Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Google Pixel 6

70 out of 100

72 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 (with Exynos 2100) that was released on January 14, 2021, against the Google Pixel 6, which is powered by Google Tensor and came out 10 months after. 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 Samsung Galaxy S21

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
The rear camera has a 1.1x optical zoom
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Has 2 SIM card slots
Weighs 38 grams less
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6

Shows 17% longer battery life (30:01 vs 25:44 hours)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Comes with 614 mAh larger battery capacity: 4614 vs 4000 mAh
The phone is 10-months newer

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 and Google Pixel 6 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	6.2 inches	6.4 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	421 ppi	411 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	500 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	800 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio	87.2%	83.4%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	99.5%	99.8%
PWM	240 Hz	397 Hz
Response time	5 ms	5 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)	158.6 mm (6.24 inches)
Width	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)	74.8 mm (2.94 inches)
Thickness	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)	8.9 mm (0.35 inches)
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	207 g (7.3 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Plastic	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Gray, Pink, Purple	Black, Blue, Yellow
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Google Tensor
Max clock	2900 MHz	2800 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex A55 - 2 cores at 2.25 GHz: Cortex A76 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache	-	4 MB
Lithography process	5 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Mali-G78 MP20
GPU shading units	896	1280
GPU clock	854 MHz	848 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~2170.9 GFLOPS

CPU	150223	232971
GPU	340353	264190
Memory	151885	150880
UX	158712	181239
Total score	806977	835401

Max surface temperature	38.9 °C	42.1 °C
Stability	66%	56%
Graphics test	34 FPS	38 FPS
Graphics score	5714	6379

Web score	12591	7569
Video editing	7113	6393
Photo editing	29385	17623
Data manipulation	10438	10303
Writing score	16561	15037

RAM size	8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	2750 MHz	3200 MHz
Channels	2	4

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 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	One UI 5.1	Stock Android
OS size	28.1 GB	17.6 GB

Capacity	4000 mAh	4614 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	30 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	Yes (21 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (55% in 50 min)	Yes (41% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:35 hr	1:53 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:27 hr	08:58 hr
Watching video	12:26 hr	16:38 hr
Gaming	04:31 hr	05:24 hr
Standby	92 hr	92 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	50 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	8192 x 6144
Zoom	Optical, 1.1x	Digital
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	Up to 24FPS	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	114°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)	2 (50 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 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	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 25 mm - Pixel size: 1.2 micron - Sensor: 1/1.31", Samsung GN1 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Laser autofocus - 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	- 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)	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 17 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Google Pixel 6 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	10 megapixels	8 megapixels
Image resolution	3872 x 2592	3840 x 2160
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.0
Focal length	26 mm	24 mm
Pixel size	1.22 microns	1.12 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	-
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6E (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	5.2
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.2	3.1
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	-
eSIM support *	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	24	20
5G support	Yes	Yes

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

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	January 2021	October 2021
Release date	February 2021	October 2021
SAR (head)	0.46 W/kg	-
SAR (body)	1.51 W/kg	-
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	-	Not included

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Google Pixel 6

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Google Pixel 6

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