PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which Should You Buy?

We’re going to be taking a look at the differences between the PS4, PS4 Slim, and PS4 Pro so that you can make an informed decision on which you should buy. While the changes to each system may not be much, there are still some and hopefully this information presented clearly to you will help you out!

Standard PS4

The standard PS4 is the model that Sony launched back in 2013 and took over the gaming industry with. Coming a year after the Wii U and just a few days before the Xbox One, the console grabbed the lead and never looked back. It was the most powerful at the time it launched, capable of delivering 1080p images much more frequently than its competition and even delivering on more solid framerates.

It’s fully compatible with the PSVR headset as well as all other peripherals released. It’s not overly large, and its sleek design features a parallelogram profile, while the top is a large rectangle that is split between a matte side and a glossy side (the HDD sits beneath the glossy side and the plate is interchangeable).

Price

• $300 (will eventually be completely replaced by Slim)

Dimensions

• 12 in x 10.8 in x 2.09 in

Weight

• 6.2 lbs

Ports

• 2x USB 3.0
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet
• 1X PS Camera
• Optical Audio
• HDMI 1.4

CPU

• 1.6GHz 8-Core AMD Jaguar 

GPU

• 1.84 TFLOP AMD Radeon (18CU, 800MHz)

Memory

• 8GB GDDR5 RAM

HDD

• 500GB and 1TB models available (upgradeable)

PS4 Slim

Everyone knew that the PS4 Slim was coming eventually as that’s the pattern that has been established by console manufacturers over the last couple of generations. This model ditches the glossy top for a complete matte finish that has only a glossy PlayStation logo located in the center. The face buttons on the front of the PS4 Slim are much more prominent than they were on the standard model, as well. For the most part, the PS4 Slim is exactly the same as the standard model. The major differences come in the smaller form factor as well as the lack of an Optical Audio output. The Slim also upgrades the USB ports to USB 3.1.

This version is perfect for those who just don’t want their console to take up too much space and have yet to purchase one at all. When it launched, there was also an update that allowed for HDR (improved colors and contrast in your video games) that is also available on the standard model, so you can’t go wrong with either one.

Since there is no major difference in specs, when choosing which one to buy it will most likely come down to which is available and does design matter.

Price

• $300

Differences with the PS4 Slim

Dimensions

• Smaller than previously with 11.3 in x 10.4 in x 1.54 in

Weight

• Smaller than previously with 4.6 lbs

Ports

• Same as before, just without Optical Audio

HDD

• 500GB (upgradeable) available, no 1TB model this time

PS4 Pro

The PS4 Pro is Sony’s upgraded version of their latest home console that has been given some beefier hardware in order to provide more options to developers. Of course, it happens to be a bit larger than both the standard and Slim models, but still manages to not be too big. Hidden within the larger form factor is a more powerful CPU and a substantially improved GPU that is more than twice as powerful. You’ll also notice that the Pro has an extra 1GB of RAM which is there to allow developers to utilize the full 8GB of GDDR5 RAM for gaming. The size of the console also allowed Sony to fit an extra USB port onto the machine, meaning you can connect one extra thing (huzzah).

Naturally, this increase in power means that it will have to be more expensive. The PS4 Pro costs $100 more than its weaker counterparts. That’s a fair exchange for the capabilities which include 4K gaming and media streaming on top of the HDR compatibility. Also, the extra power allows for developers to improve games even if the console isn’t connected to a 4K screen. The horsepower under the hood allows for improved framerates, more textures, better visuals, reduced load times, and more. It can even improve the fidelity of the PSVR headset (although it can’t bump that up to 4K).

The one downside at the moment is that not every developer has taken full advantage of the PS4 Pro’s abilities. Sony has left how the hardware is approached entirely up to developers leading to a bit of inconsistency in the early months of the machine’s life cycle. Still, some developers have put it to use, and the fact that it’s even possible may be worth it to some.

Price

• $400

Differences with the PS4 Pro

Dimensions

• 12.9 in x 11.6 in x 2.17 in

Weight

• 7.3 lbs

Ports

• Same as before, just with 3x USB 3.1 and HDMI 2.0 this time around

CPU

• 2.1GHz 8-core AMD Jaguar

GPU

• 4.2 TFLOP AMD Radeon (36CU, 911MHz)

Memory

• 8GB GDDR5 RAM, but plus an extra 1GB RAM for non-gaming processes

HDD

• 1TB (upgradeable)