Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: It's a tough choice

Samsung's FE series has been an excellent choice for anyone who wanted a flagship phone, without the flagship pricing. The latest one is the Galaxy S24 FE, which has all the right upgrades we were hoping for but at the wrong price. Now that it has been a few months since it launched, you can find the base model for close to or under $500, which is what it should have cost in the first place. This also makes it a direct competitor to the new Pixel 9a, which also starts at $500.

The Pixel 9a offers most of the features of the more expensive Pixel 9 at a lower price. It's the same thing with the Galaxy S24 FE and the Galaxy S24, but here, the FE offers more value by offering better specs. Confused about the Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE? Let's clear those doubts, shall we?

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Design

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The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is larger than the Pixel 9a due to the much larger screen, but it is slimmer at just 8mm. Not much could be done about the weight, though, which is 213 grams, so you will feel the heft in your pocket. The Pixel 9a has a more compact size and is quite a bit lighter at 186 grams.

The Pixel 9a comes in Obsidian, Porcelain, Peony (pink), and Iris (purple). The Galaxy S24 FE also has pastel shades of Mint, Blue, Gray, and Graphite.

The Galaxy S24 FE has a more premium build thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the back and front, while the 9a has Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and polycarbonate on the back. The Pixel 9a also has a very distinctive look, which gives it some freshness. The FE looks like any other Samsung A or S series phone, which is to say, a bit boring.

The Pixel 9a finally gets upgraded to an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, putting it on par with other flagship phones. The Galaxy S24 FE matches this, too, so both have an equal chance of survival when dunked in water.

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Display

The Pixel 9a and Galaxy S24 FE have bright and sharp displays, but Samsung's offering is better for viewing media and gaming due to the larger size. The 6.7-inch AMOLED panel has a Full HD+ resolution, a pixel count of well over 300ppi, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of up to 1,900 nits. Having Gorilla Victus Plus glass on the FE is a nice bonus for top-end scratch protection.

The Pixel 9a has a 6.3-inch pOLED screen with a similar resolution, adaptable 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness rating of 2,700 nits. The display's scratch protection is pretty out of date, though, with just Gorilla Glass 3. Neither of these phones has LTPO panels, which can vary the refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz to save battery.

The cost-cutting continues with the fingerprint sensors in both models. The Pixel 9a and Galaxy S24 FE use optical fingerprint sensors and not ultrasonic ones.

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Hardware and battery

The Pixel 9a is priced at $499 for 128GB and $559 for 256GB. You get 8GB of RAM across both variants. Samsung's official pricing for the Galaxy S24 FE is still $649.99 and $709.99 for 128GB and 256GB variants if you buy it from Samsung.com. On Amazon, though, certain colors of the S24 FE dip below $500 for the base model, and this phone gets good discounts during sales.

In terms of raw performance, there's no contest, as the Galaxy S24 FE should easily beat the Pixel 9a with its more potent Exynos 2400e SoC. It's essentially the same flagship 2400 chip found in the Galaxy S24 series but with a slightly lower CPU clock speed. The Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9a isn't known for its brute strength, but it's more efficient in gaming and AI tasks than before. Samsung is the way to go if you're a gamer or need strong processing power in your phone.

The Pixel 9a comes back swinging with a much larger battery capacity of 5,100mAh compared to the 4,700mAh in the Galaxy S24 FE. The fact that Google has managed to squeeze this in and keep the weight down is amazing. We've not tested the 9a yet, but we're confident it should last longer than the S24 FE with similar workloads.

Charging speeds are not particularly impressive on either phone. The Pixel 9a can do 23W with Google's 45W charging brick, while Samsung can do 25W. The Galaxy does support quicker wireless charging at 15W with the right charger, versus 7.5W on the 9a.

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE has a much better rear camera setup with a third telephoto camera, something the 9a lacks. There's a 50MP main camera with optical stabilization, a 12MP ultrawide with autofocus for macro shots, and an 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. The latter will probably deliver good results only under good lighting, as it is a small sensor.

The Pixel 9a lacks a telephoto, but we know Google's Super Res Zoom can deliver pretty amazing results even with digital zoom. The 9a has a 48MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide. The Pixel also supports many AI features like Add Me and Reimagine, to name a few. The S24 FE also gets some Galaxy AI features from the S24 series like Instant Slow-Mo. The Galaxy can also shoot in 8K resolution, something that the Pixel 9a can't do.

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Software

Both phones offer a suite of AI features and equally long software support of seven years, so your choice would ultimately depend on what features you would actually use. The Pixel 9a comes with Android 15, so you're already on the latest version the moment you take it out of the box. Another advantage is that the 9a will always be among the first phones to get the latest flavor of Android and security patches, so you'll be up to date before others.

Samsung has been pretty prompt in issuing updates of late, and we can expect the same for the Galaxy S24 FE. There are plenty of Galaxy AI features to explore here, too, like Photo Assist, Circle To Search, Sketch To Image, Live Translate, and Interpreter. One UI also offers a good amount of customization to the interface, and it's one of the better-looking skins out there.

That said, we are waiting for the Galaxy S24 FE to receive the One UI 7 update, which should begin rolling out in April.

Google Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Which should you pick?

If you're not restricted by a budget, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is the one I'd pick for the better performance, telephoto camera, and more premium build. If you can find the base model for nearly $500, it's even better. Samsung is offering the same length of software support as Google for the FE, which is another feather in its cap.

The Pixel 9a is a great option if you want a more compact phone without compromising on camera quality. It's likely to become one of the best cheap Android phones without any sales, and it should be able to deliver better battery life than the FE. It's not the best phone for gaming, and you might need a screen protector as the glass isn't as resilient as the FE.

Software will also play a big role in your decision. The 9a should always get the latest Android version before the Galaxy, and many prefer the clean, uncluttered interface of Pixels.