The OnePlus Nord is making a splash because OnePlus has packed such a low-priced phone. iPhone SE has a similar appeal, but OnePlus and Apple have taken different approaches to their cheapest phones. And when you take a closer look at what you get for this amount of money, the Nord looks like the better value.

Sure, the iPhone SE ($399) has a faster A13 Bionic processor, but if you look at other aspects such as screen size, design, number of cameras, and 5G capabilities, you can see why the OnePlus Nord (£379, under $500) starts to pull away Here's why the OnePlus Nord is a better value than the iPhone SE.

While some may prefer the iPhone SE's smaller 4.7-inch LCD, the OnePlus Nord's 6.4-inch OLED panel is larger and more colorful. OLED is technically superior to LCD in terms of saturation, black levels, and viewing angle. If you watch Netflix shows or play games, you can't go wrong with the Nord.

Furthermore, the Nord offers a 90Hz refresh rate while the iPhone SE offers 60Hz. This means that the OnePlus Nord should offer smoother scrolling, video playback, and gaming. The screen resolution is also better: the iPhone SE has 1334 x 750 pixels, while the Nord has 2400 x 1080 pixels.

The iPhone SE design has its advantages, including water resistance and a premium glass back. However, the OnePlus Nord looks more like this year's phone, with minimal bezels around the display. [By comparison, the iPhone SE's bezels look huge, including the chin where Apple's Touch ID sensor is located; the OnePlus Nord has a fingerprint sensor built directly into the display.

The OnePlus Nord also wins in color options; while the iPhone SE comes in subdued shades of white, black, and red, the Nord has interesting options like blue marble and gray onyx.

With the iPhone SE (as did the Pixel 3a before it), Apple proved that a single rear-facing camera can take great pictures. That's thanks to the computational photo magic provided by Apple's A13 Bionic chip. This allows the iPhone SE to achieve portrait mode and smart HDR without a second lens.

However, the versatility of the OnePlus Nord cannot be overlooked. The device has four rear cameras, including a 48MP wide camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens; it's full of shooting options not found on the iPhone SE. Additionally, the iPhone SE does not have a night mode, while the Nord has a Nightscape mode for low-light photography.

The OnePlus Nord is also good for selfies thanks to the combination of a front 32 MP camera and an ultra-wide camera with a 105-degree field of view. This should allow more people to be captured in photos. iPhone SE has a 7MP selfie camera.

To be sure, 5G is far from widespread worldwide. After all, you will likely have that phone for at least a few years. That's why it's good to know that the Snapdragon 765G chipset in the OnePlus Nord supports 5G connectivity.

That way, you can enjoy faster downloads wherever there is a communication area. iPhone SE is stuck in the 4G LTE lane forever.

Apple's iPhone SE is said to have a 1,821 mAh battery, but web surfing battery tests did not yield great results. The device lasted only 9 hours and 18 minutes, while all of the devices on our best smartphone battery life list lasted over 11 hours on a charge.

The OnePlus Nord has a very large 4,115 mAh battery, which should provide more power, but it should also power a much larger display than the iPhone SE.

What is certain is that the OnePlus Nord will charge faster than the iPhone SE right out of the box. And that's because the OnePlus Nord comes with a 30W fast charger, while Apple has to pay extra for an 18W charger.

The iPhone SE is one of the best budget phones this year. This is because it costs a few hundred less than flagship phones, offers flagship-class performance, and has very good camera quality. But the OnePlus Nord looks even more affordable because you get a bigger, smoother screen, 5G connectivity, a more modern design, and a more versatile camera.

The biggest blow to the OnePlus Nord is that the company currently has no plans to release this device in the US. Overall, however, the OnePlus Nord looks to be a better mid-range handset than Apple's device.