Pixel 9a vs Galaxy S24 FE preview: The battle for the reasonably priced flagship crown

The costs of flagship telephones have been steadily rising prior to now couple of years. You may blame inflation or the financial local weather, however the truth of the matter is that telephones are getting costly.

This is without doubt one of the the explanation why the so-called flagship killers, or reasonably priced flagships, have gained a lot reputation through the years. Google’s A-series units that launch between two common flagship Pixel telephones are a go-to possibility if folks attempt to get the very best bang for the buck.

Samsung took notes and tried to emulate this with its Galaxy FE (Fan Version) mannequin, providing a barebones flagship for not some huge cash.

As we speak we’ll pit in opposition to one another two fashions from the aforementioned firms. Fashions that intention to ship a flagship expertise for midrange cash. Within the blue nook: the most recent member of the Fan Version household, the Galaxy S24 FE. Within the pink nook, the upcoming Google Pixel 9a.

This comparability is preliminary at this stage as a result of the Pixel 9a remains to be not official, and we are going to replace it with benchmarks and assessments as soon as we lay our palms on the system. Till then, let’s have a look at how these two stack collectively.

Desk of Contents:

In the case of the design of each telephones, it is a lopsided battle, as we do not know a lot in regards to the Pixel 9a but, and conversely, every little thing in regards to the Galaxy S24 FE is out within the open. However we’ll strive our greatest.

The Pixel 9a is anticipated to develop in dimension, primarily resulting from its bigger 6.3-inch display (in comparison with the 6.1-inch show of the earlier technology), and the rumored dimensions and weight are 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm and 186 grams, respectively.

The Galaxy S24 FE, however, is available in at 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm and 213 grams, making it a bigger and heavier system, once more as a result of greater 6.7-inch show. The Galaxy is manufactured from aluminum and glass, and we anticipate the identical constructing blocks on the Pixel 9a.

Now, the design of the Pixel 9a remains to be a thriller, however there are a couple of rumors going round. In response to an inside supply, Google will eradicate the digital camera bar, and the Pixel 9a shall be completely flush on the again, no bump in any way.

The Galaxy S24 FE is a recognized entity in terms of design; it mimics the S-series units with vertically organized digital camera housings on the again and flat sides, entrance, and again.

Let’s shortly listing the accessible and anticipated colours for each telephones.

Google Pixel 9a anticipated colours:

• Obsidian
• Porcelain
• Iris
• Peony

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE accessible colours:

• Blue
• Graphite
• Grey
• Mint
• Yellow

Shifting to the show a part of the equation, we discover the most important distinction between the Pixel 9a and the Galaxy S24 FE. The display dimension of the Pixel is considerably smaller at 6.3 inches, whereas the Galaxy sports activities a 6.7-inch panel.The decision is anticipated to be comparable (FHD+), and we already know the precise numbers for the Samsung cellphone. Its display has 1080 x 2340 pixels, which at 6.7 inches ends in round 385 pixels per inch. The Pixel 9a is anticipated to boast an analogous decision (1080 x 2424 pixels), however as a result of smaller dimension, the pixel density is larger at 421 PPI.

Each panels are LTPO and might dynamically change their refresh charge, going as much as 120Hz. The brightness determine for the Galaxy S24 FE is 1,900 nits peak (we measured 1,110 nits at 100% APL, which is kind of good). We do not understand how vibrant the Pixel 9a shall be, however judging from the Pixel 9 sequence, anticipate some excessive numbers there as effectively.

Keep tuned for our thorough show assessments the place we measure coloration accuracy, minimal and most brightness, white stability, and extra metrics for you quantity nerds on the market.

Google has been working arduous on its Tensor chipsets for the previous couple of years, and though there are substantial efficiency good points technology to technology, the most recent Tensor (G4) remains to be not on par with its Snapdragon competitor, no less than in uncooked energy.

The state of affairs is form of comparable with the Exynos chips. Samsung phased out utilizing them in flagship telephones, and the FE mannequin is without doubt one of the few on this tier that also will get Exynos silicon. That mentioned, the Exynos 2400e contained in the Galaxy S24 FE turned out to be fairly a potent chip, scoring near the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (2153 and 6631 in Geekbench 6 single and multicore assessments, respectively).

We all know that the Pixel 9a will come geared up with the identical Tensor G4 because the common Pixel 9 flagships, so we anticipate comparable artificial scores (1800 and 4573 in the identical Geekbench 6 assessments). After all, we have to run the take a look at on the Pixel 9a to get the precise rating for that individual system, however we anticipate the Galaxy to have a tiny bit extra oomph in artificial benchmarks.

So far as RAM and storage are involved, issues are virtually an identical between these two. The Galaxy S24 FE begins at 8GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage, and we anticipate the identical reminiscence configuration on the Pixel 9a.

The Galaxy S24 FE comes with its personal pack of Galaxy AI options, a few of that are fairly helpful whereas others really feel a bit superficial. However, the Pixel 9a is anticipated to get a lot of the options from the common Pixel 9 sequence, so it might need a slight benefit on the AI entrance, though folks do not appear to make use of AI as a lot as firms hoped.

The software program assist is similar on each telephones; the Galaxy S24 FE affords seven years of main OS updates, and the Pixel 9a is anticipated to imitate that.

The Galaxy S24 FE has one inherent {hardware} benefit within the digital camera division, and it is the devoted telephoto digital camera. The primary snapper makes use of a 50MP sensor beneath an f/1.8 lens and has a focal size equal of 24 mm. The ultrawide digital camera is a 12MP sensor beneath an f/2.2 lens and has a 123-degree discipline of view.The Pixel 9a, however, remains to be beneath wraps, however we anticipate a really comparable setup, barring the telephoto digital camera. The primary digital camera is anticipated to be a brand-new 48MP sensor with an f/1.7 lens on prime and a 23 mm focal size equal. The ultrawide is rumored to be a 13MP sensor with the identical f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree discipline of view, similar to what the Galaxy S24 FE sports activities.

We’ll populate this comparability with side-by-side samples as a result of, as everyone knows moderately effectively by now, processing algorithms do some critical lifting in smartphone pictures, and {hardware} specs do not at all times translate immediately into real-life outcomes. So keep tuned for some samples quickly. What we are able to say now’s that the 75 mm telephoto digital camera of the Galaxy S24 FE provides the cellphone slightly extra flexibility, particularly when doing portrait pictures.

The Galaxy S2 FE comes geared up with a moderately small for the scale of the cellphone 4,700 mAh battery, and that is mirrored in our battery rating. The cellphone ranks #69 for telephones examined prior to now two years, which isn’t a very spectacular outcome. The charging state of affairs can be nothing to jot down house about; the S24 FE helps as much as 25W of wired charging energy and 15W wi-fi. This interprets to 1h 21m for a full cost.

The Pixel 9a remains to be beneath wraps, however we imagine it would sport a reasonably hefty 5,100 mAh battery (regardless of its smaller footprint). As at all times, extra testing is required to proclaim a winner on this division, however the Pixel 9a appears like the favourite in the intervening time.

This struggle is much from over, and it is shaping out to be a really fascinating one. On the one hand, we’ve the Galaxy S24 FE with a stronger processor, an additional telephoto digital camera, and a giant and vibrant display.

However, the Pixel 9a is anticipated to begin on the similar $499 that made the previous couple of generations so fashionable, and for that sum of money, you are getting quite a bit. An even bigger battery, Google’s AI experience, and a extra compact kind issue.

Will the additional telephoto digital camera and the larger display be sufficient to sway folks to spend $150 extra? We’ve to attend and see. Keep tuned for benchmarks, picture samples, battery assessments, and naturally, the ultimate verdict.