I love the Pixel 8a, and the next iPhone SE should be just like it

The launch of the Pixel 9 got me thinking about the Pixel 8a and why it’s the best mid-range smartphone I’ve ever used. Available for $500, or even less if it’s on sale, the Pixel 8a offers the looks and features of a flagship smartphone at an affordable price. In a Pocket-lint review, it earned a 4.5-star rating due to its great design and software support.

Reflecting on the recent success of the Pixel 8a got me thinking about Apple’s mid-range smartphone, the iPhone SE, and its journey over the last two and a half years.

The third generation of the current iPhone SE, the iPhone SE 3, was launched in March 2022. Apple hasn’t refreshed the budget model since then – a new version was due to be launched in 2024, but the tech giant has reportedly cancelled it, making the current iPhone SE look increasingly outdated and dated.

The next iPhone SE (fourth generation iPhone SE) needs to be like the Pixel 8a, and comparing these two phones, the iPhone SE 3 and the Pixel 8a, clearly shows why.

Pixel 8a

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The Pixel 8a is a fantastic mid-range smartphone with great cameras, a fast processor, and AI capabilities.

High refresh rate OLED screen please

It was way too late for Apple to give ProMotion to all iPhones

The Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution and 430 ppi (pixels per inch). It delivers up to 1400 nits of brightness with a peak brightness of up to 2000 nits for HDR content. It also comes with Google’s Smooth Display technology, which allows the screen to have a refresh rate of 120Hz (equivalent to Apple’s ProMotion).

The iPhone SE 3 has a 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 pixel resolution 60Hz LCD display with IPS technology at 326 ppi, a maximum brightness of 625 nits, and Apple’s True Tone display technology.

The differences between these displays couldn’t be clearer: LCD vs OLED, 60Hz vs 120Hz, 625 nits vs 2000 nits peak brightness. If the next iPhone SE wants to truly capture the interest of consumers in the mid-range phone market, it needs a display like the Pixel 8a’s, whose screen has some compromises that Apple could easily improve, such as thicker bezels.

Rumors suggest the next iPhone SE, the iPhone SE 4, may have a 6.1-inch OLED screen. That would be a step towards matching the size of the Pixel 8a, but parity would require ProMotion support. Apple has only included ProMotion on its Pro phones so far, so I doubt it’ll happen. But surprise us, Apple. Please.

The iPhone SE deserves a modern design

Thank you for using the home button

Mid-range phones have to make compromises somewhere to stay affordable: the Pixel 8a has an aluminum frame with a plastic back, while the Pixel 8 and 9 both have an aluminum frame with a glass back. The Pixel 8 and 9 feel more premium, especially with the Pixel 9’s new flat-edge design, but they’re by no means inferior when you consider what the Pixel 8a has to offer.

Going back to the iPhone SE 3, the design of the 2017 iPhone 8 is surprising. It still has a home button, but some people may notice the absence of a home button, or may not notice the absence of a home button at all. It’s true that when I first got the iPhone without a home button, I noticed the absence of a home button for about 30 minutes. After that, swiping up felt very natural.

Like its more expensive flagships and the similarly priced Pixel 8a, the iPhone SE 4 should feature a button-less, all-screen design that would give the phone more screen real estate and allow the phone to get a much-needed redesign, which likely means adopting the look of Apple’s newer iPhones.

Rumours suggest it could adopt the look of the iPhone 14, which would be a major update to the iPhone SE, making it more modern and appealing to lower-cost consumers, and similar to the Pixel 8a.

It’s time to improve the SE’s camera

The Pixel 8a’s camera is good, but not as good as the Pixel 8 or 9. It has a 64MP wide-angle camera, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 13MP front-facing camera. I took the Pixel 8a to the beach to test its cameras and was really impressed with the detail and contrast in the images. The Pixel 8 and 9 take sharper images overall, but the Pixel 8a’s camera is just as impressive.

The 2022 iPhone SE 3 is an older model, but its camera isn’t too bad either. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera, and thanks to the SE’s A15 bionic chip, it supports smart HDR4 and deep fusion processing, making images crisp and clear. Sure, the zoom function is inferior to the Pixel 8a, but the iPhone SE 3’s camera isn’t that bad.

The iPhone SE 4 needs an extra rear camera like the Pixel 8a to improve zoom capabilities and capture the perfect shot.

If the iPhone SE 4 adopts the iPhone 14’s look, that would mean it would also feature the dual 12-megapixel rear cameras and a 12-megapixel front camera found on the iPhone 14, bringing it more in line with the Pixel 8a. In our 2022 iPhone 14 review, we found that it could take detailed, color-balanced shots, and that it had a Night Mode option for low-light shots.

Mid-range smartphones need AI too

Apple Intelligence will be supported on the next iPhone SE

apple

The Pixel 8a comes with built-in support for AI, thanks to Google Gemini, with advanced features available through a Gemini-Advanced subscription. There are also AI photo editing options like Magic Eraser and Magic Editor. You can also use Google’s Circle to Search feature to quickly find anything you see on your screen.

Apple Intelligence debuted at WWDC in June. It currently only supports the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max (as well as M-series iPads and Macs), but leaves out many older iPhones, such as the 13 and 14 series. Presumably, the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will also support it, but the feature may be delayed until after launch.

The Pixel 8a is a mid-range $500 phone that already employs AI, and if the iPhone SE 4 wants to keep up with the Pixel 8a and the AI ​​era we live in, it should do the same.

Increased processing power is inevitable

The 2022 iPhone SE is powerful, but it could become even more powerful

Google

One thing the iPhone SE 3 and Pixel 8a share in common to some extent is processing power.

The Pixel 8a is equipped with the Google Tensor G3 chip that first appeared in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. It’s a nine-core CPU with a Titan M2 security coprocessor. I’ve been using the Pixel 8a for the past few weeks and it’s been incredibly smooth. I’ve never noticed any lag or stuttering, and the phone never got particularly warm.

The iPhone SE 3 is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip, which has a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. The chip first debuted in the iPhone 13 in 2021, and Apple put it in the iPhone SE 3 in 2022. In our iPhone SE 3 review, we found the performance to be fast, seamless and lag-free.

If the next iPhone SE uses Apple’s A17 processor, it will be one of the fastest mid-range phones ever made, easily beating the Pixel 8a.

When will the next iPhone SE be released?

Looks like we’ll have to wait until 2025

The latest rumor from The Information claims that the iPhone SE 4 could ship in spring 2025. This wouldn’t be a surprise, as the iPhone 16 series is likely to launch in September, giving Apple more time to refine the new iPhone SE. Maybe the Pixel 9a will be here by then, too.

Apple is reportedly aiming to keep the price under $500, which it would have to do given that the iPhone 13 and 14 are priced at $599 and $699, respectively, and that the price is sure to drop when the iPhone 16 launches this fall.

But keeping the price below $500 would put it in line with the Pixel 8a’s price and closer to the iPhone SE 3’s price of $429.

I love the Pixel 8a, and if the next iPhone SE can match or improve on its features, Apple will have a real winner in the mid-range phone market.