Nexus 5X versus iPhone SE: Battle of the upper middle class
April 20, 2016 • Android • Google • iOS • iPhone • Reviews
The battle of mid-range smartphones from different manufacturers has brought about drop in the price of phones relative to prices. This alone has enabled many customers to benefit. Most of the smartphones in this section have been packed with some good specs in a very small space so that they can be achievable. This means that most people will be able to get their hands on phones that are affordable and yet offers a good enough spec.
The iPhone SE and the Nexus 5X are two different phones from manufacturers that both have excellent industrial designs and they both fall in the middle from each manufacturer in terms of price tag. Even though most people will want to go with the iPhone SE, it is worth looking at both phones to see how they compare.
Hardware
The Nexus 5X is a streamlined version of the 2014’s Motorola Nexus 6, which was a beast of a phone. Compared to the metal and glass finish of its counterpart, iPhone SE, the Nexus 5X is a plastic phone and may not be as premium as the iPhone. But the most important thing is that it gets the job done. The Nexus 5X features a rubberized plastic cover on the back and sides along the outer bezel.
The Nexus 5X is only 5.2-inch but way taller than other phones of its screen size. The power button is instinctively located on the side just above the volume rocker. The Nexus 5X rocks a 12MP camera as well as a fingerprint sensor, making it possible to unlock it with just a swoop. Finally, it has features a 1080p screen, which is not too great but gets the job done.
As for the iPhone SE, it is more compact than its counterpart. Being a derivation of the iPhone 5s, it retains most of the features of the iPhone 5s and a tiny 4-inch screen size. The iPhone SE is available in four different colors, has a uniform aluminum body, and features a 12MP rear camera that lacks the bumps in iPhone 6.
Specs
While the iPhone only inherited the RAM, rear camera, and processor from the iPhone 6s, it takes its other specs from the iPhone 5s. It comes with iOS 9.3, a 4-inch LCD screen, Apple A9 dual-core 64-bit processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB/64GB internal storage memory. Its battery capacity is 1,624 mAh.
As for the Nexus 5X, it is an aesthetic successor to the Nexus 5 featuring the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, a 5.2 inches LCD screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor. It comes with a 12.3 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera, 2GB RAM, internal storage of 16GB/32GB and under the hood is a 2,700 mAh battery.
Software
The Nexus 5X comes with the latest version of Android software, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, so no need for waiting for months of upgrade cycle after you bought your smartphone. On the other hand, the iPhone SE sports the usual dual-app multitasking software, iOS 9.3.
Conclusion
This comparison between the two phones is not to sway you from one side to the other, but just to show you what you can get with a reasonable amount of money these days. Both phones are available at less than $500 and come with enough specs and features to keep you going for some time.