Apple's iPhone SE 2022 has formidable competition in the Android midrange at its $429 price point, chief among which is Samsung's fresh Galaxy A53 enemy on the Android side. Sporting a larger display, a much bigger battery, and a richer camera set, could the A53 be a tough nut to crack for the iPhone SE in the battle of affordable 5G phones? Check out our comparison.
Apple iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy A53 price and storage
iPhone SE price: $429 (64GB), $479 (128GB), $579 (256GB)
Galaxy A53 price: $449 (128GB)
The iPhone SE (2022) starts at $429 for the same 64GB storage that its predecessor used to offer for thirty bucks less. Sign of the times, but since Samsung lowered the Galaxy A53 price from last year's $499 level for double the iPhone SE's base storage, that newer A15 processor is the only thing that the iPhone SE has going for it against the A53, at least as far as raw specs are concerned.
Apple iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy A53 design and display
Needless to say, the iPhone SE is smaller than the A53 in all dimensions as it sports a tiny 4.7" screen compared to the 6.5" diagonal of its Android competitor. Next to the Samsung phone, the iPhone SE looks decidedly retro, what with its fat bezels and a home button.
Granted, the iPhone SE body has a more premium glass material, but the Galaxy A53 doesn't look bad at all in its new matte colors, albeit made of plastic. The camera island slopes gradually on the sides, blending seamlessly with the rear, while at the front it's all screen and thick side bezels, with way more canvas to work on than Apple offers.
The iPhone SE is available in Midnight, Starlight, and Red colors, while the A53 comes in pastel colors like light blue or cream of which there are way more to pick from than Apple offers. Samsung's Galaxy A53 preorders in the U.S., however, only include the solemn black color to choose from.
As for the display specs, we can't stress enough how larger the 6.5" screen on the A53 looks compared to the puny 4.7-incher if the iPhone SE that is on top of that a 750p HD unit that barely breaks the 600 nits brightness barrier, not to mention its dubious color representation specs.
On paper, the iPhone SE doesn't really compare to the richer camera set on the Galaxy A53, what with its single main shooter against the four cameras on the Samsung phones. Only two of those - the 64MP main and 12MP ultrawide - cameras will see a wider use, though. Moreover, the iPhone SE has a 12MP main camera on the back with optical image stabilization, while on the software side it supports all the computational bells and whistles that the A15 chips can process, such as the Smart HDR, or the Photographic Styles filters.
Apple calls it “the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone” and with the help of the new A15 imaging processor it is able to churn out some incredible photos for the camera hardware that can now take advantage of Apple's Smart HDR algorithms for a wider dynamic range capture, too.
Compared to the iPhone SE, the Galaxy A53 gives colors steroids. Both phones have excellent dynamic range that is comparable, but everything looks super vivid on the Galaxy, and more toned down on the iPhone. Both are a nice look, and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but the iPhone seems to have the more realistic colors.
The iPhone, however, lack an ultra-wide camera which is of a surprisingly good quality on the budget A53. Plus, the Galaxy also does better with digital zoom.
On the video front, the Galaxy captures a wider field of view, which we consider an advantage since people often record in tight spaces and need that. And you can also use the ultra-wide camera to get an even wider perspective.
The same story with the colors happens in video too: everything is extra saturated on the Galaxy, more toned down on the iPhone, but detail and dynamic range is actually comparable between the two and it’s hard to pick a winner.
Apple iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy A53 performance and 5G connectivity
The A15 Bionic chipset inside the iPhone SE (2022) is a beast, especially considering the display resolution of the phone. Everything just flies and nobody needs more power in a compact phone. The Galaxy A53 also uses a 5nm processor, Samsung's new Exynos 1280, but given that even the most powerful chipsets in the Android universe can't beat Apple's finest mobile silicon, we'd wager to guess the performance of the SE will be way above what the A53 musters.
On the other hand, Samsung offers more RAM to accommodate its newest One UI 4.1 Android overlay behavior and has 128GB of storage, though you can get 128 gigs on the iPhone SE as well, for about the same price Samsung charges for its A53 now.
The big specs difference besides the chipsets is that the 5G modem inside the Galaxy A53 would supports both Verizon's mmWave network, and the low- to mid-bands of the other 5G-ready carriers. The iPhone SE, on the other hand, only supports the slower sub-6GHz low- to mid-bands. That's the vast majority of 5G coverage in the U.S., though, so no harm no foul.
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Apple iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy A53 battery and charging
Apple says it has enhanced the battery life of the iPhone SE (2022) but even then it would simply catch up to its smaller phones, while the giant 5000mAh pack in the A53 may keep you humming two days in a row with average use.
Apple says that the iPhone SE (2022) will get to 50% charge in 30 minutes but you'd have to bring your own 20W charger to do that. Ditto for the Galaxy A53 which now doesn't include a charger in the box, either, yet tops up its 5000mAh piece quicker with a 25W fast charging support.
Apple iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy A53, which one to buy?
There's just a twenty dollars price difference between the base iPhone SE and Galaxy A53, yet Samsung's phone comes with 128GB storage at that tag. Thus, you don't even have to think which phone is better as there is an extra ultrawide camera on the A53, a two-day battery inside, and a much larger and pleasant to look at OLED display.
Not that the main camera on the iPhone SE (2022) doesn't produce great results, or that its chipset is second to none at the moment, yet in other areas that count more in your everyday interaction with your phone, the Galaxy A53 is a winner.
Those invested in the iOS ecosystem, though, are unlikely to be swayed by the better value for money ratio that Samsung's new midranger offers compared to its tiny iPhone SE competitor. Unless you need the mmWave speeds that Verizon's 5G network offers, that is, then all bets are off as the iPhone SE doesn't support them.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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