Samsung Galaxy S21 vs iPhone 12: Which should you buy?
Display
5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED
2,340 x 1,080 resolution
HDR, True Tone
Wide color (P3)
2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR)
Ceramic Shield front
6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED
Flat FHD+
2,400 x 1,080 at 421ppi
Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate
HDR10+ certified
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED
2,532 x 1,170 resolution
HDR, True Tone
Wide color (P3)
2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR)
Ceramic Shield front
6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED
Flat FHD+
2,400 x 1,080 at 394ppi
Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate
HDR10+ certified
Processor
Apple A14 Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Samsung Exynos 2100
Apple A14 Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Samsung Exynos 2100
RAM
4GB
8GB
4GB
8GB
Storage
64 / 128 / 256GB
128 or 256GB
64 / 128 / 256GB
128 or 256GB
MicroSD
No
No
No
No
Battery
Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
MagSafe:
Wireless charging up to 15W
Magnet array
Alignment magnet
Accessory Identification NFC
Magnetometer
4,000mAh
Fast wired and wireless charging
Reverse wireless charging
Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
MagSafe:
Wireless charging up to 15W
Magnet array
Alignment magnet
Accessory Identification NFC
Magnetometer
4,800mAh
Fast wired and wireless charging
Reverse wireless charging
Cameras
-Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, OIS, 7-element lens
-Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction
2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3
Video:
HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 30fps
4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps
1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps
720p HD video at 30fps
OIS for video (Wide)
2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 3x
Front:
-TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2
Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3
- Wide-angle: 12MP, ƒ/1.8, 1.8µm with OIS and dual-pixel AF
- Telephoto: 64MP, ƒ/2.0, 0.8µm with OIS and phase-detection AF
- Ultra-wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.4µm with 120-degree FoV
3x hybrid optical/digital zoom
30x "Space Zoom"
Front:
- 10MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.22µm, with dual-pixel AF
-Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, OIS, 7-element lens
-Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction
2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3
Video:
HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 30fps
4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps
1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps
720p HD video at 30fps
OIS for video (Wide)
2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 3x
Front:
-TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2
Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3
- Wide-angle: 12MP, ƒ/1.8, 1.8µm with OIS and dual-pixel AF
- Telephoto: 64MP, ƒ/2.0, 0.8µm with OIS and phase-detection AF
- Ultra-wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.4µm with 120-degree FoV
3x hybrid optical/digital zoom
30x "Space Zoom"
Front:
- 10MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.22µm, with dual-pixel AF
Connectivity
5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave)
Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA
Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
Bluetooth 5
Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness
NFC
Express Cards with power reserve
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
Digital compass
Wi‑Fi
Cellular
iBeacon microlocation
4G LTE support
5G (sub-6GHz, SA and NSA, mmWave)
Wi-Fi 6E support
5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave)
Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA
Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
Bluetooth 5
Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness
NFC
Express Cards with power reserve
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
Digital compass
Wi‑Fi
Cellular
iBeacon microlocation
4G LTE support
5G (sub-6GHz, SA and NSA, mmWave)
Wi-Fi 6E support
Operating System
iOS 14
One UI 3.1
Android 11
iOS 14
One UI 3.1
Android 11
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
IP68
IP68
Security
Face ID
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock
Face ID
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock
Color
Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue
256GB only in Phantom Gray
Future colors: Phantom Gold and Phantom Red
Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue
256GB only in Phantom Black
Future colors: Phantom Gold and Phantom Red
Dimensions and weight
131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4mm
135g
71.2 x 151.7 x 7.9mm
171g
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm
164g
75.6 x 161.5 x 7.8mm
202g
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