With the launch of the Google Pixel 4a, the choice of mid-range phones for 2020 just got better. These phones sit well above entry-level smartphones and just below flagships in terms of features, and they’re priced between $350 to $500, lesser than half of what the flagships from these same companies cost. Simply put, these phones offer the best features per dollar that the smartphone world has ever seen.

But which one of these is the right one for you? Rather than choosing based on numbers on the spec sheet, let’s go by what you’ll most likely use it for.

Pixel Perfect (Camera)

Winner: Pixel 4a
Runner-up: iPhone SE

The Pixel 4a has only a single camera on the rear: the same 12.2-megapixel optically stabilized sensor that Google has been using since the Pixel 3.

At a time when entry-level smartphones have three to four cameras, this might seem like a shortcoming. But thanks to Google’s superior software, its been setting the industry standard in camera performance without over-the-top hardware. This has allowed Google to equip its mid-range phones with the same camera performance found in its $1000 flagships without incurring significant additional cost.

The Pixel 4a’s camera performance is indistinguishable from Pixel 4, last year’s flagship, and one of the best smartphone cameras out there. This means the $350 phone gets the popular Night Sight and Astrophotography modes and Super Res Zoom. If smartphone photography is your thing, the Pixel 4a is a no-brainer.

But when it comes to videography, the Pixel is still lacking. And so are the other Android alternatives. Apple’s iPhones have long been the go-to option for videography and the iPhone SE is no different. The iPhone SE also does well in photography, putting up a good fight against the Pixel, especially in well-lit conditions. It also outperforms the other multi-camera Androids.

The OnePlus with its four rear cameras performs decent, but reviews have credited much of this to the 48MP main camera, rather than the ultra-wide, depth, and macro lenses. The only reason you would choose this over the Pixel is if you want an ultra-wide lens. The Galaxy A51 also features a quad-cam setup, but it doesn’t make it a winning camera by any means.

For portrait photography, both the iPhone and Pixel use software tricks to add blur and perform well in good lighting. When the lighting deteriorates, the Pixel outperforms the iPhone. The other two Androids fair slightly worse despite having more cameras.

For low-light photography, Pixel’s Night Sight is magical. And while the OnePlus does perform better than expected, its colors are way off.

When it comes to selfies, the OnePlus Nord’s second front camera, an ultra-wide-angle lens, gives it an advantage, but the iPhone and Pixel hold their own with their single front camera. Here again, you would choose the Nord if you want an ultra-wide lens.

Speed Monster (Performance)

Winner: iPhone SE
Runner-up: OnePlus Nord

The iPhone SE blows the competition out of the water in this department because of its A13 Bionic chip. Unlike the Android options, which use an inferior chip compared to the ones present in their flagship variants, iPhone SE is equipped with the same chip found in the high-end iPhone 11 Pro, which is the fastest in the industry.

Among the Androids, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G in the OnePlus Nord outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 in the Pixel 4a. The Nord also has 8GB/12GB RAM options, while the Pixel comes with only 6 GB of RAM. The GPU in the Nord is slightly better as well. All this makes the Nord better in terms of raw performance, but software optimizations put Pixel close behind. The Galaxy A51 with its Exynos 9611 processor and paltry 4 GB RAM doesn’t feel as snappy as the others here.

While the performance differences shouldn’t be noticeable for normal usage, it really starts to show when processing photos, playing high-end games or using processor-intensive apps.

Home Cinema (Display)

Winner: OnePlus Nord
Runner-up: Galaxy A51

With a 90 Hz refresh rate, the OnePlus Nord has the smoothest display among these phones. This one features sets it apart from the other Androids, which all feature excellent OLED displays that offer high brightness and contrast, and vibrant colors.

If you prefer a smaller size, the Pixel’s 5.8-inch display is the best option compared to the 6.4-inch Nord and 6.5-inch Galaxy. If you want something even smaller, you got the 4.7-inch iPhone SE, but its LCD screen is inferior to all the Androids here. For what it’s worth, Apple’s LCDs are the better than your average smartphone LCD.

Eye Candy (Design)

Winner: Google Pixel 4a
Runner-up: OnePlus Nord

This one boils down to personal preference, but the oddball here is the iPhone SE. The chunky bezels of the iPhone SE are unappealing, but its glass back and metal frame feel premium. The OnePlus Nord also has a glass back, whereas the Pixel and Galaxy both have plastic backs. All the Androids have plastic frames. Overall, the iPhone feels old-school compared to the Androids, which feature an attractive all-screen, bezel-less look. I personally prefer the sleek and minimalistic look of the Pixel 4a, but you do you.

JerryRigEverything Certified (Durability)

Winner: iPhone SE
Runner-up: Galaxy A51

For this one, we’ll go by JerryRigEverything’s famous durability tests. The full durability tests for the iPhone SE and OnePlus Nord can be found here and here. And for the Galaxy A51, we go with the test on last year’s model, the structurally similar Galaxy A50.

All phones have durables front glass that “scratch at level 6 with deeper groves on level 7”. The tried and tested design of the iPhone SE holds up pretty well in Zack’s hand and the phone comfortably survives the bend test without any damage. The Galaxy A50, the predecessor to the A51, gets through the bend test as well, despite a crack sound. The OnePlus Nord, however, snaps when put through the bend test and the display is rendered useless.

Unfortunately, the Pixel 4a is yet to be tested and there is no equivalent to judge by. But its plastic body is unlikely to hold up as well as the iPhone SE.

Breakfast to Bed (Battery)

Winner: OnePlus Nord
Runner-up: Pixel 4a

With a 4115 mAh, the OnePlus has the beefiest battery of them all. And thanks to that, despite the power-hungry 90Hz display, it has the longest battery life in this list. The cherry on top is the Warp Charge 30T, which juices up the Nord from 0 to 100 in less than an hour.

The Galaxy A51 follows closely with a 4000 mAh battery and should theoretically outperform the OnePlus with its more power-efficient display, but reviews don’t concur.

The Pixel 4a has a 3140 mAh battery, but Google claims to have made software optimizations that deliver all-day battery life. Any software claims by Google have proven to be more credible than not, case in point, its cameras. Tests put the Pixel only slightly behind the OnePlus Nord. The Pixel also supports fast charging with the 18W adapter that comes with the box.

The iPhone SE has a mere 1821 mAh battery, but don’t be fooled by the number. Apple’s software optimizations should get you through the day. Nevertheless, the SE still lags behind the others on this list. And although the phone supports fast charging, the adapter for this will cost extra. On the plus side, the SE is the only phone here that supports wireless charging, if that matters to you.

Byte-Sized (Storage)

Winner: Galaxy A51
Runner-up: OnePlus Nord

All phones here offer decent storage that should satisfy most average users. The iPhone comes in 64/128/256 GB variants, while the OnePlus comes in 128/256 GB options and a 64 GB variant available only in India. The Pixel 4a and Galaxy A51 both have only a 128 GB option, but the Galaxy supports a microSD card. This allows users to expand storage by a whopping 512GB.

Loyalty (OS)

Winner: Pixel 4a (Android), iPhone SE (iOS)

This round is easy because I’m not getting into the Android vs iOS debate. If you’re a long-time iOS user, your best and only option is the iPhone SE. And if you’re an Android user, who better to buy from than Google.

Pixels offers the cleanest Android experience and guaranteed updates for at least 3 years. But the OnePlus Nord’s OxygenOS is close to stock as well, although it won’t receive new versions of Android as fast as or for as long as the Pixel. The Galaxy A51 with its OneUI version of Android and the accompanying bloatware is not winning this anytime soon.

If you’re open/looking to move from iOS to Android, the Pixel is the best segue, given its privacy-focused features and easy learning curve.

Wallet Friendly (Price)

Winner: Pixel 4a and OnePlus Nord (India)
Runner-up: Galaxy A51

The Pixel 4a costs just $349, making it the cheapest option. The iPhone SE and Galaxy A51 both start at $399, although the SE offers only the 64 GB base storage at this price, while the Pixel and Galaxy offer 128 GB.

The OnePlus Nord is the tricky one here because it is only available in India and Europe. If the euro price (€399) of the 128 GB model is converted to dollars, the phone costs about $470, but if its rupee price (₹27,999) is converted, it costs about $370. There’s also a cheaper 64 GB variant available only in India. In any case, if you’re in the US, you’re unlikely to find this excellent phone offered by carriers or stores.

The Little Things

Winner: Pixel 4a
Runner-up: OnePlus Nord

The OnePlus Nord is the only phone that supports 5G unless you wait for the much more expensive Pixel 4a 5G ($500), which is yet to release. If you’re living in a country where 5G is ready or imminent, the OnePlus is the way to go. But keep in mind that the phone supports only sub-6GHz 5G and not the more advanced mmWave 5G. Also, make sure to check the phone supports the bands offered by your carrier.

The iPhone SE is the only IP67 rated water-resistant phone in this ensemble. That narrows down the choice for many people. The Nord, although not certified, can withstand minor splashes.

The SE also has the best speakers because it uses the earpiece as a secondary speaker, in addition to its excellent bottom speakers. The other phones meanwhile only have a single bottom-firing speaker.

The biggest plus point for the SE is its potential to perform well years into the future. The super-fast processor and Apple’s history of solid updates give it a much longer life than any Android might have. The 6-year old iPhone 6s is going to get the new iOS 14 this fall, there’s no Android device that matches this feat.

The iPhone is also the best option for privacy concerned users because of iOS’ long history of privacy-focused features. But the Google Pixel, when it gets Android 11 this fall, will be good option as well. The upcoming versions of Android and iOS are both heavily focused on privacy, and these two phones will get them first.

The Google Pixel has a lot of small handy features that all add up to make it an attractive option: call screen, auto-captioning of videos and calls, speech transcription, background music identifier, car-crash detection, and of course, better integration with Google Assistant. And along with the Galaxy A51, it also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack! You remember those?

So that’s about it. One point to note is that I chose the Galaxy A51 over the A71 because of its availability in all regions. But the A71 betters the A51 in every aspect, and in regions where the Galaxy A71 is available, like India, it's priced in the same range. If the A71 was included, it would probably take the crown for battery life with its 4500 mAh battery and equal the Pixel in performance with its Snapdragon 730 processor. Its cameras have also vastly improved, giving the OnePlus Nord a run for its money.

Of course, there are tons of other phones by Xiaomi, Oppo, Huawei, Poco that have phones competing in the same price range, but the four here are the best overall options in my opinion and you cannot go wrong buying any one of these.

If you’re still confused and need one overall winner, my personal vote goes to the OnePlus Nord if you prefer a big phone, and the Pixel 4a if you prefer a small one.