Samsung Galaxy Note9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs Comparison

Compare mobile phone specifications of up to three devices at once. Our specs comparison tool helps you find and compare the perfect phone for your needs.

9.0
Samsung Galaxy Note9
8.5
Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Samsung Galaxy S21
Released · Aug 24, 2018
Released · Jan 29, 2021
6.4-inch · 2960x1440px
6.2-inch · 2400x1080px
Dual camera
Triple camera
6GB · 128GB
8GB · 128GB
4000 mAh
4000 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Design

Dimensions
6.37 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches
161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
Weight
7.09 oz (201.0 g) 6.03 oz (171.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5)
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Plastic
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
Iris scanner, 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch) 2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Features
Notification light, Stylus
Keys
Left: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key; Right: Other Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Midnight black, Ocean blue, Cloud silver, Lavender purple Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White

Display

Size
6.4-inch 6.2-inch
Resolution
2960x1440px, 18.5:9 ratio, 516 PPI 2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Technology
Super AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptive)
Screen-to-body
83.51 % 86.06 %
Peak brightness
1300 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SDM845 (10 nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)
Processor
Octa-core
2800 MHz
Kryo 385
Octa-core
1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680
GPU
Adreno 630 Adreno 660
RAM
6GB (LPDDR4) 8GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage
128GB 128GB (UFS 3.0)
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 512 GB not expandable
OS
Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.1 Oreo), Samsung One UI Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI

Battery

Capacity
4000 mAh 4000 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Polymer
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
Charge speed
Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
Untested
Browsing
Untested
Video
Untested
Gaming
Untested
Battery Life Estimate
4h 28min
Browsing
7h 47min
Video
7h 36min
Gaming
7h 9min

Camera

Rear
Dual camera Triple camera
Main camera
12 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.5/F2.4
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
12 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.76"
Pixel size: 1.8 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Telephoto, OIS, Autofocus)
Optical zoom: 2.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 52 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.4"
Pixel size: 1 μm
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Third camera
64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal Length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.7"
Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Flash
LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps)
Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, EIS
7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps)
OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
Front
8 MP (Wide Angle, Autofocus), Video capture: 2560x1440 (QHD) (30 fps) 10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.0
Wi-Fi
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,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
Type-C, USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.2
Hearing aid compatible
M4/T3 M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer
Other
NFC, ANT+ NFC, ANT+

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
32-Bit DAC, 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

Cellular

5G
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), 13(700 c), 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), 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 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46 Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A Pro Cat 18 (1200/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM
HD Voice
Yes
VoLTE
Yes

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Jul 03, 2018
FCC ID value: A3LSMN960U
Date approved: Dec 08, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR
Head: 0.27 W/kg
Body: 0.76 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.35 W/kg
Phablet: 3.90 W/kg
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
$ 1000 $ 800
In The Box
S Pen, USB Cable, Earphones, SIM removal tool, USB power adaptor, USB connector, Pen, nibs, Tweezer, Clear cover case, Quick start guide, USB connector leaflet. C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Aug 09, 2018 Jan 14, 2021

Alternative variants

With 512 GB storage
RAM 8GB
Internal storage 512GB
MSRP $ 1250
with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
International version
System chip Samsung Exynos 9 9810 (10 nm)
Processor Octa-core
2900 MHz
Exynos M3 and ARM Cortex-A55
GPU Mali-G72 MP18
4G (FDD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3)
4G (TDD) Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+)
Dual SIM Yes
Location GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou
FCC approval Date approved: Jul 02, 2018
FCC ID value: A3LSMN960F
Measured SAR Head: 0.23 W/kg
Body: 0.85 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.40 W/kg
Phablet: 3.98 W/kg
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
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
for Verizon
4G (FDD) Bands 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 13(700 c), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 66(AWS-3)
3G Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
for AT&T
4G (FDD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3)
for T-Mobile
4G (FDD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 27(800 SMR), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
3G Bands 5(850), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100)
for Sprint
4G (FDD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
for U.S. Cellular
4G (FDD) Bands 2(1900), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 25(1900+), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD) Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 46
3G Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless