Look, if you’re staring at that price gap between the two white and black towers at Best Buy and wondering why one costs basically double the other, you aren't alone. It’s a classic trap. Most people think they're just choosing between "fancy 4K" and "regular HD," but in 2026, the reality is a lot messier. Honestly, the question of which is better xbox x or s has changed since these consoles launched back in 2020. We’re deep into the console cycle now. Developers are pushing the hardware to the absolute brink, and that "budget" Series S is starting to show its age in ways that might actually cost you more in the long run.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours on both. My Series X sits in the living room hooked up to a 65-inch OLED, while the Series S lived in my office for "quick breaks" before I realized it was struggling to keep up with the latest patches for Starfield and Cyberpunk.
The GPU Gap is Real (and It’s Getting Wider)
Let’s talk raw power without getting bogged down in boring spec sheets. Basically, the Series X has three times the graphical muscle of the Series S. Back in 2021, that didn't seem to matter much because games were still being made for the old Xbox One. But now? It’s a different story.
The Series X targets a crisp, native 4K. It’s sharp. You can see the individual stitches on a character’s jacket. The Series S, on the other hand, usually aims for 1440p but often drops down to 1080p—or even lower—just to keep the frame rate stable. If you’re playing on a big 4K TV, the Series S can look a bit... blurry. Soft. Like you’re looking through a window that needs a quick wipe.
- Series X: 12 Teraflops of power. It’s a beast.
- Series S: 4 Teraflops. It’s a scrappy little machine, but it’s fighting an uphill battle.
If you care about seeing every leaf on a tree in Forza Horizon 5, the X is the winner. Period.
The Hidden Cost of the Series S
Here is the thing no one tells you at the checkout counter: storage is a nightmare on the S. The base Series S comes with a 512GB SSD. Sounds like plenty, right? Wrong. Once you install the operating system, you’re left with about 360GB of actual space.
In a world where Call of Duty or ARK can eat up 150GB to 200GB alone, you can fit maybe three "big" games before the console starts screaming at you to delete something. Microsoft sells expansion cards, sure. But those cards are expensive. By the time you buy a 1TB expansion card to fix your storage problem, you’ve spent almost as much as if you’d just bought the Series X in the first place.
The Series X comes with 1TB (or 2TB if you get the fancy Galaxy Black edition) right out of the box. You’ve got breathing room. You aren't playing "storage Tetris" every Tuesday when a new update drops.
The Disc Drive: More Important Than You Think
The Series S is digital-only. No slot. No discs. This sounds modern and cool until you realize you are now a prisoner to the Xbox Store prices.
With a Series X, you can go to a used game shop or browse eBay. You can find a physical copy of Elden Ring for twenty bucks while the digital store is still demanding sixty. You can borrow games from friends. You can play your old Xbox One and 360 discs. Plus, the X is a 4K Blu-ray player. If you still care about physical media—and with streaming services raising prices every six months, you probably should—the Series X is the only logical choice.
Who is the Series S actually for?
I'm not saying the Series S is garbage. Not at all. It’s actually a miracle of engineering for the price. If you’re buying a console for a kid who only plays Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, the Series S is perfect. It’s tiny. It fits in a backpack.
It's also the "Game Pass Machine." If you just want a secondary box for a bedroom or a dorm room to play indie hits like Hollow Knight or Sea of Stars, you’ll love it. It’s quiet, it’s cute, and it gets the job done without taking up your whole desk.
The 2026 Verdict
If you have a 4K TV and you plan on playing the biggest AAA games of the next two years, do not buy the Series S. You will regret it. The "Which is better Xbox X or S" debate usually ends with "it depends," but honestly? The Series X is the better investment for anyone who considers gaming a primary hobby.
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The Series X handles 60 frames per second much more reliably. It has the disc drive for cheap used games. It has the storage you actually need.
What You Should Do Next
- Check your TV: If you don't have a 4K display and don't plan on getting one, the Series S is a viable way to save $200.
- Look at your library: If you have a stack of old Xbox discs, the Series S is a paperweight for those. You need the X.
- Calculate the "Storage Tax": Check the current price of a 1TB Seagate or Western Digital Expansion Card. If the price of a Series S + that card is within $50 of the Series X, just buy the X.
- Buy for the future: We are likely only a few years away from the next generation. The Series X will hold its resale value and performance much better as we reach the end of this cycle.
Stick with the Series X if you want the "real" experience. Grab the S only if you’re a casual player or on a strictly tight budget where every dollar counts today.