The ongoing battle between Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone and Apple’s iPhone is almost legendary. From the very beginning of the modern phone era, these two leading manufacturers have challenged each other with increasingly powerful hardware and sophisticated software. Apple has the advantage in the US, but Samsung leads worldwide.

Apple's iPhone SE was released earlier this year at a surprisingly low price of $399. Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE, which stands for Fan Edition, is priced at $699. This lower cost makes the Galaxy S20 FE the cheapest way to buy a new version of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S20, similar to how the iPhone SE is the current cheapest option for an iPhone. The higher-priced Samsung smartphone includes some exclusive features, of course, but how do the lower-priced, higher-spec phones compare overall?

Related: Why Apple's iPhone SE 2020 Is So Cheap

The most obvious difference between the two phones is that one is much larger. The Galaxy S20 FE has a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and quick updates when gaming. The iPhone SE is much smaller at 4.7-inches and has a True Tone LCD, resulting in Samsung winning the display quality challenge. The size difference means the tiny screen on Apple's budget phone takes up just 52-percent of the area of Samsung's. It's about a quarter-inch narrower and three-quarters of an inch shorter. That may be enough to sway some to either side, as while many may prefer a larger display, hand-size and pocket-size can be of critical importance with a smartphone. Moving to styling, both offer a variety of colors, though Samsung has a mini rainbow of six choices, compared to Apple's three. The Galaxy S20 FE also has a clear advantage in the camera array with three rear shooters with three times telephoto, wide and ultra wide, compared to the iPhone SE's single rear camera.

FE & SE On Pricing, Storage, Build, & More

A graphic of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE color options

Both smartphones have a recent and powerful CPU and GPU, so snappy performance and good gaming can be expected with either choice. Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE starts with 128GB of storage and has a microSDXC card for expansion. The iPhone SE begins at 64GB with no expansion possibilities, so a better comparison for those that need more capacity is Apple's 128-gigabyte version, which adds another $50. The iPhone SE would still be $250 less than its competitor, but there are some nice trade-in options via Samsung's website making the S20 FE more tempting. The iPhone SE wins on build quality with its aluminum body versus the plastic body of the Galaxy S20 FE. However Samsung's smartphone has 5G network capability, meaning it is ready for the future, while Apple's budget phone will not be able to take advantage of those super fast speeds, even when 5G becomes more widespread.

Of course, the operating system has to be mentioned in this comparison. Android and iOS running parallel and borrowing ideas from one another for many years, makes both mature and well defined. Samsung adds some special features to Android, but it is still an Android phone at heart. A consequence of these well-established ecosystems is that users tend to accumulate apps and knowledge on one while the other may be an unknown and switching sides is like starting over in many ways. Most popular apps are available on both apps stores, but things work differently and that can be frustrating. Therefore, there's an extra incentive to stay with Samsung or keep buying from Apple. While the more expensive Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE wins on most specs, comfort and familiarity could still lead many to choose Apple's iPhone SE and pocket the $250 difference.

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Source: SamsungApple