Samsung Galaxy S23 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.

6.8
Samsung Galaxy S23
8.5
Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S23 Samsung Galaxy S21
Released · Feb 17, 2023
Released · Jan 29, 2021
6.1-inch · 2340x1080px
6.2-inch · 2400x1080px
Triple camera
Triple camera
8GB · 128GB
8GB · 128GB
3900 mAh
4000 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Availability

Officially announced
Feb 01, 2023 Jan 14, 2021
Prices (MSRP)
$800 $800

Design

Dimensions
5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches (~0.36 inches with camera bump)
146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm (~9.02 mm with camera bump)
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
Weight
5.93 oz (168.0 g) 6.03 oz (171.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Plastic
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint 2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White

Display

Size
6.1-inch, 88.57% screen-to-body 6.2-inch, 86.06% screen-to-body
Type
Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR, 1750 nits Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR, 1300 nits
Resolution
2340x1080px, 19.5:9 ratio, 422 PPI 2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Corning Gorilla Glass Victus

Hardware

System chip
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC (4 nm) Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)
Processor
Octa-core
1x3.36GHz Kryo Prime
4x2.8GHz Kryo Gold
3x2.0GHz Kryo Silve
Octa-core
1x2.84GHz Kryo 680
3x2.42GHz Kryo 680
4x1.80GHz Kryo 680
GPU
Adreno 740 Adreno 660
Memory
8GB (LPDDR5X)/128GB (UFS 4.0)
8GB/256GB
8GB (LPDDR5)/128GB (UFS 3.0)
8GB/256GB
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable
OS
Android (14, 13) Android (13, 12, 11)

Battery

Type
3900 mAh, Li - Ion 4000 mAh, Li - Polymer
Charging
Fast charging
Qi wireless charging, Reverse 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: 10.0W
Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
6h 3min
Browsing
15h 21min
Video
8h 6min
Gaming
8h 1min
Battery Life Estimate
4h 28min
Browsing
7h 47min
Video
7h 36min
Gaming
7h 9min

Camera

Rear
Triple camera Triple camera
Main camera
50 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 23 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56"
Pixel size: 1.0 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 (Ultra-wide)
Sensor name: Sony IMX564
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 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
12 MP (Telephoto, OIS)
Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1
Optical zoom: 3.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 64 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.94"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal Length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.7"
Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Flash
Dual LED LED
Video recording
8K UHD (30 fps), 4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (960 fps)
OIS, HDR
8K UHD (24 fps), 4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (960 fps)
OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
Front
12 MP
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)
10 MP (PDAF, HDR)
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)
PhoneArena Camera Tests
137
Overall
139
Photo
134
Video
N/A
Overall
N/A
Photo
N/A
Video

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.3 5.0
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,Wi-Fi 6,Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax
a,b,g,n,ac,Wi-Fi 6,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax
USB
Type-C Type-C, USB 3.2
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Other
NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB) NFC, ANT+

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

Cellular

5G Bands
n1, n7, n25, n28, n41, n66, n71, n78, n258, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave, 5G Ready 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, 20, 25, 26, 28, 66, 71 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 66, 71
4G (TDD) Bands
38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48
3G Bands
1, 2, 4, 5, 8 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Dual Nano SIM + eSIM Nano SIM

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Jan 17, 2023
FCC ID value: A3LSMS911U
Date approved: Dec 08, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR
Head: 0.95 W/kg
Body: 0.88 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.58 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.24 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

Alternative variants

With 256GB internal storage
Memory 256GB
Prices (MSRP) $860
with 256GB storage
Memory 256GB
International
5G Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n75, n77, n78, SA, NSA, Sub-6
4G (FDD) Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 66
4G (TDD) Bands 38, 39, 40, 41
for Europe
System chip Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor Octa-core
2900 MHz
1x2.91GHz Cortex-X1
3x2.81G​Hz Cortex-A78
4x2.2G​Hz 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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