Google Pixel 9a vs Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 9a Manufactured in April, 2025, with display 6.3 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G4, vs Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon), Manufactured in October, 2023 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 9a
  • Higher pixel density: 422ppi
  • Lighter design: 186g vs 209g
  • Higher battery capacity: 5100mAh vs 4500mAh
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
  • Larger display: 6.4in
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 9a and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type POLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.3 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1080x2424 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 422 ppi 403 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) Yes (60-120 Hz)
Max brightness 2700 nits 1450 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 84.5 % 83.2 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
982 nits

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 154.7 mm (6.09 in) 158 mm (6.22 in)
Width 73.3 mm (2.89 in) 76.5 mm (3.01 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.2 mm (0.32 in)
Weight 186 g (6.56 oz) 209 g (7.37 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Red
- Purple
- White
- Black
- Green
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 9a
84.5 %
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
83.2 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 9a and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 3000 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.92 (Cortex-A520)
- 3/2.6 (Cortex-A720)
- 1/3.1 (Cortex-X4)
- 4/1.8 (Cortex-A510)
- 3/2.5 (Cortex-A710)
- 1/3 (Cortex-X2)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 4 nm
Neural Processor Yes Hexagon
Graphics Mali-G715 MP7 Adreno 730
GPU Cores 896 1024
GPU Frequency 940 MHz 818 MHz
FLOPS 1792 GFLOPS 1675.3 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 9a
1677
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
1549
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 9a
4067
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
3718
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)16771549
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)40673718
Geekbench Compute (GPU)7784n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 9a
991079
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
1203840
CPU161737337597
GPU464865448766
Memory191750183031
UX172727234446
NanoReview Score9910791203840

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 4200 MHz 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 15 Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
UI Skin Stock Android One UI 6.1

Battery

Volume 5100 mAh 4500 mAh
Max Charging Power 23 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes
Reverse Charging n/a Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 30 min) Yes (58% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time n/a 1:10 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
20:15
Web Browsingn/a07:09 h
Video Playbackn/a10:02 h
Gamesn/a04:27 h
Standby Moden/a118 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 8160x6120 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 3x
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No Up to 24FPS
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 MP
Standard: 50 MP
Telephoto: 8 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix50 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.7f/1.8
Focal length25 mm23 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung S5KGN3
Sensor size1/1.21/1.57
Pixel size0.8 μm1 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a8 MP
Aperturen/af/2.4
Focal lengthn/a76 mm
Sensorn/aHynix Hi847
Sensor sizen/a1/4.4
Pixel sizen/a1 μm
Stabilizationn/aDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix13 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung S5K3L6
Sensor size1/3.11/3
Pixel sizen/a1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
124
Video quality
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
131
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
127
Bokehn/a50
Previewn/a67
Zoomn/a123

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3648x2736 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.4
Focal length 20 mm 26 mm
Sensor CMOS Samsung S5K3J1
Sensor size 1/3.1 1/3
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus n/a No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19UMTS B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B41/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B/B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B20/B26/B28/B66)
LTE categoryn/a20
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No Yes

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced March, 2025 yr October, 2023 yr
Release Date April, 2025 yr October, 2023 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 599
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No No

Note

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon):

The Galaxy S23 FE is available in the USA with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, whereas other countries receive a version with the Exynos 2200. The base (128 GB) storage utilizes a UFS 3.1 memory type, whereas the higher-tier 256 GB variant is equipped with UFS 4.0. Models are available with a single SIM card, dual SIMs, or dual SIMs plus eSIM (depending on the market).

* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below