iPhone SE 4: Proving one iPhone camera is better than four Android cameras - can Apple pull it off?

I always thought that having just one amazing rear camera is far better than having 3-4 mediocre ones, and while some might argue that’s a subjective matter (and that’s fair), I think budget and mid-range Android phones like the Galaxy A34, Galaxy A54, and a bunch of Xiaomi and OnePlus devices prove this point.

Sure, they all come with ultra-wide cameras, which is handy, but I’d argue having a single flagship-grade primary snapper would make for a more premium experience in this price segment.



Not to mention that focusing 100% of your attention in making the single best camera you can make would give phone-makers enough time and resources to develop better algorithms, image processing, and tuning to give you the best $300-500 smartphone camera possible.

In the context of the iPhone SE 4, transitioning from a single 12MP camera to a much more premium 48MP sensor instead of a 12+12MP dual-cam setup would also help Apple’s mid-range phone do a trick called “sensor-cropping”, giving you a 2x optical-quality zoom “camera” without the need for a 2x sensor that could make the phone pricier (while performing worse in low light).

I’ve always thought having a zoom camera instead of an ultra-wide shooter is more practical, so having a single, high-quality sensor that can act as a telephoto cam would be my preference (unless you can have both, of course).

Why the the iPhone SE 4’s alleged 48MP camera will be better than having the iPhone 14’s two 12MP cameras

And while I think the iPhone SE 4 has a pretty good shot at stealing the Pixel 7a’s crown of “best mid-range camera phone” (due to Apple’s video quality and the incredible photos coming out of the iPhone 15’s 48MP snapper), it’s probably fair to mention the iPhone 14 - the most obvious Apple-made competitor of the upcoming iPhone SE 4.

In a nutshell, if we think of the iPhone SE 4 as having the exact same 48MP camera as the iPhone 15, it’s a very easy call to make - I’d pick the iPhone 15’s single 48MP camera over the 12+12MP cameras of the iPhone 14 any day.

Don’t get me wrong, having an ultra-wide-angle shooter is very handy at times, but this year, the iPhone 15’s image processing is a on a whole new level compared to the iPhone 14’s:

• The latest 48MP camera from Apple takes 24MP snaps by default, which are industry-leading in terms of sharpness and detail; gone is Apple’s terrible processing, which was there to make 12MP photos look artificially sharp
• You get the super-useful 2x optical zoom crop from the high-res sensor in both photos and video, and in Portrait mode, which is almost like having an additional camera (or at least a second focal length)
• Apple’s upgraded, Portrait mode algorithm (exclusive to the iPhone 15) does an incredible job at separating your subject from the background, which isn’t exactly the case with older iPhones
• The upgraded HDR algorithm in the iPhone 15’s 48MP camera is truly game-changing when taking photos in challenging lighting, like when the sun is behind you, or when taking photos of bright lights

iPhone SE 4 or Pixel 7a - which will be the best mid-range camera phone of 2024?

All in all, with Apple’s everlasting lead in video quality, it’s pretty easy to predict that the iPhone SE 4 will take the best videos in the $400-500 price segment. But with the alleged switch to a 48MP camera with sensor-cropping and Apple’s upgraded image processing, the iPhone SE could finally become the default recommendation for overall best camera phone in the mid-range space.

This title currently belongs to the awesome Pixel 7a, which brings a stellar camera setup for the price but if the iPhone SE 4 rumors are true, the Pixel’s ultra-wide-angle camera might very well end up being the only reason to go with Google’s budget camera champ over the iPhone SE (2024).