Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

70 out of 100

59 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 Apple iPhone XS Max, which is powered by Apple A12 Bionic and came out 28 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 Samsung Galaxy S21

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Comes with 826 mAh larger battery capacity: 4000 vs 3174 mAh
Has 2x more RAM: 8GB versus 4GB
Modern USB Type-C port
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Delivers 30% higher peak brightness (864 against 663 nits)
Fingerprint scanner
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz
21% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (806K versus 665K)
Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
Has 2 SIM card slots

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XS Max

The rear camera has a 2x optical zoom
Has a 0.3 inch larger screen size
Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 and Apple iPhone XS Max crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	6.2 inches	6.5 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1242 x 2688 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	19.4:9
PPI	421 ppi	456 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	800 nits	625 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio	87.2%	85.41%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

RGB color space	99.5%	98.8%
PWM	240 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	5 ms	11.2 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)	157.5 mm (6.2 inches)
Width	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)	77.4 mm (3.05 inches)
Thickness	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)	7.7 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	208 g (7.34 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Plastic	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Gray, Pink, Purple	Silver, Gold, Gray
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	No

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Apple A12 Bionic
Max clock	2900 MHz	2490 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	6 (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 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex
Lithography process	5 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Apple A12 GPU
GPU shading units	896	256
GPU clock	854 MHz	1100 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~576 GFLOPS

CPU	150223	167833
GPU	340353	157230
Memory	151885	121395
UX	158712	215799
Total score	806977	665855

Max surface temperature	38.9 °C	45.2 °C
Stability	66%	66%
Graphics test	34 FPS	34 FPS
Graphics score	5714	5704

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

RAM size	8 GB	4 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2750 MHz	-
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128, 256 GB	64, 256, 512 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17)
ROM	One UI 5.1	-
OS size	28.1 GB	16 GB

Capacity	4000 mAh	3174 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	Yes, Qi (10 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (55% in 50 min)	Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:35 hr	03:29 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	07:27 hr	09:13 hr
Watching video	12:26 hr	10:50 hr
Gaming	04:31 hr	04:38 hr
Standby	92 hr	80 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 1.1x	Optical, 2x
Flash	Dual LED	Quad 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°	-
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)	2 (12 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: 28 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.5", Apple iSight X (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	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 52 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4" (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)	-
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 Apple iPhone XS Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	10 megapixels	7 megapixels
Image resolution	3872 x 2592	3088 x 2316
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	32 mm
Pixel size	1.22 microns	-
Sensor type	CMOS	BSI CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.24"	-
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 a/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 MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	No
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, Galileo
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	16
5G support	Yes	No

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

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	January 2021	September 2018
Release date	February 2021	September 2018
SAR (head)	0.46 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.51 W/kg	0.99 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 - Face recognition sensor

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Apple iPhone XS Max

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