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If you’re on a budget, and you also don’t like large phones, well, we have just the comparison for you. This time around, we’ll compare the Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022). Granted, these two phones are immensely different. That goes for their size, design, internals, and more. They do have one thing in common, however, they’re quite affordable. The iPhone Se (2022) is a small phone, while the Pixel 7a is considered to be compact. The size difference between them is huge, though.
This comparison is a bit odd, but it does make sense, to a degree. We’ll first list the specs of both phones, and will then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. This should be an interesting one, that’s for sure. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
| Google Pixel 7a | Apple iPhone SE (2022) | |
| Screen size | 6.1-inch fullHD+ flat OLED display (90Hz refresh rate) | 4.7-inch HD+ Retina IPS LCD display (60Hz) |
| Screen resolution | 2400 x 1080 | 1334 x 750 |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Apple A15 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR5) | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 64MP (f/1.9 aperture, 26mm lens, 0.8um pixel size, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) 13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 1.12um pixel size) |
12MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, OIS, PDAF) |
| Front cameras | 13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 20mm lens, 1.12um pixel size) | 7MP (f/2.2 aperture) |
| Battery | 4,385mAh, non-removable, 20W wired charging, 18W wireless charging Charger not included |
1,821mAh (speculated), 18W wired charging, Qi wireless charging Charger not included |
| Dimensions | 152 x 72.9 x 9mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm |
| Weight | 193.5 grams | 144 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, Lightning |
| Security | In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) Face Unlock |
Touch ID |
| OS | Android 13 | iOS 15.3 (upgradable to iOS 16) |
| Price | $499 | $429 |
| Buy | Amazon | Apple |
Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022): Design
As you can see, these two phones look immensely different in comparison. The iPhone SE (2022) has that old iPhone 8 design, its top and bottom bezels are very thick, while the phone also has a solid-state home button on the front. The Pixel 7a has much thinner top and bottom bezels, and no buttons on the front. It does, however, have a display camera hole at the top of its displays.
The Pixel 7a has a more rectangular shape, while the iPhone SE (2022) corners are rounded quite a bit. Both phones come with an aluminum frame. The Pixel 7a has plastic on the back, while there’s glass on the back of the iPhone SE (2022). Their back sides also look quite different. The Pixel 7a has a camera visor covered by metal, which hosts two cameras. There’s a single camera on the back of the iPhone SE (2022).
The iPhone SE has a much smaller display, and it’s a lot smaller overall. It’s a lot shorter, narrower, and even noticeably thinner than the Pixel 7a. On top of all that, it’s also a lot lighter at 144 grams, compared to 193.5 grams of the Pixel 7a. Both smartphones do offer water and dust resistance. They even have the same IP rating, we’re looking at IP67 rating here. They are both well built, but the Pixel 7a looks way more modern.
Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022): Display
There is a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) display on the Google Pixel 7a. That display is flat, and it supports HDR content. It’s a 90Hz display, as this phone does offer a high refresh rate. The panel has a 20:9 aspect ratio, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass 3. Granted, that’s not the best protection out there.
The iPhone SE (2022) features a 4.7-inch 1334 x 750 Retina IPS LCD display. This panel has an aspect ratio of 16:9, and it comes with Ion-strengthened glass protection. Much like the Pixel 7a’s display, this one is also flat. It does offer lower ppi than the Pixel 7a, though, 326 vs 429 on Google’s mid-ranger.
The Pixel 7a’s display is better in almost every way. It’s not only sharper, but it’s an OLED panel with more vivid colors, and deeper blacks. Do note that the iPhone SE (2022)’s display is not bad, per se. Its sharpness is enough for that size, and for an IPS LCD panel, it’s not bad. Still, it cannot measure up to the Pixel 7a. The Pixel 7a also has a high refresh rate, not to mention that it does get a bit brighter when you need it to. Touch response is good on both phones. Neither device has the best display protection, so you may want to use a screen protector.
Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022): Performance
The Pixel 7a is fueled by the Google Tensor G2. That is the same chip that fuels Google’s current-gen flagships. The company also included 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM here, and 128GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Apple A15 Bionic SoC fuels the iPhone SE (2022), while the phone has 4GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage.
Having said that, both of these phones are quite powerful. They both perform admirably on a day-to-day basis. We did not notice any noticeable lag or anything of the sort. What we did notice, however, is that the iPhone SE (2022) does better when it comes to truly demanding games. The Tensor G2 is not really made for gaming, even though it does a great job in that department too. All in all, chances are you’ll be happy with the performance regardless of which phone you get.
Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022): Battery
The Pixel 7a includes a 4,385mAh battery, while the iPhone SE (2022) sports a 2,018mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller battery packs than Android phones. That usually doesn’t have to mean anything, but in this case, it does. Despite the fact the iPhone SE (2022) is very small, and has a rather limited display, this battery pack is simply not enough to offer good battery life. Well, not even close to it.
We’ve been able to get 7+ hours of screen-on-time from the Pixel 7a, on a regular basis, with juice left in the tank. The iPhone SE (2022) can’t really come near that. The battery life is actually really poor, around 3-4 hours of screen-on-time. That can go higher if you’re really careful, but with proper usage, the battery life is really poor. That is a limitation of the tiny battery Apple used.
The Pixel 7a supports 18W wired, and 7.5W wireless charging. The iPhone SE (2022) offers 20W wired, and 7.5W wireless charging. In other words, neither phone offers proper fast charging, but considering the battery size in the iPhone SE (2022), 20W wired charging is more than enough. Neither of these two phones includes a charger in the box, by the way. You’ll need to get your own, if you don’t have one already.
Google Pixel 7a vs Apple iPhone SE (2022): Cameras
The Google Pixel 7a has a 64-megapixel main camera, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV). The iPhone SE (2022), on the other hand, includes a single 12-megapixel camera on the back. During the day, both cameras do a good job. The colors are better on the Pixel 7a, though, while it also does a better job with tricky HDR photos. Other than that, both do a good job. It’s worth noting that the Pixel 7a provides more contrasty photos, though.
In low light, it’s an easy win for the Pixel 7a. It manages to balance out photos just right. The photos end up looking a bit brighter than in real life, but with more than enough details, and usually well-balanced. The iPhone SE (2022) doesn’t even include a night mode, and truth be said, its low light images are not great. They tend to lack detail, brightness, and are usually more grainy than they should be.
The iPhone SE (2022) doesn’t have an ultrawide camera, so that’s not something we can compare here. The one on the Pixel 7a is quite useful, though, and it does a good job of keeping up with the main camera’s color profile. The video recording is not great on either phone, to be quite honest. The Pixel 7a does include a more capable selfie camera, though.
Audio
The Pixel 7a includes a set of stereo speakers, as does the iPhone SE (2022). The thing is, the Pixel 7a’s speakers are better. The sound output is clearer, and the speakers are also louder. The difference is noticeable.
You will not find an audio jack on either of these two phones. You’ll have to resort to their charging ports (Type-C USB and Lightning port, respectively), or go for a wireless connection. The Pixel 7a supports Bluetooth 5.3, while the iPhone SE (2022) is limited to Bluetooth 5.0.