Xiaomi 12X vs Samsung Galaxy S21

73 out of 100

70 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.28-inch Xiaomi 12X (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 870) that was released on December 28, 2021, against the Samsung Galaxy S21, which is powered by Exynos 2100 and came out 12 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Xiaomi 12X

Shows 38% longer battery life (35:28 vs 25:44 hours)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.1)
Supports higher wattage charging (67W versus 25W)
Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 4000 mAh
The phone is 1-year newer
Has a built-in infrared port

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21

Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Handles wireless charging up to 15W
The rear camera has a 1.1x optical zoom
More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 2100
Reverse charging feature
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Review

Evaluation of Xiaomi 12X and Samsung Galaxy S21 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	AMOLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	6.28 inches	6.2 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	419 ppi	421 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	500 nits	800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	1100 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio	89.2%	87.2%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	98.6%	99.5%
PWM	523 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	1 ms	5 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	152.7 mm (6.01 inches)	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)
Width	69.9 mm (2.75 inches)	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)
Thickness	8.16 mm (0.32 inches)	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)
Weight	176 g (6.21 oz)	169 g (5.96 oz)
Waterproof	No	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Blue, Pink	White, Gray, Pink, Purple
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 870	Samsung Exynos 2100
Max clock	3200 MHz	2900 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 585 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Kryo 585 Gold (Cortex-A77) - 1 core at 3.2 GHz: Kryo 585 Prime (Cortex-A77)	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache	4 MB	-
Lithography process	7 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 650	Mali-G78 MP14
GPU shading units	1024	896
GPU clock	670 MHz	854 MHz
FLOPS	~1372.1 GFLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS

CPU	230693	150223
GPU	219195	340353
Memory	151434	151885
UX	202860	158712
Total score	806981	806977

Max surface temperature	37.6 °C	38.9 °C
Stability	98%	66%
Graphics test	25 FPS	34 FPS
Graphics score	4254	5714

Web score	-	12591
Video editing	-	7113
Photo editing	-	29385
Data manipulation	-	10438
Writing score	-	16561

RAM size	8, 12 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	-	2750 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128, 256 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	UFS 3.1
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	MIUI 14	One UI 5.1
OS size	29.3 GB	28.1 GB

Capacity	4500 mAh	4000 mAh
Max charge power	67 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	No	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (78% in 30 min)	Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full charging time	0:48 hr	1:35 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	13:05 hr	07:27 hr
Watching video	16:44 hr	12:26 hr
Gaming	05:31 hr	04:31 hr
Standby	104 hr	92 hr

Main camera
Matrix	50 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	8700 x 5800	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Digital	Optical, 1.1x
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	Up to 24FPS	Up to 24FPS
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	123°	120°
Lenses	3 (50 MP + 13 MP + 5 MP)	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.56", Sony IMX766 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	-	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	- 13 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.06", OmniVision OV13B10 (CMOS)	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Macro lens	- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 50 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	-
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	-	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	32 megapixels	10 megapixels
Image resolution	6528 x 4896	3872 x 2592
Aperture	f/2.4	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	0.7 microns	1.22 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3"	1/3.24"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.1	5
Bluetooth features	LE	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC *	Depends on the region	Yes
Infrared port	Yes	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	-	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	-	24
5G support	Yes	Yes

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	December 2021	January 2021
Release date	December 2021	February 2021
SAR (head)	-	0.46 W/kg
SAR (body)	-	1.51 W/kg
Sensors	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Yes, 67 W	-

Xiaomi 12X vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Xiaomi 12X vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion