While flagships certainly get more media coverage, most consumers buy smartphones in the budget or mid-range segment. If you're in the market to buy such a phone in 2022, the Galaxy A53 5G and the iPhone SE 3 are your two best options.

The former starts at $449 and the latter starts at $429. Let's take a look at the key differences between both phones. Depending on what your priorities are, one can turn out to be a significantly better deal than the other.

Dimensions and Build Quality

• Samsung Galaxy A53: 159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm; 189 grams; IP67 dust and water-resistant
• iPhone SE 3: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm; 144 grams; IP67 dust and water-resistant

The Galaxy A53 comes with a plastic back with a smooth matte finish, just like its predecessor the Galaxy A52, but it doesn't feel nearly as premium as the iPhone SE 3 with its glass back. If in-hand feel means a lot to you, the iPhone is the one to go for, especially if you like small phones.

Speaking of in-hand feel, the iPhone SE also has much better haptic feedback than the Galaxy A53. However, the latter has a much stronger Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front while the former is using the same glass as on the iPhone 8 from 2017.

Both devices come with an official IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. Although it's not the same as the flagship-grade IP68 rating, it's close enough that you wouldn't need to worry about any splashes or spills.

Camera

• Samsung Galaxy A53: 64MP f/1.8 primary with OIS, PDAF, and 4K video at 30fps; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123-degree FoV); 5MP f/2.4 macro; 5MP f/2.4 depth; Front: 32MP f/2.2 with 4K video at 30fps
• iPhone SE 3: 12MP f/1.8 primary with OIS, PDAF, and 4K video at 60fps; Front: 7MP f/2.2 with 1080p video at 120fps.

You're getting a total of five cameras on the Galaxy A53 and two cameras on the iPhone SE 3, meaning no ultra-wide or macro shots on the latter. As far as the main camera is concerned, you can be confident that both will take great shots.

However, the Galaxy A53 has cooler tones and more playful colors while the iPhone SE has warmer and more natural colors—one of the many known camera differences between iPhones and Samsung phones.

The iPhone takes better videos and supports 4K video at 60fps on the back, thanks to the A15 Bionic chip, but it is limited to 1080p video on the front. The Galaxy A53 gives you 4K video support at 30fps on both sides.

Display

• Samsung Galaxy A53: 6.5 inches; Super AMOLED; 120Hz refresh rate; 1080 x 2400 resolution; 405 PPI; 800 nits peak brightness; Gorilla Glass 5; 85.4% screen-to-body ratio
• iPhone SE 3: 4.7 inches; Retina IPS LCD; 60Hz refresh rate; 750 x 1334 resolution; 326 PPI; 625 nits peak brightness; 65.4% screen-to-body ratio

The display is perhaps the most notable difference between the Galaxy A53 and the iPhone SE 3. The former has everything you'd expect from the display of a 2022 mid-range phone: AMOLED colors, 120Hz refresh rate, thin bezels, and gorilla glass protection.

The iPhone SE 3, on the other hand, is using the same display Apple used in 2017. The small 4.7-inch LCD screen and the thick bezels at the top and bottom make the display of the device conflict with 2022 standards in every possible way. But at least you're getting a physical Home button if you're still into that sort of thing.

Processor

• Samsung Galaxy A53: Exynos 1280; 5nm fabrication; Mali-G68 GPU
• iPhone SE 3: Apple A15 Bionic; 5nm fabrication; Apple 4-core GPU

When it comes to performance, there is no competition between the Galaxy A53 and the iPhone SE. The latter is the obvious winner since it has Apple's flagship A15 Bionic chip. For reference, this is the same as Apple uses in its iPhone 13 series, while the A53 is equipped with a mid-range chip.

If you're a gamer or a power user, the iPhone SE will serve you much better given its incredible raw power and efficiency. But there is something to be said here about gaming on a 4.7-inch screen; you might be able to play any game you want, but are you really getting the full experience on a screen this small?

RAM and Storage

• Samsung Galaxy A53: 6/8GB RAM; 128GB/256GB storage
• iPhone SE 3: 4GB RAM; 64GB/128GB/256GB storage

With the iPhone SE 3, you're getting half the storage on the base variant than that of the A53—64GB and 128GB respectively. Although, if you need more storage, you can scale both of those up to 256GB.

The iPhone SE also has less RAM at 4GB than the Galaxy A53 at 6 or 8GB. However, since iPhones use less RAM than Android phones, the difference is unlikely to be an issue for you if you choose to go for the iPhone.

Battery

• Samsung Galaxy A53: 5000mAh battery; 25W fast wired charging
• iPhone SE 3: 2018mAh battery; 20W fast wired charging; 7.5W Qi wireless charging

Reviews show that battery life on the Galaxy A53 is better than the iPhone SE 3, which isn't surprising given the former has a cell that's more than twice the size of the cell on the latter.

As far as charging is concerned, both devices support fast wired charging at 25W and 20W respectively. However, since the Galaxy A53 has a plastic back, it cannot support wireless charging whereas the iPhone SE can with its glass back. You don't get the charger in the box for either of the phones.

iPhone SE 2022 Doesn't Look Like a 2022 Phone

The iPhone SE 3 is a very different phone from the Galaxy A53; both devices are trying to achieve different goals. The former is an entry-level offering from Apple for those who want to experience iPhone for an affordable price, while the latter is a well-rounded product and an obviously better choice for the average buyer.

Sure, the iPhone SE 3 is much more powerful and costs a little less, but it's also very unbalanced. Granted, the design is a classic, but we're way past the point of pretending that it's not utterly obsolete.