Google Pixel 4a vs OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE. Which is the best to choose?

Hey techies! After the most awaited launch of Google Pixel 4a last Monday, A new competitor is added to the mid-range market whereas OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE are already in it. Let us help you decide to make a quick comparison between the 3 smartphones.

We have divided the comparison into different segments. You can still use Jump To section below, it’ll take you to what matters to you.

1.Design:

Google Pixel 4a is coming with a plastic built which makes the phone weigh less(143g). It’s a compact phone with a thickness of 8.2mm and is available in one color (Just Black).

OnePlus Nord comes with a glass sandwich plastic frame design with metallic buttons which makes the phone weigh 184g, a little heavy compared to Pixel 4a. The thickness of the phone is the same as the Google Pixel 4a (8.2mm) and is available in two different colors (Nord Blue and Grey Onyx).

iPhone SE comes with a premium design of a glass sandwich with an aluminum frame and still weighs 143g. The thickness of the phone is 7.3mm which makes it more compact in this price range.
The iPhone comes in three color variants(White, Red, and Black). 

2.Display:

Google Pixel 4a comes with 5.81-inch FHD+(1080 x 2340) OLED display with a density of 443 PPI and comes with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display does support HDR+ and has Widevine L1 support which enables FHD streaming. The phone also has an always-on display. But one thing that stands it slightly behind the competition is its 60Hz refresh rate.

OnePlus Nord comes with a 6.44-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2400) OLED display with a density of 408 PPI and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display does support HDR+ and Widevine L1. It has a smooth 90Hz refresh rate which makes the phone ahead in the competition.

iPhone SE comes with a 4.7-inch widescreen LCD Retina HD(1334×750) display of 326 PPI. The display does support HDR10 and Dolby Vision content. This makes the phone far behind in the competition.

3.Camera:

Google Pixel 4a has a single rear camera with a 12.2 MP sensor. It has an aperture of ƒ/1.7 with a field view of 77° and also supports OIS+EIS. The video on the rear camera supports up to 4K @ 30 FPS. The front camera has an 8 MP sensor with ƒ/2.0 aperture and an 84° field of view. The video recording on the front camera supports up to 1080p @ 30 FPS. It also has a dedicated night-scape mode.

OnePlus Nord comes with 4 rear cameras and 2 front cameras. Talking about rear cameras, The primary sensor of 48 MP with Sony IMX586 and Optical Image Stabilization(OIS) is the same as the one in the OnePlus 8. It has an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 119° field of view. A 5 MP depth sensor is mounted for better portrait shots. With a 2 MP macro lens, it focuses on the most nearer objects with ease. The 4K video recording supported by the rear camera is strangely limited to 30 FPS. Jumping to the front cameras, The primary camera has a 32 MP with Sony IMX616 and Electronic Image Stabilization(EIS) support. The Secondary camera is an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 105° field of view. The video recording on the front camera supports up to 4K @ 60 FPS, we can also record videos with the wide-angle lens. 

iPhone SE has a 12 MP wide camera in the rear with ƒ/1.8 aperture. The camera has a digital zoom up to 5x and supports Optical Image Stabilization(OIS). iPhones are well known for their portrait shots and iPhone SE is no less in that. The video recording supports up to 4K @ 60 FPS. It has a 7 MP front camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture. The camera does support only 1080p video recording at 30 FPS.

4.Software & Performance:

Google Pixel 4a has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 with an octa-core CPU that can clock up to 2.2 GHz With Adreno 618 GPU it offers a decent gaming experience. It comes with 6GB RAM. The phone comes with Android 10, pure stock experience out of the box and Google promised software updates for 3 years. 

OnePlus Nord is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 5G support. The octa-core CPU can clock up to 2.4 GHz and has 6/8/12 GB RAM with Adreno 620 GPU which offers good gaming and multi-tasking experience. This phone also comes with Android 10 out of the box. The OxygenOS offers almost stock experience and OnePlus promised to provide software updates for 2 years.

iPhone SE is powered by the latest A13 Bionic chip which is the same as the one in iPhone 11 line-up. This six-core neural chipset can clock up to 2.65 GHz with 3GB RAM. This phone comes with iOS13 and Apple will provide software updates for 5 years. The A13 Bionic chip offers amazing performance and gaming experience, this pushes the iPhone SE far ahead of the competitors in this segment.

5.Storage & Battery:

Google Pixel 4a comes with only one storage variant 128GB (6GB RAM). This powers up with a 3140mAh battery which can drive you through a day for moderate usage as Google has done great software optimization. It comes with an 18W fast charger in the box.

OnePlus Nord comes in three storage variants as 64*/128/256 GB with 6/8/12GB RAM respectively. This is powered up with a 4115mAh battery that drives you through a day seamlessly. It can charge from 0 – 70% in 30 min with the 30W Warp charger provided in the box.

iPhone SE comes in three storage variants as 64/128/256 GB with 3GB RAM. The iPhone powers up with a 1821mAh battery. It can support 18W fast charging but sold separately.

6.Gaming:

Google Pixel 4a is not a gaming-centric device in this segment but Snapdragon 730 with Adreno 618 handles many of the high-end games with ease. It can run on a 60Hz refresh rate and thus saves battery too.

OnePlus Nord powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with Adreno 620 offers a pretty good gaming experience. A 90Hz fluid display gives you astonishing smooth gameplay.

iPhone SE has a powerful A13 Bionic chip that gives you robust gameplay in this competition. But the screen size may bring displeasure for your gaming experience. If a 4.7inch display is what you feel good about, then this will be a perfect gaming device for you.

7.Pricing:

The most important factor to decide whether a phone is worth or not.

Google Pixel 4a comes in only one variant which costs 349$, it is expected to be available in India from October. Converting the USD to INR that brings it to INR 27000 approx., if the phone is launched under 30k then it is definitely going to set the mid-range market very competitive.

OnePlus Nord comes in three variants starting from 24999 INR which is a special Indian variant with 6GB RAM and the remaining variants costing about 27999 INR (8/128) and 29999 INR (12/256). Unfortunately, the OnePlus Nord is not available in the USA which was launched exclusively in Europe and India. The European prices are £379.00 (8/128) and £469.00 (12/256). This is the only device that comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at this price point.

iPhone SE comes in three variants starting from 42500 INR (64GB) , 47800 INR (128GB) and 58,300 INR (256GB). The pricing of the iPhone in the USA is 399$ (64GB), 449$ (128GB) and 549$ (256GB). It is the most premium and expensive competitor in this segment.

The Conclusion:

So finally, we came to the end of this comparison, talking about the verdict, we want to clear your mind and give you a little help to choose the best that suits you. Let’s have 3 straight statements.

If you want a great camera-centric phone with a decent performance and smooth stock experience, Google Pixel 4a is a good pick for you.

 

If you want a great performance and more storage options with a decent camera, the OnePlus Nord will be a good one for you.

 

If you want an immense performance, a great camera and if you are used to iOS and Apple ecosystem, iPhone SE is the one for you.

So, we assume this information helped a bit in your decision making. If it really did, please take a minute to share this article within your circles. Thank you for reading and keep an eye on this space while you stay home safe to get the latest updates. Hope we See you around.

Authors:
Prudhvi Kanakala, Soma Rahul