The battle of the budget smartphones appears to be being won by the team at Samsung with its new low-cost call maker coming out on top in the latest tests. The A54 5G, which was announced earlier this month, has been put through its paces by the experts at DxOmark and its rear camera has outscored the hugely popular iPhone SE putting it well ahead of Apple.

Whilst the cheapest iPhone in Apple's lineup received a DxO camera score of 100, Samsung's A54 managed to creep above that with a total of 107.

DxO praised the A54 for having good exposure and wide dynamic range in bright light and indoors plus it found this device had accurate and repeatable autofocus in most conditions.

During its launch, Samsung had promised that its new rear snapper would be capable of producing better shots in all conditions thanks to Light Boosting technology and a Night Mode which enables users to capture bright and clear photos at night. There's also some intelligent AI Pixel technology which broadens the camera’s pixel size to help capture more detail.

Apple's older iPhone SE only includes a single 12MP Wide camera on its rear case so it might not be a surprise that Samsung has managed to beat it.

And it's not just the camera that outshone the iPhone SE. This Galaxy phone also won when comparing audio, display and battery life.

Meet the new Galaxy A54 (
Image:
SAMSUNG • GETTY)

Both the A54 and iPhone SE cost around £450 and are aimed at the more price-conscious consumers.

The SE hasn't had a refresh in over a year so that might have something to do with Samsung beating it across so many categories.

Along with the improved camera, the A54 includes a more expansive 6.4-inch screen, huge 5,000mAh battery and fast charging capabilities plus its storage can be boosted to a whopping 1TB via an SD card.

If that's got you thinking of switching from Apple to Android beware. It's worth noting that rumours are rife that Apple could reboot its iPhone SE in the coming months.

Due to Apple's renowned secrecy, it's unclear what extra features will be included buts online whispers have suggested that it will get a bigger screen with smaller bezels and an improved camera system.

If those rumours become a reality then this iPhone could get back on top and beat its arch-rival from Samsung .

HERE'S HOW THE iPHONE SE AND GALAXY A54 COMPARE

Apple iPhone SE

SCREEN: 4.7-inch Retina HD display
CAMERA: Single 12MP lense
PRICE: From £449
EXTRAS: 5G, iOS operating system, A15 Bionic chip

Samsung A54 5G

SCREEN: 6.4-inch FHD 120Hz
CAMERA: Triple lens
PRICE: £449
EXTRAS: Expandable storage, fast charging, 5G