The constantly rising price of flagship phones and the need of the average user for a performing phone with high-end specification resulted in the birth of a new segment: upper-midrange devices. The Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is a perfect symbol of this new category of phones: it is almost a flagship, but it comes with a mid-end price. Among the most recent devices in this segment, there is also Samsung Galaxy A70 and Vivo V15 and they are surely among the best devices for quality-price ratio alongside the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. In this comparison between their specifications, we will try to let you understand which one mostly fits your needs and which has the highest value for money.
Samsung Galaxy A70 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Vivo V15
| Samsung Galaxy A70 | Xiaomi Mi 9 SE | Vivo V15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 164.2 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm | 147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm, 155 grams | 161.2 x 75.9 x 8.5 mm, 189 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.7 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 385 ppi, Super AMOLED | 5.97 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 432 ppi, Super AMOLED | 6.53 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 395 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, octa-core 2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 712, octa-core 2.3 GHz | Mediatek Helio P70, octa-core 2.1 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, One UI | Android 9 Pie, MIUI | Android 9 Pie, Funtouch |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 32 + 8 + 5 MP f/1.7 and f/2.2 and f/2.2 32 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 48 + 13 + 8 MP f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 24 + 8 + 5 MP f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.4 32 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4500 mAh, fast charging 25W | 3070 mAh, fast charging 18W | 4000 mAh, Fast Charging |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot | Hybrid Dual SIM slot |
Design
Vivo was one of the most important innovators in 2018 when it came to minimizing the bezels around the displays. The Chinese company came up with the first smartphone sporting a pop-up selfie camera with a motorized mechanism which allowed the display to get close to 100 percent of screen-to-body ratio without the need of a notch. And that is exactly the same form factor of the Vivo V15 which wins this design comparison, with its pop-up selfie camera and very narrow bezels. But I also like the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE due to its stunning glass back and its magic gradient colors. Samsung Galaxy A70 is not so attractive, but it has other advantages that you will discover below.
Display
With their amazing Super AMOLED panels, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and Samsung Galaxy A70 are the winners of the display comparison. I personally prefer the former because it is HDR-compliant, so it comes with pretty nice color reproduction. But note that this is a compact display, so if you want a productivity phone you would better go for the Samsung Galaxy A70 and its huge 6.7-inch display. Note that it has a 20:9 aspect ratio, so its display is taller than its rivals. Vivo V15 has a big display as well with its 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a 6.53-inch diagonal, but its classic IPS panel makes me choose the Galaxy A70.
Specs & Software
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is one of the most impressive midrange phones when it comes to performances. It is equipped with the best midrange chipset you can expect: the Snapdragon 712 by Qualcomm with a clock frequency of 2.3 GHz. Just to give you an idea, it is more or less at the same level as the Snapdragon 821 which was the best Qualcomm’s chipset in 2016. Samsung Galaxy A70 takes the second place with its octa-core Snapdragon 670 chipset paired with up to 8 GB of RAM, while Vivo V15 has a not so impressive Helio P70 by MediaTek which still does it job supported by 6 GB of RAM.
Camera
These phones come with a particular focus on cameras. Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is the most impressive one with a 48 MP main sensor, a 13 MP ultrawide lens and even a third telephoto lens. But Samsung Galaxy A70 is all but disappointing: even this device comes with a triple camera, but with lower resolutions. When it comes to selfies, both Samsung Galaxy A70 and Vivo V15 look more promising thanks to its 32 MP snapper.
Battery
With one of the biggest battery in the whole midrange segment (4500 mAh), Samsung Galaxy A70 is undoubtedly the device which can last more on a single charge in most of the scenarios. Vivo V15 remains a good battery phone thanks to its 4000 mAh unit, while Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is a bit disappointing with just 3070 mAh, it lasts just one day with moderate use.
Price
We will officially know the price of the Samsung Galaxy A70 on the global market on April 10, while Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and Vivo V15 cost about €300/$335 and €310/$350 respectively, in China. With the actual info, Samsung Galaxy A70 is the device I would personally go for because of its bigger battery, good cameras overall, wide display and pretty good performances.
Samsung Galaxy A70 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Vivo V15: PROs and CONS
Vivo V15
PROs
- Better design
- Big display
- Big battery
- Nice cameras
CONS
- Less compact
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
PROs
- Higher performance
- Great cameras
- Nice display
- Thinner body
CONS
- Smaller battery
Samsung Galaxy A70
PROs
- Good display
- Nice cameras
- Huge battery
- Very fast charging
CONS
- Nothing particular
