Samsung Galaxy A or S: What’s the Difference?

	Top-of-the line S-series	Big-screen S-series	Basic S-series	Fan Edition S Series	Intermediate	Basic mid-range
Product
Picture
Display	6.8″, Dynamic AMOLED	6.6″, Dynamic AMOLED	6.1″, Dynamic AMOLED	6.4″, Dynamic AMOLED	6.4″, Super AMOLED	6.6″, Super AMOLED
	3,088 x 1,440 px	2,340 x 1,080 px		1,080 x 2,400 px	2,340 x 1,080 px
	120 Hz refresh rate (LTPO)	120 Hz refresh rate		120 Hz refresh rate	120 Hz refresh rate
SoC	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy			Snapdragon 888	Samsung Exynos 1380	MediaTek Dimensity 1080
RAM	8 GB, 12 GB RAM	8 GB RAM		6 GB / 8 GB	8 GB RAM	6 / 8 GB RAM
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB internal memory	256 GB, 512 GB memory	128 GB, 256 GB memory	128 GB / 256 GB	128 / 256 GB
Expandable memory?	❌			❌	Yes, expandable up to 1 TB
OS	OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13			OneUI 4.1 based on Android 12	OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13
Camera	Main camera: 200 MP, f/1.7 aperture, OIS Ultra wide-angle camera: 12 MP, aperture f/2.2 Telephoto camera 1: 10 MP, f/2.4 aperture Telephoto2: 10 MP, f/4.9 aperture	Main camera: 50 MP, f/1.8 aperture, OIS Ultra wide-angle camera: 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture Telephoto camera 1: 10 MP, f/2.4 aperture		Main camera: 12 MP, f/1.8 aperture, OIS Ultra wide-angle: 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture Telephoto camera: 12 MP, f/2.4 aperture	Main camera: 50 MP, f/1.8 aperture, OIS Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4 aperture	Main camera: 48 MP, f/1.8 aperture, OIS Ultra wide-angle: 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4 aperture
Selfie camera	12 MP, f/2.2 aperture			Selfies: 32 MP, f/2.2 aperture	32 MP, f/2.2 aperture	13 MP, aperture f/2.2
Battery	5,000 mAh 45 W Wired charging	4,700 mAh 45 W Wired charging	3,900 mAh 25 W Wired charging	4,500 mAh 25 W Wired charging	5,000 mAh 25 W Wired charging
Connectivity	5G / LTE / Wi-Fi 6E / Wi-Fi Direct / Bluetooth 5.3 / NFC, UWB			5G / LTE / Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi Direct / Bluetooth 5.0 / NFC,	5G / LTE / Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi Direct / Bluetooth 5.3 / NFC
IP Certification	IP68			IP68	IP67
Colors	Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream. Only for Samsung: Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red	Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream. Only for Samsung: Graphite, Lime		Graphite, White, Lavender, Olive	Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet, Awesome White	Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet, Awesome Silver
Dimensions and weight	163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm, 233 g	157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm, approx. 195 g	146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm, approx. 168 g	155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm, 177 g	158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm, approx. 202 g	161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2 mm, approx. 199 g
Good	Superb AMOLED QHD+ screen at 120 Hz refresh rate Highly polished finish Most versatile 200 MP camera module on the market Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 makes all the difference Excellent battery life which is a feat for Samsung 4 years of Android updates + 5 years of security updates The integrated S Pen is as cool as ever	Great workmanship and trendy design Competent performance Excellent camera system Long battery life	Compact and good haptic feedback Outstanding display Very good performance Excellent picture quality Larger battery (compared to its predecessor) More earth-friendly inclusions	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		Smooth AMOLED display Good everyday performance Best-in-class software support Decent camera
Bad	Nothing much new in One UI 5.1 Same design as last year Archaic 45-watt charging speed	A lot of unwanted, pre-installed apps Fast Charging still lags behind the competition	No LTPO display Charging speed is archaic No UWB No microSD support No 3.5mm audio port	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 wired charging No charger in the box No headphone jack Lots of preinstalled apps
Rating	Read the Galaxy S23 Ultra review	Read the Galaxy S23+ review	Read the Galaxy S23 review	Read the Galaxy S21 FE review		Read the Galaxy A34 review
Offers*

After the release of the Galaxy S23 range in February 2023, Samsung showed its hand for the 2023 flagship season, followed by the Galaxy A class in March, 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.

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 traditionally uses its own processors. Thus, the Galaxy A53 and also the Galaxy A33 use the Exynos 1280, while the A54 is powered by its successor, the Exynos 1380. 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/A54 and A33/A34. 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, thankfully, the latter was dropped in the A34/A54 duo. Samsung now offers setups with wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and telephoto cameras across the board in the S-series.

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.

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.

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 April 2023, and older comments were kept.