Google Pixel 10a vs Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Battle for the affordable flagship crown

The Pixel 10a is now official! Google has decided to unveil its A-series affordable phone early, probably in order to compete with the iPhone 17e, which is just around the corner. Meanwhile, Samsung has its own version of the affordable flagship—the Galaxy S25 FE.The Fan Edition launched last year, and it’s still the latest FE phone from the Korean company. Pricewise, the Pixel 10a clocks at $499, which is good news! The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, retails for $649, which is $150 more.

For that amount of extra cash, you’re getting an additional telephoto camera and a larger screen compared to the Pixel. The latter is just a minor upgrade from the last generation, featuring the same processor, a dual camera on its back, and the same 6.3-inch OLED.

Pixel 10a vs Galaxy S25 FE differences:

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The Google Pixel 10a design is not groundbreaking, to say the least. The new phone looks almost identical to the Pixel 9a, with just additional colors in terms of design differences. We have the same oval camera cutout on the back, flush with the body, and the same overall shape as the previous generation.

The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, also follows the same design language as its predecessor, which makes it different from the Pixel 10a. It’s a slim and sleek phone with three separate camera cutouts on its back, small bezels around the screen, and a flagship feel.

The Pixel 10a is very similar to its predecessor in terms of dimensions and weight, it’s just a fraction of a millimeter here and there. It’s a thicker device, compared to the Galaxy S25 FE, but thanks to its smaller footprint and the smaller screen, it’s also a couple of grams lighter.

The Galaxy S25 FE weighs 190 grams, but it’s a very thin 7.4 mm phone. It features a larger display and given the footprint, Samsung did a really good job at keeping the weight under 200 grams. 

Even more impressive when we factor in the glass back and aluminum frame of the S25 FE. The Pixel 10a features a plastic back and still weighs almost the same, despite the smaller screen.

The Pixel 10a arrives featuring new colors. Following Google’s latest Nest cam and thermostat paint jobs, these are Berry (bright red) and Fog (light gray color with a greenish tint) in addition to the usual Obsidian and Lavender. The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, is available in Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy, and White.

We already measured the Galaxy S25 FE screen, and it managed quite well in our test with 1700 nits of brightness at 20% APL, 2 nits of minimum brightness, and decent color accuracy. The Pixel 10a is listed at a whopping 3,000 nits peak brightness, so it appears to have an advantage in that regard. We need to do some tests, so stay tuned for those once the Pixel 10a arrives in our lab.In terms of biometrics, both phones rely mainly on under-display fingerprint scanners, both are optical and doing what they’re intended to do. There’s facial recognition as well, but it relies on the selfie camera, no fancy radar tech or ToF magic.

This battle already happened, featuring slightly different heroes. The Tensor G4, which makes another appearance inside the Pixel 10a after powering the last generation Pixel 9a, was already pitted against the Exynos 2400 (in our Pixel 9a vs Galaxy S25 FE comparison), and the results are decisive. 

The Galaxy S25 FE features a triple camera system—which is rare for affordable flagships and other phones in this price range. Granted, it’s not a camera phone, not by any stretch of the imagination, but having a dedicated telephoto camera helps a lot and gives the phone some flexibility.

The Pixel 10a features the same 48MP main camera as its predecessor, coupled with the same 13MP ultrawide. No telephoto on board.

We need to measure the camera on the Pixel 10a in our lab, whether it is identical to the last gen or not, but if we look at the Pixel 9a results, we find it scored 134 points in our test. The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, managed a respectable 143 (out of 158), so we expect this gap to remain rather big.

Stay tuned for side-by-side samples soon.

Samsung and Google have some homework to do, as the battery revolution is happening around them while they wait. Modern Chinese phones now ship with huge 7,500-8,000 mAh batteries, even midrange and affordable models, and 5,000 mAh on a flagship doesn’t cut it anymore.

The Galaxy S25 FE ships with a 4,900 mAh cell inside, and it ranked #79 for phones tested in the past 2 years with a composite score of 6h 59m. Quite a mediocre result. The Pixel 10a has a slightly larger 5,100 mAh battery, the same as the one found on the Pixel 9a. For reference, the Pixel 9a ranked #27 in the same test with a score of 8h 11m. 

We’ll test the Pixel 10a when it arrives, but we expect the scales to tip in Pixel 10a‘s favor when it comes to battery life.

The Galaxy S25 FE supports 45W of wired charging, and it’s able to fill its battery in roughly one hour. The wireless charging support caps at 15W, which is still faster than the 10W the Pixel 10a has in store. 

Speaking of which, the Pixel 10a now supports up to 45W of wired charging power, the same as the S25 FE, and Google says it will be able to charge its battery up to 50% in about 30 minutes. We’re going to test that claim soon, so stay tuned.

There are a few key areas that can sway people when they’re considering which one of these two phones to buy. First and most obvious is the screen size—if you want a big-screen phone, the Galaxy S25 FE is the better option.Second, the camera system is more versatile on the S25 FE with the extra telephoto snapper, and the overall quality is rather impressive. When it comes to hardware and software, there are differences and both phones win some and lose some.

So, if you want one extra camera, a larger screen, and a faster processor, you’ll need to pay $150 more—the Galaxy S25 FE starts at $649, while the Pixel 10a costs $499. We’ll update this comparison with tests and a final verdict once the Pixel 10a arrives in our lab.