Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Google Pixel 5a 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
8.9
Google Pixel 5a
Samsung Galaxy S21 Google Pixel 5a
Released · Jan 29, 2021
Released · Aug 26, 2021
6.2-inch
6.3-inch
Triple camera
Dual camera
8GB · 128GB
6GB · 128GB
4000 mAh
4680 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Design

Dimensions
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
6.15 x 2.88 x 0.35 inches
156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8 mm
Weight
6.03 oz (171.0 g) 6.46 oz (183.0 g)
Materials
Back: Plastic
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Plastic
Frame: Metal
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP67
Biometrics
2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint Fingerprint (touch)
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White Mostly Black

Display

Size
6.2-inch 6.3-inch
Resolution
2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI 2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 415 PPI
Technology
Dynamic AMOLED OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptive)
Screen-to-body
86.06 % 84.93 %
Peak brightness
1300 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SM7250-AB (7 nm)
Processor
Octa-core
1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680
Octa-core
2400 MHz
Kryo 475 Prime
GPU
Adreno 660 Adreno 620
RAM
8GB (LPDDR5) 6GB
Internal storage
128GB (UFS 3.0) 128GB
Storage expansion
not expandable
OS
Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI Android (12, 11)

Battery

Capacity
4000 mAh 4680 mAh
Type
Li - Polymer
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging Fast charging
Charge speed
Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
Wired: 18.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
4h 28min
Browsing
7h 47min
Video
7h 36min
Gaming
7h 9min
Battery Life Estimate
7h 7min
Browsing
15h 6min
Video
10h 46min
Gaming
10h 46min

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
12.2 MP (PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.7
Focal length: 27 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
16 MP (Ultra-wide)
Aperture size: F2.2
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
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
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
Front
10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps) 8 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.0
WLAN
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,dual-band
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Type-C, USB 3.2 Type-C
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, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer
Other
NFC, ANT+ NFC

Multimedia

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

Cellular

5G
Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave Bands n1, n2, n5, n12, n25, n28, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, Sub-6
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), 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 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 Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM, eSIM

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
$ 800 $ 449
In The Box
C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Jan 14, 2021

Alternative variants

with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
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
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