Apple iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs Comparison

Display

Size
6.1-inch	6.2-inch
Resolution
2532 x 1170 px, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI	2400 x 1080 px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Technology
OLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Refresh rate
60Hz	120Hz (adaptive)
Screen-to-body
87.24 %	86.06 %
Peak brightness
1200 cd/m2 (nit)	1300 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor	HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)
Processor
Hexa-core, 3100 MHz, 64-bit	Octa-core, 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680, 64-bit
GPU
Yes	Adreno 660
RAM
4GB (LPDDR4)	8GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage
64GB (NVMe), not expandable	128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable
OS
iOS (16.x, 15.x, 14.x)	Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI
Device type
Smartphone	Smartphone

Battery

Capacity
2815 mAh	4000 mAh
Type
Li - Ion, Not user replaceable	Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable
Charging
USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe wireless charging	Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
Max charge speed
Wireless: 15.0W	Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W

PhoneArena Battery Tests

Battery Life Estimate

4h 59min

Browsing

12h 33min

Video

6h 38min

Gaming

6h 46min

Battery Life Estimate

4h 28min

Browsing

7h 47min

Video

7h 36min

Gaming

7h 9min

Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page.

Camera

Rear
Dual camera	Triple camera
Main camera
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.6 Focal length: 26 mm	12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.76" Pixel size: 1.8 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Sapphire crystal lens cover) Specifications: Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 13 mm	64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F2.0 Focal Length: 29 mm Sensor size: 1/1.7" Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Third camera
	12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus) Specifications: Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Flash
LED	LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps) Features: OIS, HDR, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording	7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps) Features: OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
Front
12 MP (EIS, HDR, Slow-motion videos), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)	10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design

Dimensions
5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 inches (146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm) thickness with camera 0.35 inches (8.88 mm)	5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm)
Weight
5.78 oz(164.0 g)	6.03 oz(171.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass Frame: Aluminum	Back: Plastic Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68	Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
3D Face unlock	2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key	Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple	Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White

Cellular

5G
Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79, n260, n261, Sub-6, mmWave	Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 42(3500), 46, 48(3600)	Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s	LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM, eSIM	Nano SIM
HD Voice
Yes
VoLTE
Yes

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack	No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers	Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
Dolby Atmos	32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share	Wireless screen share
Radio
	FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation	Noise cancellation, Video recording

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0	5.0
Wi-Fi
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot	802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Lightning, Features: Charging, Headphones port	Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2, Features: Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4	M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer
Other
NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)	NFC, ANT+

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
	Date approved: Dec 08, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR
	Head: 0.36 W/kg Body: 1.08 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 3.96 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.09 W/kg Phablet: 2.49 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 829	$ 800
In The Box
USB-C to Lightning Cable, Documentation	C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Oct 13, 2020	Jan 14, 2021

Alternative variants

with 128GB storage

Internal storage	128GB
MSRP	$ 879

with 256GB storage

Internal storage	256GB

with 256GB storage

Internal storage	256GB
MSRP	$ 979

for Europe

System chip	Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor	Octa-core, 2900 MHz, 1x 2.91GHz Cortex-X1 + 3x 2.81GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 2.2GHz Cortex-A55, 64-bit
GPU	Mali G78 MP14
Weight	5.96 oz(169.0 g)
5G	Bands SA, NSA, Sub-6
FCC approval	Date approved: Dec 18, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG991B
Measured SAR	Head: 0.42 W/kg Body: 0.94 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 3.96 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.34 W/kg Phablet: 2.37 W/kg

Links

Full specifications
Apple iPhone 12 Specs	Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs
PhoneArena Review
Apple iPhone 12 Review	Samsung Galaxy S21 Review
User Reviews
Apple iPhone 12 User Reviews	Samsung Galaxy S21 User Reviews