Samsung Galaxy S9 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	8.5
Samsung Galaxy S9	Samsung Galaxy S21
Released · Mar 16, 2018	Released · Jan 29, 2021
5.8-inch · 2960 x 1440 px	6.2-inch · 2400 x 1080 px
12 MP Main · 8 MP Selfie	12 MP Main · 10 MP Selfie
4GB · 64GB	8GB · 128GB
3000 mAh	4000 mAh
Check prices	Check prices

Display

Size
5.8-inch	6.2-inch
Resolution
2960 x 1440 px, 18.5:9 ratio, 568 PPI	2400 x 1080 px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Technology
Super AMOLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Refresh rate
	120Hz (adaptive)
Screen-to-body
84.36 %	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, 64-bit	Octa-core, 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680, 64-bit
GPU
Adreno 630	Adreno 660
RAM
4GB (LPDDR4)	8GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage
64GB	128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 400 GB
OS
Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo), Samsung One UI	Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI
Device type
Smartphone	Smartphone

Battery

Capacity
3000 mAh	4000 mAh
Type
Li - Ion, Not user replaceable	Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable
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
Max charge speed
	Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W

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
Single camera	Triple camera
Main camera
12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.5/F2.4 Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm	12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.76" Pixel size: 1.8 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
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	LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps) Features: HDR, Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing	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
Front
8 MP (Autofocus, HDR), Video capture: 2560x1440 (QHD) (30 fps)	10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design

Dimensions
5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 inches (147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm)	5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm)
Weight
5.75 oz(163.0 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
Keys
Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key	Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Midnight black, Coral blue, Titanium gray, Lilac purple, Burgundy red, Sunrise gold, Ice blue	Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White

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

Multimedia

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

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 (reversible), USB 3.1, Features: Charging, OTG, Video out	Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2, Features: Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out
Hearing aid compatible
	M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou	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+

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Jan 11, 2018 FCC ID value: A3LSMG960U	Date approved: Dec 08, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR
Head: 0.35 W/kg Body: 0.96 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.95 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
$ 720	$ 800
In The Box
	C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Feb 25, 2018	Jan 14, 2021

Alternative variants

International version


System chip	Samsung Exynos 9 9810 (10 nm)
Processor	Octa-core, 2900 MHz, Exynos M3 and ARM Cortex-A55, 64-bit
GPU	Mali-G72 MP18
FCC approval	Date approved: Dec 27, 2017 FCC ID value: A3LSMG960F
Measured SAR	Head: 0.26 W/kg Body: 1.00 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.56 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.04 W/kg

with 256GB storage


Internal storage	256GB

with Dual SIM


System chip	Samsung Exynos 9 9810 (10 nm)
Processor	Octa-core, 2900 MHz, Exynos M3 and ARM Cortex-A55, 64-bit
GPU	Mali-G72 MP18
Dual SIM	Yes

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 256 GB storage


Internal storage	256GB
MSRP	$ 820

with 128 GB storage


Internal storage	128GB
MSRP	$ 770

Links

Full specifications
Samsung Galaxy S9 Specs	Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs
PhoneArena Review
Samsung Galaxy S9 Review	Samsung Galaxy S21 Review
User Reviews
Samsung Galaxy S9 User Reviews	Samsung Galaxy S21 User Reviews