Xbox Series S vs Xbox One S: the cheapest Xbox consoles compared

Xbox Series S vs Xbox Ane Due south: the cheapest Xbox consoles compared

The Xbox Series S and Xbox One S consoles in white

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Xbox Series Southward vs Xbox One Due south? These two Microsoft gaming consoles might have similar designs and similar names, simply at that place are some significant differences betwixt the ii.

This guide volition help you decide which one is right for y'all depending on your budget and your preferences. We'll embrace what each console offers, also as which one has the features, resolution and power that'll arrange you. Equally usual when it comes to gaming consoles, we can't tell you which system is right for you. In that location's a solid case to be fabricated for either 1, depending on what you're looking for.

What'south important to know up front is that the XBox Series S is the newer console of the two and capable of 1440p resolution, upscaled to 4K, 120fps and this includes graphical features, such equally ray tracing. Granted it might not be as powerful as Microsoft'southward electric current flagship, that's the Xbox Series X, but it'due south yet a adjacent-gen console through and through.

In comparison, the Xbox One S is older than the Series S and isn't most as powerful. However, because it'due south been effectually longer you'll observe its cheaper price point makes it a swell pick if the new Xbox Series Southward is out of your budget.

We've spent some serious time testing both consoles, which you can read all most in the Xbox Series South review and Xbox I S review. This puts the states in a practiced position to say definitively which one is worth your time and your money depending on your priorities.

If you've been agonising over which Xbox "South" to buy, keep reading every bit nosotros compare both of Microsoft'southward budget-friendly consoles to aid yous brand an informed decision near which will best suit your budget and your gaming preferences.

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Xbox Series S vs Xbox One South price and release date

The Xbox Series S console — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Both the Xbox Serial S and Xbox One Due south come with like cost points, though we expect the price of the Xbox 1 S to drop dramatically every bit fourth dimension goes on. The Xbox Serial S retails for $299 / £249 / AU$499 and is the cheapest next-gen console available.

The Xbox One S has been out for some time now, making its debut on Baronial ii, 2016. Its price is belongings steady at $299 / £249 / AU$499 but can ofttimes be establish for much cheaper. Once again, we expect the Xbox One S to drop in price now that the Xbox Series Southward has been out for a while.

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Xbox Series S vs Xbox One S specs

The Xbox Series S console insides — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Specs are where the two consoles differ significantly. The Xbox Serial S is Microsoft's more affordable next-gen console, and while information technology might not lucifer the Xbox Series 10 in terms of pure technical prowess, information technology delivers a massive upgrade over the Xbox One Due south. Here are the key Xbox Series S specs you need to know:

CPU: Eight-core 3.6GHz (three.4GHz with SMT) custom AMD 7nm
GPU: iv teraflops at 1.550GHz
RAM: 10GB GDDR6
Framerate: Up to 120 fps
Resolution: 1440p with 4K upscaling
Optical: No disk drive
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

The Xbox Series Due south may be impossibly small, but at that place's a lot of power inside. The console will target a resolution of 1440p instead of native 4K (though some titles tin output at a full 4K), and is capable of 120fps gaming. Though its GPU is considerably less powerful than the Xbox Series X's, it's armed with an almost identical CPU and 10GB of GDDR6 RAM. That's less than the 16GB the Xbox Series X, but it's considerably more than the Xbox One South which only has 8GB of GDDR3.

One important thing to annotation is that at that place's no disk bulldoze on the Xbox Series S, and you'll merely have 512GB of storage to play with. Dissimilar the One S, though, it comes with a super-fast NVMe SSD instead of an achingly slow mechanical difficult bulldoze, and it tin can be expanded with the 1TB Storage Expansion Card from Seagate.

The Xbox One S might wait like, then, but information technology'south technologically junior to the Xbox Series S. It's a great choice if you desire to play Xbox exclusives that y'all missed out on similar Gears 5 or Forza Horizon 4, or merely desire to requite Xbox Game Pass a whirl, but if you want a console that has been designed to last the side by side v or so years, you lot'll want to opt for the Xbox Serial S. Hither are the Xbox One S specs you need to know about:

CPU: Viii-core 1.75GHz Jaguar CPU
GPU: 1.23 teraflops at 914MHz
RAM: 8GB GDDR3
Framerate: Up to 60fps
Resolution: 1080p
Optical: 4K HD Blu-Ray Bulldoze
Storage: 1TB HDD

The Xbox One Due south merely has i real advantage over Microsoft's newer model: the 4K Hd Blu-Ray drive. If you lot're looking for a cheap 4K Blu-Ray player that also allows you to stream Netflix and play games, the One Southward is a nifty option. Y'all could make the case that the Xbox Ane S has more storage space than the Xbox Series S, merely the 1 South even so uses a HDD rather than an SSD, so it has a larger capacity at the expense of speed. In every other department, though, the Xbox Serial S comprehensively beats the Xbox 1 S in terms of technical power and cutting-edge design.

The Xbox One S is a dandy entry-level system, however. It's small, placidity and likely to exist extremely affordable in the near future. Yes, it won't exist able to deliver the highest quality for gaming, only if that'south not a concern, information technology's all the same a worthwhile purchase. With a like price point to the Series South for now, though, we'd recommend opting for Microsoft's newer adjacent-gen panel if y'all have the selection.

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Xbox Series S vs Xbox Ane S games

The Xbox One S console — (Image credit: Xbox)

Even if you don't cull an Xbox Serial Due south, you'll be able to play almost every new game on Microsoft's older console. They won't run as well or await quite as practiced, only y'all won't be forced to upgrade to experience key titles that are coming to Xbox Series 10 and S like Halo Infinite. The Xbox One S is the console to choose if the thought of downloading a game makes your caput spin, though, as information technology'south the only console of the two that has a disc drive.

Y'all can expect most games to target xxx to 60fps on Xbox One South and 60 to 120fps on Xbox Series Ten. Xbox One S games will also likely hit a resolution of 900p to 1080p, while Xbox Series S will target 1080p to 1440p output, which can upscale to 4K.

One surface area where Xbox Series S benefits significantly is in terms of load times. Thanks to its super-fast SSD, games will load much quicker than they would on Xbox One S, and so if you hate waiting around for your games to first, or simply want to upgrade your existing experience, the Serial S is the fashion to go.

It'south also sure that future games will go out the Xbox One Due south behind eventually – developers will increasingly rely on the newer system'southward power as the years get by, and the install base of operations of the new Xbox consoles grows.

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Xbox Series S vs Xbox One Southward verdict

With comparative price points (for now) and similar sleek designs, the Xbox Series Due south and Xbox One S are hands mistaken at a glance. Delve deeper, though, and the power gap between Microsoft's two cheap consoles go abundantly clear.

The Xbox I Southward will presently be seen every bit a legacy arrangement, unable to provide the side by side-gen bells and whistles like ray-tracing and blazing fast load times, but information technology's a tempting value proposition nonetheless, particularly if you tin can find a good Xbox One Southward deal.

The Xbox Series South, however, is the panel of choice for those looking to feel the next-generation of gaming at a superb cost betoken. It's digital-just, of course, and so y'all'll be at the mercy of your internet connexion when it comes to downloading games. If that's a trouble, the Xbox Serial X might be the next best choice.

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Adam is a Senior Gaming Writer at TechRadar. A police force graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online appointment, Adam has penned scintillating copy for diverse technology sites and also established his very ain award-nominated video games website. He's previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo v: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. (He'south still recovering to this day.)