Google recently announced its latest Pixel phone to join the Pixel 8 family and the follow-up to the Pixel 7a, the Google Pixel 8a.
Here’s how the mid-range phone compares to Samsung’s similarly priced Galaxy S23 FE.
The Google Pixel 8a has a brighter screen
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE might have a larger 6.4-inch screen, but the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 8a has a brighter display with a brightness of up to 1400 nits with HDR and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. The Galaxy S23 FE, meanwhile, has a peak brightness of up to 1450 nits.
The Pixel 8a screen is also an always-on display, meaning it supports Google’s At A Glance and Now Playing features so you can see key information like the time, live travel updates and weather alerts without unlocking the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE includes a telephoto camera
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features three cameras, a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.
The Google Pixel 8a, meanwhile, includes two cameras, a 64-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera.
Both phones have their benefits when it comes to mobile photography, with Samsung and Google widely regarded as forerunners in this regard. The Pixel 8a has Google’s brilliant camera software, while the Galaxy S23 FE can get closer to its subject with the telephoto lens.
The Galaxy S23 FE also supports 8K video recording at up to 24fps, while the Pixel 8a tops out at 4K/60fps.
The Google Pixel 8a is powered by Google’s own chipset
The Google Pixel 8a is powered by the same Google Tensor G3 chip found in the Pixel 8. This is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, meanwhile, runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip in the US or the Exynos 2200 in the UK. The former is Qualcomm’s flagship chipset from 2021 and comes paired with 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage.
All of that said, you’ll have to wait for our review of the Pixel 8a to learn how these two phones compare when it comes to their performance.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE supports faster charging
Battery is another area we plan to test in our full review.
At a glance, the Google Pixel 8a has a 4492 mAh battery with a 24+ hour battery life or up to 72 hours with the Extreme Battery feature. The phone also supports fast charging up to 18W and wireless charging with the Qi standard.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE packs a similarly sized 4500 mAh battery which Samsung claims offers up to 20 hours of internet usage, up to 22 hours of video playback, up to 69 hours of audio playback, and up to 39 hours of talk time. The S23 also supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging with support for reverse wireless charging too.