Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Apple iPhone 16 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
7.3
Apple iPhone 16
Samsung Galaxy S21 Apple iPhone 16
Released · Jan 29, 2021
Released · Sep 20, 2024
6.2-inch · 2400 x 1080 px
6.1-inch · 2556 x 1179 px
12 MP Main · 10 MP Selfie
48 MP Main · 12 MP Selfie
8GB · 128GB
8GB · 128GB
4000 mAh
3561 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Display

Size
6.2-inch 6.1-inch
Resolution
2400 x 1080 px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI 2556 x 1179 px, 19.5:9 ratio, 461 PPI
Technology
Dynamic AMOLED OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptive) 60Hz
Screen-to-body
86.06 % 86.38 %
Peak brightness
1300 cd/m2 (nit) 2000 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Super Retina XDR, HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) Apple A18 (3 nm)
Processor
Octa-core, 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680, 64-bit Hexa-core, 2x 4.04GHz + 4x 2.20GHz
GPU
Adreno 660 Apple 5-core GPU
RAM
8GB (LPDDR5) 8GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage
128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable 128GB (NVMe), not expandable
OS
Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI iOS (18.x)
Device type
Smartphone Smartphone

Battery

Capacity
4000 mAh 3561 mAh
Type
Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable Li - Ion, Not user replaceable
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging Fast charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, MagSafe wireless charging
Max charge speed
Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
Wired: 20.0W
Wireless: 25.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
4h 28min
Browsing
7h 47min
Video
7h 36min
Gaming
7h 9min
Battery Life Estimate
6h 21min
Browsing
16h 48min
Video
7h 30min
Gaming
9h 52min

Camera

Rear
Triple camera Dual camera
Main camera
12 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.76"
Pixel size: 1.8 μm
48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F1.6
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Second camera
64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal Length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.7"
Pixel size: 0.8 μm
12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF)
Specifications:
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Pixel size: 0.7 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 Dual LED
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
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
Features:
OIS, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, Cinematic mode
Front
10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps) 12 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)
PhoneArena Camera Tests
N/A
Overall
N/A
Photo
N/A
Video
149
Overall
154
Photo
143
Video

Design

Dimensions
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches
(151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm)
5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches
(147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm)
thickness with camera 0.44 inches (11.2 mm)
Weight
6.03 oz(171.0 g) 6.00 oz(170.0 g)
Materials
Back: Plastic
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass
Frame: Aluminum
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, Other
Colors
Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine

Cellular

5G
Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79, n258, 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), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 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), 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)
4G (TDD)
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600) Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 42(3500), 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, UMTS LTE-A Pro Cat 18 (1200/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
SIM type
Nano SIM eSIM
HD Voice
Yes
VoLTE
Yes

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 Dolby Atmos
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share Wireless screen share
Radio
FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording Noise cancellation

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.3
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),Wi-Fi 7,Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2, Features: Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out Type-C (reversible), USB 2.0, Features: Charging
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T3 M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, 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, Barometer, Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving)
Other
NFC, ANT+ NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB)

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Dec 08, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Date approved: Sep 09, 2024
FCC ID value: BCG-E8688A
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
Head: 0.96 W/kg
Body: 0.96 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.52 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 800 $ 799 / € 949
In The Box
C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), Documentation

Availability

Officially announced
Jan 14, 2021 Sep 09, 2024

Alternative variants

with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
With 256GB internal storage
Internal storage 256GB
MSRP $ 999
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
With 512GB internal storage
Internal storage 512GB
MSRP $ 1199
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless