, AMOLED screen that looks better than the LCD display on Apple’s budget iPhone due to its better contrast ratio and higher resolution. Questions will diverge here, as Samsung’s current mid-range phones offer 120Hz displays. However, since we’re assuming that Samsung wants to cut costs like Apple, and since the idea of the story is that we’re looking at an apples-to-apples comparison, “no 120Hz screen” is assumed.
Galaxy SE battery and charging
If we take into account what Apple has done with the iPhone SE (2022), the fictitious Galaxy SE will either be powered by the same 2550 mAh battery as the original Galaxy S6, or a slightly larger battery.
The Galaxy SE will also feature wireless charging, which would make it very modern. Of course, true fast charging will be nowhere to be found, just like on the iPhone SE. Not to mention, even Samsung and Apple’s 2022 flagship phones don’t offer true fast charging.
Galaxy SE performance
Here comes the kicker.
If we assume the “Galaxy SE” will follow Apple’s lead, the outdated-looking Galaxy SE will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, possibly with 8GB of RAM. Speaking of memory, storage starts at 64GB (like the iPhone), and there’s no micro SD card slot, as the original Galaxy S6 didn’t either (by comparison, Samsung’s current midrange phones still offer memory expansion). When it comes to performance, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. While mid-range phones are getting faster, the lack of flagship chipsets can be felt. Especially on devices like the Galaxy A53, which are more prone to stuttering or display lag when pushed to the limit than the iPhone SE. So a proper flagship chip in a mid-range Galaxy actually doesn’t sound bad at all.
Then again, just like what the A15 Bionic did for the iPhone SE (2022), Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip will not only make the “Galaxy SE” run like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it will also enhance some other aspects of the entire experience. On the front, the most notable is the camera performance, which makes us…
Galaxy SE Camera
While 12MP photos are all the rage today (phones with 48, 50, 108MP cameras still take 12MP photos), that wasn’t the case in 2014-2015. For starters, the Galaxy S6 has only one camera on the back, a 16MP, f/1.9, 1/2.6-inch OIS sensor, which is slightly larger than the sensor in the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE (2022), with a 1/3-inch sensor. However, as you can see from recent comparisons, photos taken with the iPhone SE (2022) lead the iPhone SE (2020) in detail, especially in low light. Thanks to Apple’s help from the A15 Bionic, the video quality is also higher.
If the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 can help the Galaxy S6’s tiny sensor take great photos during the day, the lack of night mode will be a real challenge. Yes, the “Galaxy SE” doesn’t have a night mode, as the iPhone SE still doesn’t. come on, apple? !
Also, since the iPhone SE can easily compete with Android flagships in terms of video quality, it’s fair to assume that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 won’t help Samsung’s SE much in this regard, as the camera hardware is outdated.
Google Pixel SE (2022): What Google’s iPhone SE equivalent will look like
Google Pixel SE design
Moving on to Google’s hypothetical iPhone SE equivalent, we have the Motorola-made Nexus 6, which was one of the biggest phones of its time—even bigger and heavier than Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus.
Yes, kids…a Nexus. The Pixel was the Nexus before the Pixel.
While it won’t follow in the footsteps of Apple’s compact SE devices, the change will actually make the Nexus 6 very modern, as even today’s midrange phones are bigger and heavier than they were in 2015. Keeping the Pixel SE “as authentic as possible” meant the phone shouldn’t have a home button, which of course made way for a pair of true stereo speakers on the Nexus 6 — something many fans still miss today.
Another controversial omission from Google’s hypothetical “Pixel SE” is the lack of a fingerprint reader, as the Nexus 6 doesn’t have one. So you either need to think about a good passcode or pattern (remember that?), or Google has to add a fingerprint reader to the back, side, or display of the “Pixel SE.” I’m willing to make an exception because biometric security on mobile phones is very important these days.
Interestingly, the lack of a fingerprint reader on the front also makes the top and bottom bezels of the Nexus 6 quite thin compared to the iPhone 6 or even the Galaxy S6. Of course, none of these phones can match the LG G3 in this regard, but with LG’s phone business now dead, how much attention this amazing phone will get right now.
Google Pixel SE display
Granted, the Nexus 6 was a huge device at the time, but I daresay it didn’t waste much space. In addition to front-facing stereo speakers, Motorola and Google’s Aiko has a full 6 inches of screen real estate, dwarfing phones like the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
So yeah… more pointing to Google here, because the big display is sure to make the Nexus 6 feel fresher than the iPhone SE in 2022. It’s also a 2K, 60Hz, AMOLED screen, which makes it one of the best monitors for enjoying media back in the day.
In fact, if this screen can be as bright as some OLEDs today, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be considered great even in 2022.
Google Pixel SE battery and charging
Unfortunately, the Nexus 6’s battery isn’t as good as the display. Google’s phone had a massive 3,220 mAh battery at the time, but similar to Google’s latest Pixel 6 Pro, that didn’t help it gain any significant battery life advantage over phones with much smaller batteries. Ironically, Google…
That means battery life on the Nexus 6 today is about average, if not average — maybe the level of the iPhone SE (2020), which means… barely usable for most people. On the bright side, the Nexus 6 has wireless charging. yeah? !
Google Pixel SE performance
But this is where it gets interesting…
If Google phones were expected to feature mid-range Qualcomm chips a year ago, these are getting Tensors today. In fact, the actual Tensor processor for the Google Pixel 6 is indeed expected to appear on the true mid-range Pixel 6A (expected in May).
There’s no doubt that Tensors will not only boost the performance of 2014 Google phones like the Nexus 6, but also make them smarter than any other device on the market. Real-time translation, instant voice input, HDRnet for video, Magic Eraser, Face Unblur and on-device Google Assistant processing are things you won’t find in any other mid-range Android phone today, let alone an iPhone SE is up.
On the other hand, in terms of raw power/benchmarks, the Tensor is barely capable compared to Apple’s A15 Bionic or even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. We’ve yet to see if this quantitative difference will cause the Pixel 6 to slow down over time, but for now, it’s safe to say that performance won’t be an issue with the fictional Pixel SE since it’s not a Pixel 6.
Google Pixel SE camera
We come to Google’s favorite category, especially when it comes to older camera sensors. To put it bluntly, the 2015 Nexus 6 had a 13MP, f2.0, 1/3.1-inch rear camera with OIS.
Now, to be sure, back in 2014-2015, this hardware didn’t take the Nexus 6 very far. Both the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 shoot better video than Google’s flagship phones, and while daylight photos are certainly comparable, Google’s ultra-small sensor doesn’t perform well in low light, and the Galaxy S6 is way ahead.
But of course, luckily, this is not 2014. Of course, Sundar Pichai & Co has made some remarkable advancements in hardware thanks to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro,…
