Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Note 20

70 out of 100

66 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 Samsung Galaxy Note 20, which is powered by Exynos 990 and came out 5 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 (1)

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Delivers 39% higher peak brightness (864 against 622 nits)
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
12% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (806K versus 718K)
More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 2100
16% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1340 and 1155 points
Weighs 23 grams less

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy Note 20

The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Has a 0.5 inch larger screen size
Comes with 300 mAh larger battery capacity: 4300 vs 4000 mAh

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 and Note 20 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	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	600 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Screen-to-body ratio	87.2%	89.2%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	99.5%	99.9%
PWM	240 Hz	250 Hz
Response time	5 ms	6.4 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)	161.6 mm (6.36 inches)
Width	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)	75.2 mm (2.96 inches)
Thickness	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)	8.3 mm (0.33 inches)
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	192 g (6.77 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Advanced cooling	-	Vapor chamber
Rear material	Plastic	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Gray, Pink, Purple	Black, Green, Brown
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Samsung Exynos 990
Max clock	2900 MHz	2730 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 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 2 cores at 2.73 GHz: Exynos M5
L3 cache	-	2 MB
Lithography process	5 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Mali-G77 MP11
GPU shading units	896	704
GPU clock	854 MHz	550 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~1126 GFLOPS

CPU	150223	214069
GPU	340353	202411
Memory	151885	134994
UX	158712	164236
Total score	806977	718109

Max surface temperature	38.9 °C	38.6 °C
Stability	66%	88%
Graphics test	34 FPS	25 FPS
Graphics score	5714	4317

Web score	12591	7804
Video editing	7113	5716
Photo editing	29385	29885
Data manipulation	10438	7954
Writing score	16561	11968

RAM size	8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	2750 MHz	2400 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128, 256 GB	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 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	One UI 5.1	One UI 5.0
OS size	28.1 GB	35 GB

Capacity	4000 mAh	4300 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (55% in 50 min)	Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:35 hr	1:05 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:27 hr	-
Watching video	12:26 hr	-
Gaming	04:31 hr	-
Standby	92 hr	-

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Optical, 1.1x	Optical, 3x
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 240FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	120°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)	3 (12 MP + 64 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	- 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	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - 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 - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Samsung S5K2LA (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus
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 Samsung Galaxy Note 20 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Image resolution	3872 x 2592	3872 x 2592
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	1.22 microns	1.22 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	1/3.2"
Video resolution	2160p (4K) 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	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.2	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC
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	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	August 2020
Release date	February 2021	August 2020
SAR (head)	0.46 W/kg	0.359 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.51 W/kg	1.366 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Note 20

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Note 20

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