Samsung Galaxy S vs Samsung Galaxy A

You’ve possible heard loads concerning the Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Galaxy A ranges over the previous few months with the discharge of the S23 collection and the A14, A34 and A54 in early 2023, however what’s the distinction between the 2 smartphone collections?

We break down the important thing variations between the Samsung S collection and the Samsung A collection proper right here, together with pricing, construct, cameras, efficiency and software program replace guarantees that can assist you resolve which is greatest in your wants. There’s no must go for the top-end S23 Extremely in the event you’d be completely pleased with the mid-range Galaxy A54 in any case!

We’ve additionally received a collection of the very best Samsung telephones proper now in the event you’re a devoted Samsung fan in search of your subsequent improve, together with our collection of the very best Android telephones and greatest smartphones in the event you’re not such a purist. 

Pricing

The most important distinction between the flagship Galaxy S line and the Galaxy A line is the value you’ll pay for them. The Galaxy S line is aimed on the premium flagship market with the Galaxy S23 beginning at £849 whereas the top-end Galaxy S23 Extremely will set you again an eye-watering £1249. 

At this degree, you’ll discover little or no compromise by way of software program and {hardware}, with Samsung throwing the kitchen sink at its flagship vary to make them stand out in a really aggressive section of the market. 

That’s in comparison with the Galaxy A line which begins at £179 for the Samsung Galaxy A14, transferring as much as £349 for the Samsung Galaxy A34 and rising to £449 for the upgraded Galaxy A54. There was historically a top-end Galaxy A 7X mannequin, however that has been scrapped with the 2023 assortment. 

With budget- and mid-range value tags, there are normally compromises from the A collection, whether or not in supplies used within the physique or sure specs. It’s tough to discover a strong all-rounder on the cheaper finish of the market, with telephones normally designed with a sure focus – be it display, cameras, battery life – in thoughts.  

Now that has set the scene, let’s delve a bit of deeper into the important thing variations between the Galaxy S and Galaxy A strains. 

Construct high quality

The obvious distinction between the 2 ranges is construct high quality, with the flagship Galaxy S collection utilizing premium supplies like glass and aluminium, in comparison with the plastic physique and rear discovered on most Galaxy A smartphones.

Some Galaxy A smartphones look to bridge the hole a bit, with the Galaxy A54 sporting a glass rear so as to add to the premium really feel, however the physique continues to be constructed from polycarbonate (primarily plastic). 

The glass rears of the most recent S collection assortment are additionally protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which ought to hopefully defend them in opposition to shattering when dropped. The A collection has the higher hand right here with no actual method to shatter the plastic rear, although on the flip aspect, it’s extra vulnerable to mild scratches than glass. 

There’s additionally a slight distinction within the degree of mud and water resistance on supply, with the Galaxy S line providing full IP68 safety whereas the Galaxy A line is available in simply shy of the highest spot at IP67. Except you’re vulnerable to leaving your cellphone submerged in water, the distinction in rankings needs to be quite nominal. 

Cameras

The digicam providing can differ wildly between the Galaxy S and Galaxy A collections.

The Samsung Galaxy S collection affords the very best digicam tech Samsung has to supply, break up throughout high-res major, telephoto and ultrawide snappers, normally dealing with each well-lit and low-light environments with ease. They’re additionally able to high-res 8K video seize, alongside HDR video seize at 4K@60fps. 

The highest-end Galaxy S Extremely mannequin takes issues a step additional with a boosted major digicam and a further lens providing 10x optical zoom and a whopping 100x digital zoom best for taking snaps of the moon. The S23 Extremely, particularly, sports activities a whopping 200MP major digicam with 16-in-1 pixel binning tech that basically boosts the standard of picture seize. 

The Samsung Galaxy A variety has historically lagged behind, utilizing a mixture of major, ultrawide, macro and depth sensors, although that has modified considerably in 2023 with the A collection now providing a major, ultrawide and telephoto line-up similar to the Galaxy S assortment. 

The cameras aren’t fairly as high-res and the sensors powering them aren’t fairly as succesful, however they’re first rate performers and a minimum of you’ll now get entry to the identical three major capturing modes because the flagship vary. 

Efficiency

The most important differentiator between the 2 Galaxy manufacturers is the extent of efficiency on supply. 

The Galaxy S collection normally boasts the top-end processor accessible on the time, with the Galaxy S23 collection boasting an unique Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset with boosted clock speeds over the already-impressive customary Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 present in competing flagships just like the OnePlus 11 and Xiaomi 13 Professional. 

These chipsets supply highly effective efficiency that may tackle absolutely anything customers can throw at them, from high-end AAA gaming to enhancing movies on the fly, they usually are likely to boast the very best energy effectivity too.

That’s in comparison with the Samsung A collection that has a little bit of a processor break up relying on the mannequin you go for – the Galaxy A34 sports activities the mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 1080 whereas the A54 makes use of Samsung’s personal Exynos 1380 – however whatever the specifics, the chipsets aren’t going to have the ability to compete with flagships.

That doesn’t imply they’re laggy – we had no actual complaints concerning the Galaxy A54 –  however sure parts, like switching digicam lenses, opening apps and loading video games, can take a bit of longer than some would possibly like. 

Software program updates

Whereas some earlier generations of Galaxy A couldn’t fairly compete with the multi-year OS improve promise of the flagship Galaxy S collection, that has modified in 2023. 

All Galaxy S and Galaxy A telephones launched this 12 months get the identical promise of 4 main Android OS upgrades and 5 years of safety updates, which is among the many greatest round within the Android market, so that you’ll preserve getting huge updates for the following few years whatever the mannequin you find yourself shopping for.