Xiaomi 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

88 out of 100

70 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.36-inch Xiaomi 13 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) that was released on December 11, 2022, against the Samsung Galaxy S21, which is powered by Exynos 2100 and came out 24 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 Xiaomi 13

The rear camera has a 3.2x optical zoom
93% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1557K versus 806K)
Shows 49% longer battery life (38:16 vs 25:44 hours)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Delivers 46% higher peak brightness (1261 against 864 nits)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
Supports higher wattage charging (67W versus 25W)
Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 4000 mAh
Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
The phone is 2-years newer
Slow-motion recording at 1920FPS
Has a built-in infrared port

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21

Weighs 20 grams less
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K

Review

Evaluation of Xiaomi 13 and Samsung Galaxy S21 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	AMOLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	6.36 inches	6.2 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	414 ppi	421 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	500 nits	800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	1900 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, Dolby Vision	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio	89.4%	87.2%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	98.6%	99.5%
PWM	488 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	1 ms	5 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	152.8 mm (6.02 inches)	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)
Width	71.5 mm (2.81 inches)	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)
Thickness	7.98 mm (0.31 inches)	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)
Weight	189 g (6.67 oz)	169 g (5.96 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Advanced cooling	Vapor chamber	-
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	White, Black, Green	White, Gray, Pink, Purple
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Samsung Exynos 2100
Max clock	3200 MHz	2900 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 3 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A510 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A710 - 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A715 - 1 core at 3.2 GHz: Cortex-X3	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache	8 MB	-
Lithography process	4 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 740	Mali-G78 MP14
GPU shading units	2560	896
GPU clock	680 MHz	854 MHz
FLOPS	~3481.6 GFLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS

CPU	383141	150223
GPU	606113	340353
Memory	288406	151885
UX	279599	158712
Total score	1557593	806977

Max surface temperature	34.9 °C	38.9 °C
Stability	86%	66%
Graphics test	75 FPS	34 FPS
Graphics score	12647	5714

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

RAM size	8, 12 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5X	LPDDR5
Memory clock	-	2750 MHz
Channels	4	2

Storage size	128, 256, 512 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 4.0	UFS 3.1
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 13	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	MIUI 14	One UI 5.1
OS size	31.5 GB	28.1 GB

Capacity	4500 mAh	4000 mAh
Max charge power	67 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (50 W)	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	Yes	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (83% in 30 min)	Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full charging time	0:42 hr	1:35 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	13:21 hr	07:27 hr
Watching video	15:01 hr	12:26 hr
Gaming	06:32 hr	04:31 hr
Standby	136 hr	92 hr

Main camera
Matrix	50 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	8192 x 6144	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Optical, 3.2x	Optical, 1.1x
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 60FPS
Slow motion	1920 FPS (1080p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	120°
Lenses	3 (50 MP + 10 MP + 12 MP)	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 23 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.49", Sony IMX800 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus - 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	- 10 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 75 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.75", Samsung S5K3K1 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 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: 15 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.06", Omnivision OV13B10 (PureCel)	- 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	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Xiaomi 13 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	32 megapixels	10 megapixels
Image resolution	6528 x 4896	3872 x 2592
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.2
Focal length	22 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	0.7 microns	1.22 microns
Sensor type	PureCel	CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.14"	1/3.24"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)	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	5.3	5
Bluetooth features	LE	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	2	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	Yes	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 *	20	24
5G support	Yes	Yes

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

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	December 2022	January 2021
Release date	December 2022	February 2021
SAR (head)	-	0.46 W/kg
SAR (body)	-	1.51 W/kg
Sensors	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	Yes, 67 W	-

Xiaomi 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Xiaomi 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

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