Samsung Galaxy S21+ vs Apple iPhone XS Max 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.

8.5
Samsung Galaxy S21+
9.3
Apple iPhone XS Max
Samsung Galaxy S21+ Apple iPhone XS Max
Released · Jan 29, 2021
Released · Sep 21, 2018
6.7-inch · 2400x1080px
6.5-inch · 2688x1242px
Triple camera
Dual camera
8GB · 128GB
4GB · 64GB
4800 mAh
3179 mAh
Check prices

Availability

Officially announced
Jan 14, 2021 Sep 12, 2018
Prices (MSRP)
$1000 $1099

Design

Dimensions
6.35 x 2.98 x 0.31 inches
161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm
6.20 x 3.05 x 0.30 inches
157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm
Weight
7.13 oz / 202.0 g 7.34 oz / 208.0 g
Materials
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus)
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass
Frame: Stainless steel
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint 3D Face unlock
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Phantom silver, Black, Violet Gold, Silver, Space gray

Display

Size
6.7-inch, 88.63% screen-to-body 6.5-inch, 84.29% screen-to-body
Type
Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR, 1300 nits OLED, HDR, 625 nits
Resolution
2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 393 PPI 2688x1242px, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 PPI
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Features
HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
PhoneArena Display Test
Bright Max (20% APL)
Untested Untested
Bright Min
1.5 (Good) 2 (Good)

Hardware

System chip
Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 (7 nm)
Processor
Octa-core
1x2.84GHz Kryo 680
3x2.42GHz Kryo 680
4x1.80GHz Kryo 680
Hexa-core
2490 MHz
Vortex and Tempest
GPU
Adreno 660 Apple 4-core GPU
Memory
8GB (LPDDR5)/128GB (UFS 3.0)
8GB/256GB
4GB (LPDDR4)/64GB
4GB/256GB
4GB/512GB
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable
OS
Android (13, 12, 11) iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x)

Battery

Type
4800 mAh, Li - Polymer 3179 mAh, Li - Ion
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging
Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
USB Power Delivery
Qi wireless charging
Charge speed
Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
Wired: 15.0W
Wireless: 7.5W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
5h 26min
Browsing
10h 50min
Video
8h 27min
Gaming
8h 36min
Battery Life Estimate
Untested
Browsing
8h 33min
Video
5h 25min
Gaming
Untested

Camera

Rear
Triple camera Dual camera
Main camera
12 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.76"
Pixel size: 1.8 μm
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
12 MP (Telephoto, Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Optical zoom: 2.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 52 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.4"
Pixel size: 1 μm
Third camera
64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal Length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Flash
LED Quad LED
Video recording
8K UHD (24 fps), 4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (960 fps)
OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Video light, EIS
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p
OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing
Front
10 MP (PDAF, HDR)
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)
7 MP (Wide Angle, HDR)
Video capture: 1080p

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.0
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,Wi-Fi 6,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
USB
Type-C, USB 3.2 Lightning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T3 M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Other
NFC, ANT+ NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share
Additional microphone(s)
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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 66, 71 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71
4G (TDD) Bands
38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46
3G Bands
1, 2, 4, 5, 8 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, HSUPA, UMTS
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM, eSIM
HD Voice
Yes
VoLTE
Yes

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Dec 18, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG996U
Date approved: Sep 12, 2018
FCC ID value: BCG-E3219A
Measured SAR
Head: 0.65 W/kg
Body: 0.95 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.04 W/kg
Phablet: 3.97 W/kg
Head: 1.00 W/kg
Body: 1.00 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.52 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.00 W/kg

Alternative variants

with 256GB storage
Memory 256GB
Prices (MSRP) $1050
with 512 GB storage
Memory 512GB
Prices (MSRP) $1449
for Europe
System chip Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor Octa-core
1x2.91GHz Cortex-X1
3x2.81G​Hz Cortex-A78
4x2.2G​Hz Cortex-A55
GPU Mali G78 MP14
Weight 7.05 oz / 200.0 g
5G Bands SA, NSA, Sub-6
FCC approval Date approved: Dec 18, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG996B
Measured SAR Head: 0.24 W/kg
Body: 0.75 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 3.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.26 W/kg
Phablet: 1.95 W/kg
with 256 GB storage
Memory 256GB
Prices (MSRP) $1249
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless