Samsung Galaxy S21 vs OnePlus Nord 2 5G

70 out of 100

67 out of 100

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 (with Exynos 2100) that was released on January 14, 2021, against the OnePlus Nord 2 5G, which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G and came out 7 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

Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Delivers 36% higher peak brightness (864 against 634 nits)
Handles wireless charging up to 15W
The rear camera has a 1.1x optical zoom
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz
16% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (806K versus 695K)
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Ready for eSIM technology

Reasons to consider the OnePlus Nord 2 5G

Shows 25% longer battery life (32:08 vs 25:44 hours)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Supports higher wattage charging (65W versus 25W)
Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 4000 mAh
The phone is 7-months newer

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 and OnePlus Nord 2 5G crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	AMOLED
Size	6.2 inches	6.43 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	421 ppi	410 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	450 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	650 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Screen-to-body ratio	87.2%	85.8%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	99.5%	128.2%
PWM	240 Hz	119 Hz
Response time	5 ms	8 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)	159.12 mm (6.26 inches)
Width	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)	73.31 mm (2.89 inches)
Thickness	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)	8.25 mm (0.32 inches)
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	189 g (6.67 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	No
Advanced cooling	-	Vapor chamber
Rear material	Plastic	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Plastic
Colors	White, Gray, Pink, Purple	Gray, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G
Max clock	2900 MHz	3000 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 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 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.6 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 3 GHz: Cortex-A78
L3 cache	-	8 MB
Lithography process	5 nanometers	6 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Mali-G77 MP9
GPU shading units	896	576
GPU clock	854 MHz	886 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~979.2 GFLOPS

CPU	150223	181329
GPU	340353	241109
Memory	151885	136131
UX	158712	136255
Total score	806977	695947

Max surface temperature	38.9 °C	50.7 °C
Stability	66%	70%
Graphics test	34 FPS	25 FPS
Graphics score	5714	4197

Web score	12591	6831
Video editing	7113	5352
Photo editing	29385	15029
Data manipulation	10438	9115
Writing score	16561	10578

RAM size	8 GB	6, 8, 12 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2750 MHz	2133 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	One UI 5.1	OxygenOS 13
OS size	28.1 GB	14 GB

Capacity	4000 mAh	4500 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	65 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	No
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (55% in 50 min)	Yes (98% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:35 hr	0:31 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:27 hr	12:29 hr
Watching video	12:26 hr	13:49 hr
Gaming	04:31 hr	05:27 hr
Standby	92 hr	94 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	50 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	8700 x 5800
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 30FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	119°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)	3 (50 MP + 8 MP + 2 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: 24 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.56", Sony IMX766 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase 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)	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.3
Monochrome lens	-	- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark	Photo samples of OnePlus Nord 2 5G from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	10 megapixels	32 megapixels
Image resolution	3872 x 2592	6528 x 4896
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.5
Focal length	26 mm	-
Pixel size	1.22 microns	0.8 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	1/2.8"
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 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	5.2
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC, SBAS
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	Yes	No
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	24	18
5G support	Yes	Yes

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

Category	Flagship	Mid-range
Announced	January 2021	July 2021
Release date	February 2021	July 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	- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	-	Yes, 65 W

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs OnePlus Nord 2 5G

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs OnePlus Nord 2 5G

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