Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy A72

70 out of 100

62 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 Samsung Galaxy A72, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G and came out 2 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

2.2x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (806K versus 371K)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Handles wireless charging up to 15W
Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz
Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A72

The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
Shows 44% longer battery life (36:59 vs 25:44 hours)
Comes with 1000 mAh larger battery capacity: 5000 vs 4000 mAh
Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 1024GB
Has a 0.5 inch larger screen size
Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy A72 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED
Size	6.2 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	421 ppi	393 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	400 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	800 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Screen-to-body ratio	87.2%	84.9%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- Always-On Display

RGB color space	99.5%	98.7%
PWM	240 Hz	367 Hz
Response time	5 ms	4.8 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)	165 mm (6.5 inches)
Width	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)	77.4 mm (3.05 inches)
Thickness	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)	8.4 mm (0.33 inches)
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	203 g (7.16 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP67
Rear material	Plastic	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Plastic
Colors	White, Gray, Pink, Purple	White, Black, Blue, Pink
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
Max clock	2900 MHz	2300 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (2 + 6)
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	- 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 465 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 2 cores at 2.3 GHz: Kryo 465 Gold (Cortex-A76)
Lithography process	5 nanometers	8 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Adreno 618
GPU shading units	896	256
GPU clock	854 MHz	750 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~384 GFLOPS

CPU	150223	119340
GPU	340353	73217
Memory	151885	79831
UX	158712	95997
Total score	806977	371130

Max surface temperature	38.9 °C	38.2 °C
Stability	66%	99%
Graphics test	34 FPS	6 FPS
Graphics score	5714	1038

Web score	12591	7232
Video editing	7113	6243
Photo editing	29385	17192
Data manipulation	10438	7559
Writing score	16561	9133

RAM size	8 GB	6, 8 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 2.1
Memory card	No	MicroSD
Memory card max size	-	Up to 1024 GB

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	One UI 5.1	One UI 5.0
OS size	28.1 GB	25.8 GB

Capacity	4000 mAh	5000 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	25 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 (54% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:35 hr	1:15 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:27 hr	11:27 hr
Watching video	12:26 hr	14:00 hr
Gaming	04:31 hr	05:39 hr
Standby	92 hr	151 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	64 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	9000 x 7000
Zoom	Optical, 1.1x	Optical, 3x
Flash	Dual LED	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 (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	123°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)	4 (64 MP + 8 MP + 12 MP + 5 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	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.7" (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	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Pixel size: 1 micron - Phase autofocus - 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: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron
Macro lens	-	- 5 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 Samsung Galaxy A72 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	10 megapixels	32 megapixels
Image resolution	3872 x 2592	4000 x 3000
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	1.22 microns	0.8 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	1/2.8"
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, 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
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Active
eSIM support *	Yes	No
Hybrid slot	No	Yes
LTE Cat *	24	15
5G support	Yes	No

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

Category	Flagship	Mid-range
Announced	January 2021	March 2021
Release date	February 2021	March 2021
SAR (head)	0.46 W/kg	0.23 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.51 W/kg	1.17 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

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy A72

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy A72

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