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Comparison of Smallish
Unlocked Quad-Carrier Phones + the Samsung S10 (mid-size)
iPhone SE2 A2275 Versus iPhone 12 Mini A2176 Versus Galaxy S10E SM-G970U Versus Google Pixel 4A Versus Samsung S10
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https://tinyurl.com/iPhoneSE2VersusGalaxyS10E
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Last Update: 28 December 2020
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ManufacturerAppleAppleSamsungGoogleSamsung
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ModeliPhone SE2 A2275 (iPhone 9)iPhone 12 Mini A2176Galaxy S10E SM-G970UPixel 4ASM-G973U
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Operating SystemiOSiOSAndroid 10Android 10Android 10
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Year Released20202020201920202019
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Screen Resolution1334 x 7502340 x 10802280 x10802340 x10803040 x 1440
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Screen Size Diagonal4.69"/11.92 cm5.4"/13.725.76"/14.64 cm5.81"/14.76 cm6.1"/15.49 cm
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Screen Height x Width4.09" x 2.30"/10.39 cm x 5.84 cm4.91" x 2.27" /12.49 cm x 5.76 cm5.21" x 2.47"/13.22 cm x 6.26 cm5.28" x 2.48" /13.42 cm x 6.19 cm5.52" x 2.62"/14.04 cm x 6.65 cm
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Screen Area9.41 in²/60.74 cm²11.15 in²/69.41 cm²12.84 in²/82.81 cm²12.88 in²/83.08 cm²14.47 in²/92.37 cm²
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Bezel-lessNoYesYesYesYes
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PPI326476438443550
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Screen TypeLCDAMOLEDAMOLEDAMOLEDAMOLED
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Screen to Body Ratio65.60%82.24%%84.50%80.80%87.55%
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Screen Refresh Rate60 Hz
60 h%
60 Hz
60 Hz
60 Hz
60 Hz
60 Hz
60 Hz
60 Hz
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Geekbench 5 Multi-Core27794125244216002502
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Antutu492166523445389919268973357162
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Quad-CarrierYesYesYesYesYes
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Height x Width x Thickness (mm)138 x 67 x 7131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4143 x 70 x 8149 x 69 x 8149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8
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Volume (cc)68.062.578.582.282.31
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Height x Width (cm²)93.184.499.4102.8105.5
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Weight (grams)148135150144157
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Height x Width x Thickness (in)5.45 x 2.65 x 0.295.18 x 2.53 x 0.295.60 x 2.75 x 0.315.87 x 2.71 x 0.315.90 x 2.77 x 0.31
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Volume (ci)4.153.814.794.935.07
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Height x Width (in²)14.4413.1015.4113.7816.43
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Weight (ounces)5.24.85.35.15.54
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LTE Bands1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20,25,26,29,30,34,38,39,40,41,42,46,48,66,711,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20,25,26, 28,30,32,34,38,39,40,41,46,48,66,711,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20,25,26,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,711,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,17,18,20,25,26, 28,29,30,38,39,40,41,66,711,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20,25,26,28,29,30,38,39,40,41,46,66,71
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5G BandsNon1,n2,n3,n5,n7,n8,n12,n20,n25,n28,n38, n40,n41,n66,n71,n77,n78,n79,n260,n261NoNoNo
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GSMYesYesYesYesYes
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Battery Capacity (mAH)18212227310031403400
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RAM (GB)346/868
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ROM (GB)64/128/25664/128/256128/256128128/512
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Rear Cameras12212
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Rear Camera Mpixels1212 & 1212 & 1612.212 & 12.2 & 16
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Front Camera Mpixels71210810
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Rear Camera DXOMark Score101122116 (S10)111116 (S10)
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Front FlashNoNoNoNoNo
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Wi-Fi802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6802.11 a/b/g/n/ac802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6
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Cellular Antenna2x2 MIMO4x4 MIMO4x4 MIMO2x2 MIMO4x4 MIMO
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NFCApple Pay & Express Transit OnlyApple Pay & Express Transit OnlyYesYesYes
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Wireless ChargingYesYesYesNoYes
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Reverse Wireless ChargingNoNoYesNoYes
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Included Charger5WNo15W18W15W
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Maximum Charging Rate18-watt (PD)18-watt (PD)15W (PD, QC3.0, AFC)18W (QC3.0)15W (PD, QC3.0, AFC)
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Earbuds IncludedYes, LightningNoYes, 3.5mmNoYes, 3.5mm
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Included USB CableUSB-A to LightningUSB-C to LightningUSB-A-USB-CUSB-C to USB-CUSB-A-USB-C
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Fingerprint ReaderYesNoYesYesYes
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Dual SIMYes (eSIM + Nano SIM)Yes (eSIM + Nano SIM)NoYes (eSIM + Nano SIM)No
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Face RecognitionNoYesYesNoYes
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Iris ScannerNoNoNoNoNo
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Mass Transit PaymentsYesYesYes?Yes
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Magnetic Secure TransmissionNoNoYesNoYes
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Micro SD Card SlotNoNoYesNoYes
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3.5mm Headphone JackNoNoYesYesYes
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3.5mm Adatper IncludedNoNoNot NecessaryNot NecessaryNot Necessary
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FM radioNoNoYesNoYes
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USB OTGNoNoYesYesYes
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ConnectorLightningLightningUSB-CUSB-CUSB-C
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Processor A13 BionicA14 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 855Qualcomm Snapdragon 730GQualcomm Snapdragon 855
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GPUInternal to A13 BionicInternal to A14 BionicAdreno 640Adreno 516Adreno 640
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ModemIntel XMM7660Qualcomm X55 LTE + 5GQualcomm X24 LTEIntegrated X15Qualcomm X24 LTE
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LTE Modem CategoryCat 19Cat 22Cat 20Cat 15/Cat 13Cat 20
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LTE Modem Speed Down/Up1.6Gbps/225Mbps2.5Gbps/316Mbps2.5Gbps/316Mbps800Mbps/150Mbps2.5Gbps/316Mbps
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WaterproofIP67IP68IP68NoIP68
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Street Price (after discounts)$449 (128GB)$779 (128GB)$500 (128GB)$349$500 (128GB)
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The iPhone 12 Mini is clearly the king of the smallish phones. It's the only one with 5G, it has the fastest processor, and it has the best cameras of any small phone. While the screen is much larger than the iPhone SE, the height and width are smaller because of the bezel-less design. Of course this comes at a price, the 12 Mini is 73% more expensive than the entry-level iPhone SE 2020.

The Samsung Galaxy S10E is the closest competitor to the Apple iPhone SE in terms of physical size and price. The S10E is the only smallish, high-performance, Android phone currently for sale in the United States. It's a 2019 model and is in short supply due to its popularity, and the price has gone up. The Samsung Galaxy S10E has several advantages over the SE, including a bezel-less design with a high screen to body ratio, much larger screen, AMOLED versus LCD screen, higher resolution display, 3.5mm headphone jack, better waterproofing, MicroSD card slot, FM radio, USB-OTG support, more RAM, more cameras, higher-resolution cameras, and a 4x4 MIMO antenna. Previous to the S10E, the best small Android model was the Moto X4 64GB.

A major advantage of the iPhone SE is the dual-SIM capability (eSIM+Physical SIM). The iPhone also has a much faster processor so it does better on benchmark tests of the CPU. The new iPhone SE is technically an "iPhone 9." It's the iPhone 8 body, screen, and camera but with the A13 Bionic processor replacing the A11 processor and the Intel XMM7660 modem replacing the Intel XMM7480 or Qualcomm X16 modem, and perhaps most importantly, improved power management that should prevent the throttling problem as the battery ages.

The new Pixel 4A is a disappointment. While it's around $150 less than the discounted price of the similar sized Samsung S10e, it lacks a host of features. It uses a poorer CPU and modem. It has fewer LTE bands. It has no waterproofing. There is no MicroSD card slot. There is no Magnetic Secure Transmission which is especially useful during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is no wireless charging. The screen to body ratio is lower. They use a 2x2 MIMO antenna instead of a 4x4. There is no support for Wi-Fi 6 (ax). It's well worth spending an extra money for a Samsung Galaxy S10e. The S10e is the only small Android flagship available. The sole issue with the S10e is that unlike the Pixel 4a and the iPhone SE, there is no dual SIM (eSIM plus physical SIM) support.

Alas, the S10E is difficult to buy these days and the price has increased. Samsung's own web site is sold out. Total Wireless is selling it for $600 minus a $100 promo but it may be locked to Tracfone brands (not clear because the Note 9 they sell is unlocked).

I included the S10 even though it's larger than the S10E simply because it's still more widely available.

Hopefully Samsung will come out with a newer, 5G, Galaxy model in a smaller size to compete against the iPhone 12 Mini.
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