Current Events > 'Cheapest iPhone has a more powerful processor than the most expensive Android'

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.androidcentral.com/cheapest-iphone-has-more-powerful-processor-most-expensive-android-phone

Apple has updated the little iPhone SE for 2020, and even an Android fan has to see that it's a great phone at an even greater price of $399 for the base model. It's essentially an iPhone 8 with one big difference: it has Apple's A13 Bionic chip buried inside. And that's a big deal for a number of reasons.

I expect that some people are going to tell me about single thread versus multi-threaded performance and how the A13 GPU isn't that great or how iPhones have much lower resolution screens so the chips don't have to work as hard. All this is true, but another thing is true: the A13 is a stronger chip than the Snapdragon 865 for daily use in every category we've seen this applied in real life in the iPhone 11 already. The only area it misses out is 5G, and that's because Apple just doesn't care about 5G yet. (The rumored iPhone 12 will almost certainly have a Qualcomm 5G chipset inside, for what it's worth.)

Nerdy things like CPU threads aside, you'll notice how well the new iPhone SE performs when you use it. Everything in a modern smartphone from web browsing to camera performance to less-used things like AR depends on the processor. You need to crunch numbers really fast if you want your phone to respond really fast. The $399 iPhone SE will be able to do these things faster than the new OnePlus 8 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S20+.

It sounds crazy to say that Apple including its expensive new chip in its budget phone makes sense, but it does. Apple has but a single processor to design, manufacture, support, store, and deliver. The cost over an older chip like the A11 is surely significant, but isn't going to be as high as supporting and shipping that A11 in what will likely be a very popular smartphone.

What sounds less crazy, and great to consumers, is that by using the A13 Apple can support the iPhone SE for years and this phone will outlive the iPhone 8 it is slated to replace for a handful of extra years because of the new chip. Basically, if the iPhone 11 can get updated, so can the iPhone SE. This is cool to hear today, but it will be really important in three years when another version of iOS is released and your $399 iPhone gets it on day one.

All of these reasons are also why it's so important that Google finds a way to build its own chips for its smartphones. It's been recently rumored (again) that Google is doing just that and has designed a new 5nm chip that will soon begin production for 2021 phones. This would allow Google to provide as many software updates as it pleases as well as build an in-house version of Android tailored for specific hardware that it controls.

Building your own mobile chipset brings many advantages, and Apple is leveraging them today. Google really needs to do the same, and soon. It isn't guaranteed to be a win, as we've watched Samsung historically struggle with its in-house developed Exynos processors, but the potential upside is clearly there.

The iPhone SE may not be a better phone than something like the latest Pixel, Galaxy or OnePlus. It has a lesser screen, weaker single camera, doesn't have the wealth of OS features we've come to expect from an Android flagship, and you're still stuck with a lightning connector instead of a universal solution in USB-C. But when it comes to processor performance and future-proofing for software updates, the iPhone SE beats that Android flagship you're holding right now.

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Bio1590 posted...

I expect that some people are going to tell me about single thread versus multi-threaded performance and how the A13 GPU isn't that great or how iPhones have much lower resolution screens so the chips don't have to work as hard. All this is true,

So its faster for refreshing your browser, but not in actual benchmarks?

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wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

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Romulox28 posted...

wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

bro i gotta be able to check facebook and snapchat super quick! those 0.2 seconds longer it takes for android to open those apps means a ton of productivity wasted

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Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

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The bigger issue with android is their shitty ability to keep phones on their latest OS so its all fragmented and their terrible resell value

i use my iphone for graphic rendering and my android for phone calls

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Romulox28 posted...

wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

Listen here brother, I need to play my ad filled, pay to win mobile games at a blistering pace.

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i'm just sticking with whatever comes free when i renew my plan

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Imagine not using Bluetooth headphones and needing a back button on a cell phone. I bet android users still browse with internet explorer

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Romulox28 posted...

wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

lmao right.

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Colorahdo posted...

Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

I believe the "back" button is implemented into each app instead of being its own separate thing.

Yep, no headphone jack.

Not sure about the apps

But you can absolutely play games on one

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Great phone for Apple users on a budget. It will outlast any android phone on the market at the same price point given Apple's reputation for giving their devices reliable updates over the years.

However I don't consider $400 budget oriented, at least not for me. The phone is too small now that I've begun to get used to larger phones and the bezels are ugly in 2020. I'm still much happier with an android flagship that is dated by a year or two and ranging a cut above $100 for my budget option. That still doesn't take away from the fact that for Apple users this is a great option. If you want/need iOS but don't want to drop a grand it doesn't get better than this IMO.

The real story isn't how fast it is but how the latest chip implies a greater support window.

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Colorahdo posted...

Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

No

Yes

No (although that depends what you mean by "tons", there's like...6 apps I can't remove)

No?
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Colorahdo posted...

Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

Definitely does
Definitely does
Not really
I have games on mine

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I honestly don't think I've ever said to myself "I wish my phone had a better CPU."

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That's kinda interesting

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TheBiggerWiggle posted...

Imagine not using Bluetooth headphones and needing a back button on a cell phone. I bet android users still browse with internet explorer

Imagine paying more for less features.

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The cult of Apple

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Yeah but it doesn't have a stylus!

Seriously can they just fucking release one or am I just gonna have to get an iPad mini 5, an iPhone and a fucking macbook to hipster the fucking hell up

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Why do we need faster phones anyways? The only thing people do on phones is scroll Facebook/internet/take pictures. Its not like the vast majority of users even NEEDS incredible processing power.

Its honestly a waste of valuable resources.

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Colorahdo posted...

Also no headphone jack?

No serial port either.

Kombucha posted...

Great phone for Apple users on a budget. It will outlast any android phone on the market at the same price point given Apple's reputation for giving their devices reliable updates over the years.

However I don't consider $400 budget oriented, at least not for me. The phone is too small now that I've begun to get used to larger phones and the bezels are ugly in 2020. I'm still much happier with an android flagship that is dated by a year or two and ranging a cut above $100 for my budget option. That still doesn't take away from the fact that for Apple users this is a great option. If you want/need iOS but don't want to drop a grand it doesn't get better than this IMO.

The real story isn't how fast it is but how the latest chip implies a greater support window.

Oh look, someone who gets it perfectly

The 6S is over 4 years old and still runs like a charm. Thats why youd want a better CPU, especially if you dont buy phones that often

Quality will always be greater than quantity with smartphones. Do you think anyone was buying a Galaxy S4 back in the day for the fucking motion-based navigation lol

The SE is the perfect backup phone and Im considering getting one to keep around

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Colorahdo posted...

Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

Why wouldnt you be able to play games on them? Most games support iOS devices almost 5 years old and newer

Most of the stock apps can be deleted freely

No headphone jack but adapters are cheap and it comes with headphones that plug directly into the lightning connector

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apple wins again baby

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Colorahdo posted...

Don't iphones not have a "go back" button? Also no headphone jack? Also tons of non removable apps? Also you can't play games on them?

I'm sure this is bait but holy shit, have you been living under a rock?

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BigDD67 posted...

The cult of Apple

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No thanks I will stick with the superior Android phones

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the only superior phones are the Note because of the stylus tbh
Give me a phone with a small apple pencil and I give you my money

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No one looking for a cheap iPhone gives a crap about the CPU. People will buy the SE because it's relatively affordable, has Touch ID, and it has a smaller form factor. The A13 is nice, but if you already have an 8, this SE doesn't really offer anything new. If you have an OG SE, then you might even be a little miffed that this 2G version is bigger.

There's just some curious omissions that make me scratch my head such as keeping the battery capacity the same as the 8 and the lack of a night mode for the camera.

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i have an original se, Ill be upgrading. I do prefer smaller phones but Im ok with the increase in size.

Original se I bought for $200 or $250 unlocked.

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Apple hardware is the best!

Verizon and AT&T are already offering it for $200 if you upgrade.

No bill credits or anything. You get the phone and you can immediately pay off the $200 and cancel your account if you want.

Absolute fucking steal, especially once it's jailbroken. You can emulate the 3DS at pretty much 95-100% performance on the $1000 S20. This is more powerful than even that.

This just means that Android will follow suit instead of giving us leftover garbage in their budget stuff. The 4 carriers are already offering bigger discounts on their Android stuff since the announcement.

Also this should last people for several years longer than most Androids. It shound easily get up iOS 18 or 19. Meanwhile, my S9 didn't get Android 10 and doesn't support PS4 or Xbox controller support. 2 year old phone.

So I don't know why people are downplaying this and going on about who cares about the CPU. As I've said before, this is a game changer.


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Im just glad people are growing up out of the Le Google is Best no matter what phase. Its what led to the Windows Phone being killed off cuz no one would make apps despite it being a better phone

The SE has a 720p screen that's like 5 inches. Lol it's a phone from 2016 being ran on modern internals.


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Romulox28 posted...

wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

lol

but I like the idea of Apple making their popular phones affordable. especially for the elders that only needs a phone to call and do facetime.

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I'm not getting it because it's ass ugly. Apple doesn't know how to make nice looking phones anymore.

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The UI on an iPhone is so terrible that I can't really see a universe where they can make a good usability case for it over your average Android.

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Samsung destroys Apple in every way and continues to do so on a daily basis, both in quality and in global sales.

Just a reminder though that Motorola was a leading company involved with Germany and the CIA to make worldwide spy machines.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/

I tend to assume Samsung is not very far off from Motorola but they aren't mentioned in this context.

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Romulox28 posted...

wtf are people doing on their phones that they care about processing power

I need to play the New York Times crossword game in 4K, 60 FPS. I demand the HIGHEST FIDELITY when filling in those boxes!

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Even though it has all that shit it still can't run GameCube/N64/PS/GBA/etc... games

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What about the apple community makes anyone think they'd want nerd specs over screen resolution?

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Jiek_Fafn posted...

What about the apple community makes anyone think they'd want nerd specs over screen resolution?

64 bits! That's twice as many as Playstation!

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Jiek_Fafn posted...

What about the apple community makes anyone think they'd want nerd specs over screen resolution?

Lol, do you not live in reality? Most dont care about resolution except nerds, the same way nerds care about the SoC.

That's not the point here. This is going for $200-$400 and that's a hell of a lot better than a $1k iPhone 11 or a $1k Galaxy. And such a powerful SoC just insures that when apps get more intensive in the next 5 years, this will be there to handle it.

Remember, the Note 10 is $1k and has a 1080p screen. It was released in 2019. The last major update it gets is in 2021. So something a fraction of the cost having around 720p is not even something people can bitch about without looking foolish.

People are coming in here going "where is xyz?", but like said, most people don't care about shit outside social media and messaging/calls/video chat. This is a good thing for the nerds, because it's the casual audience that will get pulled away from way more expensive stuff and in turn, they'll be forced to lower prices and compete.

Never understood how people get so insecure over Apple. It's the weirdest fucking thing ever and I'm pretty much Samsung only.


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Pretty compelling. Just that, I can't sideload cracked apps, no emulators, I don't think it'll play well with an android TV.

But for someone who doesn't have those requirements and needs a compact phone it seems a no brainer

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Jiek_Fafn posted...

What about the apple community makes anyone think they'd want nerd specs over screen resolution?

Because at a certain distance all phone screens essentially look the same density-wise, and ergo a higher resolution isnt really what ordinary people buy phones for

Thats what the whole Retina display term is about, its based in facts as much as it is a marketing term

Guarantee you show someone a Galaxy screen and an iPhone screen on the street and theyll look at both and go yep, its a screen alright lol

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Android fans should be really excited about this. Even if you have no intention of ever buying an iPhone this is going to reshape the mid-range and even the high end market. When you are competing against an iPhone at the same price you need to be better than it because of Apples brand power. Now all of the mid-range phones will need to have Snapdragon 865s and cameras that are at least as good as a 1 year old flagship phone.

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Still can't change the layout tho