Google Pixel 8a or Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: What are the differences

Intro

If you are looking for a phone that doesn’t cost a fortune, the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE are the best choices on the market.

In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of each model so you can make an informed choice about which one best suits you.

Design and Display Quality

S24 FE is larger and has a much better display

The main difference between these two boils down to size (Image by PhoneArena)

You can tell right away that these two are very different in size. The Pixel 8a, with its 6.1-inch screen, is compact, while the Galaxy S24 FE, with its 6.7-inch display, is a rather big and heavier phone.

Regarding materials, the Pixel has a plastic back, while the Galaxy features a glass back panel. We were surprised at how good the plastic on the Pixel feels in actual use, though, so we wouldn’t hold that against the phone.

Physical buttons on the Galaxy feel a bit mushy on our unit (Image by PhoneArena)

One specific thing we noticed is how the power and volume buttons on the Galaxy feel a bit mushy, while buttons on the Pixel are better made, with more travel and a nice click.

Both phones also have water and dust protection. The Pixel 8a features IP67 certification, while the Galaxy S24 FE has a slightly higher IP68 rating. The second digit represents water resistance, and both are well protected against even heavy rain. The difference is that IPX7 is technically rated to withstand immersion in water 1-meter deep, while IPX8 denotes water resistance in 3-meter (10ft) deep water.

In terms of biometrics, both have optical fingerprint scanners on the screen. We found the one on the Pixel a bit more responsive. The one on the Galaxy was also mostly fine, but we did get occasional misreadings.

Both have excellent displays (Image by PhoneArena)

When it comes to the screen, the larger 6.7-inch display on the Galaxy is way more immersive than the 6.1-inch screen on the Pixel.

However, both look good. These are OLED panels, of course, and we measured they get very bright, but the Pixel is the slightly brighter one.

You also have 120Hz fast refresh rate on both of them for smooth scrolling.

Our display lab tests above show one slight niggle – minimum brightness is not quite as low as on some flagships, but that is probably not a big concern for most people.

Performance and Software

Absolute powerhouses, but the iPhone is still missing promised features

The Exynos chip on the Galaxy is faster than Google’s Tensor processor (Image by PhoneArena)

Both phones feature 8GB of RAM, which is neither great nor too bad, just average.

We ran a few benchmarks, and the S24’s Exynos 2400e chipset beats the Tensor G3 chip on the Pixel.

We cannot really see much of that advantage in daily use, as both feel fast enough, but for gaming, you’d want to go with the Galaxy as it has more firepower.

And for software updates, the Galaxy S24 FE gets 7 years of support, matching what Google offers with the Pixel 8a.

Camera

Surprising results in benefit to the Fan Edition

The Galaxy has a native zoom camera, but the Pixel has a strong main camera (Image by PhoneArena)

The main difference in the camera systems between the two is that the Galaxy has a third, telephoto camera, while the Pixel only has two cameras on the back.

That translates into our PhoneArena Camera Score, where the Galaxy S24 FE scores much higher for detail when you zoom in.

Both phones also use a high-resolution main camera, capable of pixel binning. The Galaxy has a 50MP main sensor, while the Pixel uses a 64MP one, but don’t get caught up in the numbers. It’s the sensor size that matters more than the megapixels.

Then you have the 13MP ultra-wide camera on the Pixel and a 12MP one on the Galaxy.

Let’s take a look at some real-world camera samples.

The Pixel usually captures photos with wider dynamic range, but occasionally goes for a slightly darker exposure, while on the Galaxy the dynamic range is not quite as high, and you occasionally have highlights that are almost clipping. Plus, the Galaxy has more oversaturated colors.

Check out some more photos taken on these two below:

For video recording, we have similar observations – dynamic range is a bit better on the Pixel. It also has a steadier video stabilization, which is nice to see.

The Galaxy, however, benefits from that telephoto camera and captures more detail when you zoom in.

For the most part, both of these phones deliver satisfactory video quality.

Battery Life and Charging

A similar experience between the two

The Galaxy wins the battery and charging battle (Image by PhoneArena)

Being a bigger phone, the Galaxy S24 FE comes with a larger 4,700 mAh battery, compared to the roughly 4,500 mAh battery on the Pixel 8a.

But the difference is not as big as you might think looking at the sheer physical size difference of the two phones.

But despite their small batteries, iPhones still manage to have some of the best battery life. You will see from our battery life tests below that the iPhone has managed to do just as well as the S24 FE in this segment.

We ran our independent PhoneArena battery tests and here are our findings.

We estimate the Galaxy S24 FE battery life to be around 6 hours and 20 minutes of screen time compared to 5 hours and 50 minutes on the Pixel. This is strictly average and in real use, it means you will probably need to recharge your phone every single day.

Specs Comparison

Summary

The Galaxy is a better choice if you want a bigger screen (Image by PhoneArena)

In summary, the Pixel 8a will suit you better if you want something more compact and cheaper, plus it offers that clean Android experience and great camera quality, especially at night.