Samsung Galaxy A or S: What's the difference?

Galaxy S or Galaxy A—which smartphone series is the right one for you? In this article, we explain the differences between Samsung's Galaxy series and introduce you to the current models. We will also guide you to current reviews and offers that will help you find the right phone.

  Top-of-the line S-series Big-screen S-series Basic S-series Fan Edition S Series     Intermediate Low-priced A-series
Product
Picture
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Samsung Galaxy A53
Samsung Galaxy A33
Specifications
  • 6.8 inch, Dynamic AMOLED
  • 1,440 x 3,088 pixels
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  • 256 / 512 / 1024 GB
  • 8 / 12 GB RAM
  • Triple camera
  • Main camera: 200 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 12 MP
  • Telephoto (3x): 10 MP
  • Telephoto (10x): 10 MP
  • Selfie: 12 MP
  • 5,000 mAh
  • January 2023
  • 6.6 inch, Dynamic AMOLED
  • 1,080 x 2,340 pixels
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  • 256 / 512 GB
  • 8 GB RAM
  • Triple camera
  • Main camera: 50 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 12 MP
  • Telephoto camera: 10 MP
  • Selfie: 12 MP
  • 4,700 mAh
  • January 2023
  • 6.1 inch, Dynamic AMOLED
  • 1,080 x 2,340 pixels
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  • 128 GB / 256 / 512 GB
  • 8 GB RAM
  • Triple camera
  • Main camera: 50 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 12 MP
  • Telephoto camera: 10 MP
  • Selfie: 12 MP
  • 3,900 mAh
  • January 2023
  • 6.4 inch, Dynamic AMOLED
  • 1,080 x 2,400 pixels
  • Snapdragon 888
  • 128 GB / 256 GB
  • 6 / 8 GB RAM
  • Triple camera
  • Main camera: 12 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 8 MP
  • Telephoto camera: 12 MP
  • Selfie: 32 MP
  • 4,500 mAh
  • January 2022
  • 6.5 inch, Super AMOLED
  • 1,080 x 2,400 pixels
  • Exynos 1280
  • 128 / 256 GB ROM
  • 6 / 8 GB RAM
  • Quad camera
  • Main camera: 64 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 12 MP
  • Depth: 5 MP
  • Macro: 5 MP
  • Selfie: 32 MP
  • 5,000 mAh
  • April 2022
  • 6.4 inch, Super AMOLED
  • 1,080 x 2,400 pixels
  • Exynos 1280
  • 128 ROM
  • 6 RAM
  • Quad camera
  • Main camera: 48 MP
  • Ultra-wide angle: 8 MP
  • Depth: 2 MP
  • Macro: 5 MP
  • Selfie: 32 MP
  • 5,000 mAh
  • April 2022
Good
  • Finally, a Qualcomm flagship SoC
  • Great workmanship and chic design
  • Proven and excellent camera system
  • Bright, smooth and responsive 120Hz AMOLED display
  • Snapdragon 888 performance without overheating issues
  • Neat and modern design (despite all the plastic)
  • Convincing wide-angle and 3x zoom camera module
  • Night Mode works great
  • 3 major Android versions and 4 years of security updates
  • IP68 certification
  • Good AMOLED display
  • Good performance
  • Decent battery life
  • The best software support in the category
  • Powerful AMOLED display
  • Decent performance in everyday use
  • Great software support
  • Capable main camera
Bad
  • More expensive than its predecessor with very little that is new
  • Fast-charging at a maximum of 25 (S23) or 45 watts (23+)
  • Mediocre battery life
  • Archaic 25-watt fast charging
  • No microSD port or 3.5mm audio jack
  • Charger is not included in the box
  • Price is not competitive
  • Slow charging
  • No headphone jack
  • Non-competitive price
  • A bit pricey
  • No wireless charging support
  • Rather slow Quick-Charging
  • No charger included
  • No headphone jack
Rating
Not yet rated
Read the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands-on
Not yet rated
Not yet rated
Read the Samsung Galaxy S23 hands-on
Read the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review
Just be patient and wait for the release of the regular Galaxy, and let the hype train stop at another station.
Antoine Engels
Senior Editor
Read the Samsung Galaxy A53 review
The Galaxy A53 seems like a processor upgrade over the A52 and A52 5G, with better performance and similar battery life.
Rubens Eishima
Writer
Read the Samsung Galaxy A33 review
The Galaxy A33 is a worthy successor to last year's Galaxy A32!
Carsten Drees
Senior Editor
Offers*

After the release of the Galaxy S23 range in February 2023, Samsung showed its hand for the 2023 flagship season. With the expected refresh of the mid-range Galaxy A series in the next months, the question in shoppers' minds is which phone model to buy. Is it worth going for the high-end S line or is the A range good enough? Keep reading to find a general overview of the two phone families and see if you should go "A or S".

Even though Samsung is moving its mid-range more and more into the upper class in terms of specs, there are definitely reasons why the manufacturer keeps its smartphone series separate. Therefore, we will start by looking at the differences between the two smartphone series.

Table of contents:

  1. Galaxy A and Galaxy S: What are the differences?
  2. These models were released in 2022 and 2023
  3. What do "A" and "S" really stand for
  4. Differences between A and S also apply to tablets

These are the differences between "A" and "S"

The smartphone market is divided into segments such as "flagship", "mid-range", or "entry-level" models. Samsung's flagship range has always been the S series, while it also produces mid-range models in the form of the A-series. New technologies like the powerful quad-camera setup in the Galaxy S23 Ultra are usually found in the more expensive models.

The S Pen is also compatible with Samsung's most expensive smartphones alone. Since 2022, the manufacturer also decided to reintegrate the stylus into the housing of one of the Galaxy models. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is thus the official replacement of the Galaxy Note series. As with Samsung's legendary phablets, you can store the S Pen at the bottom of the housing.

In terms of build quality, you can also expect higher-quality materials like metal frames and glass elements in the S series. Samsung uses shatterproof Gorilla Glass Victus 2 in all models of the S23 range, and thus offers a particularly high-quality look and feel.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Hand
The Galaxy S23 Ultra packs everything the South Korean brand has to offer in terms of features / © NextPit

When you think about the Galaxy S lineup, build quality is consistently higher compared to the current A-series models. While the Galaxy A models are built with a plast polycarbonate housing, the Galaxy S23 series debuted Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2, promising more resistance.

In addition to new technologies and build quality, you can also expect better performance with the S series handsets. Samsung traditionally used its own SoCs from the Exynos series in Europe and their Snapdragon counterparts in the US but the S23 line is equipped globally with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with a clock speed bump that deserved the suffix "For Galaxy".

In the mid-range, Samsung uses its own processors in 2022. Thus, the Galaxy A53 and also the Galaxy A33 use the Exynos 1280. Contrary to what usually happens in the flagship arena, mid-range Exynos processors offer a good balance between performance and battery consumption, performing well in NextPit's reviews.

Compared with the S-series, however, Samsung's new A models offer significantly larger batteries. While the Galaxy S23 offers a battery with just 3,900 milliamp hours, the manufacturer packs a hefty 5,000 milliamp hours into both the A53 and A33. Another advantage is the option to expand the internal storage with a micro-SD card in the Galaxy A models.

However, you have to make allowances for the cameras in the mid-range models. Both A53 and A33 come with a quad-camera, which contains rather useless sensors for macro photography and depth information. Samsung now offers setups with wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto cameras across the board in the S-series.

Samsung Galaxy A72 camera module highlighted
You'll also find a telephoto camera in the Galaxy A72, which is surprising! / © NextPit

A negligible factor when choosing between Galaxy A and Galaxy S is the guarantee of software updates. The lower IP67 certification against water and dust is almost on par with the IP68 certification of the top models. And the update policy of four major Android generations and five years of security updates is also available for all models in the table at the beginning of this article.

These models were released in 2022 and early 2023

Four models from the Galaxy S and Galaxy A series have already been released in 2023. Beyond that, the purchase of older models from 2022 is still worth considering since they are available as new devices with a warranty and sufficient update policy. You can find an overview of all models in the following table.

Galaxy A and Galaxy S recent releases

With a click on the respective device model, you will be able to obtain more information about that handset. These are links to our reviews, or—if not yet tested by us—to the overview pages of the models. We already published our first impressions about the Galaxy S23 models, and are already waiting for the 2023 Galaxy A updates.

This is what the letters "A" and "S" stand for in reality

Of course, Samsung's two device classes are a part of the company's marketing strategy that the company has been pursuing for a few years now. The first S model, which was simply called the Galaxy S, was released in 2010. Here, the "S" does not stand for the "Super AMOLED" display which it used before and as many have assumed, but rather, it stands for "Super Smart".

The "A" in "Galaxy A," on the other hand, stands for a somewhat less spectacular "Alpha". Other Samsung designations include "Y" for "Young", "C" for "China", "M" for "Magic", and "J" for "Joy". Well, aren't those fun facts to remember as trivia?

Differences between A and S also apply to tablets

If you are not only interested in Samsung's small-screen devices, you should take a look at Samsung's tablets. As you can read in our Samsung tablet buying guide, there is also a difference between the Galaxy S and Galaxy A. Along with the Galaxy S22 in 2022, Samsung also launched the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 with the Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra models.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 line
These are the Galaxy Tab S8 series / © NextPit

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 had already been released a few months earlier, which is more of a price-performance ratio. You see, Samsung's nomenclature can even be applied to other product classes. So it's not all that difficult!

Which Samsung device series do you find to be more exciting? Do you prefer the A-series or the new S-series that was released this year?


Article updated in February 2023, and older comments were kept.

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