Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Manufactured in September, 2024, with display 6.9 with chipsetApple A18 Pro, vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Manufactured in January, 2022 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 888. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • Larger display: 6.9in
  • Higher pixel density: 458ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 4685mAh vs 4500mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
  • Lighter design: 177g vs 227g
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB
- 8/1024 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.9 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1320x2868 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 458 ppi 403 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 2000 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 92.3 % 86.7 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
1813 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
785 nits
sRGB gamut99.6 %97 %
PWM (Flicker)240 Hz247 Hz
Response time1 ms6 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163 mm (6.42 in) 155.7 mm (6.13 in)
Width 77.6 mm (3.06 in) 74.5 mm (2.93 in)
Thickness 8.25 mm (0.32 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 227 g (8.01 oz) 177 g (6.24 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Silver
- Gold
- White
- Gray
- Green
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
92.3 %
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
86.7 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A18 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Max Frequency 4040 MHz 2840 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2.42 (Sawtooth)
- 2/4.05 (Everest)
- 4/1.8 (Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55))
- 3/2.42 (Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78))
- 1/2.84 (Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1))
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 3 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Neural Engine Hexagon 780
Graphics Apple A18 Pro GPU Adreno 660
GPU Cores 768 1024
GPU Frequency 1490 MHz 840 MHz
FLOPS 2289 GFLOPS 1290.2 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
3564
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
1371
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
8880
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
3396
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)35641371
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)88803396
Geekbench Compute (GPU)33019n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
1813449
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
894898
CPU465726247848
GPU721738311997
Memory250875152639
UX375110182414
NanoReview Score1813449894898
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
5704
Max Surface Temp.n/a39.1 °C
Stabilityn/a69 %
Graphics Testn/a34 fps
Graphics Scoren/a5704
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
12441
Writing scoren/a14216
Web scoren/a11960
Video editingn/a7049
Data manipulationn/a10196
NanoReview Scoren/a12441

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB - 6 GB
- 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency n/a 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity256 GB- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 18 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5) Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 18 GB 17.5 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 6

Battery

Volume 4685 mAh 4500 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (46% in 30 min) Yes (51% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:57 h 1:15 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
35:01
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
18:37
Web Browsing14:34 h06:11 h
Video Playback22:01 h11:05 h
Games07:12 h04:48 h
Standby Mode163 h100 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom 142 Optical, 3x
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 48 MP
Depth
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 8 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length24 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX803Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.281/1.76
Pixel size1.22 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/2.8f/2.4
Focal length120 mm76 mm
SensorSony IMX913Hynix Hi847
Sensor size1/3.061/4.5
Pixel size1.12 μm1 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX972Sony IMX258
Sensor size1/2.551/3.0
Pixel size0.7 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
157
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
119
Video quality
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
159
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
107
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
157
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
117
Bokeh80n/a
Preview93n/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 32 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 6464x4864 pixels
Aperture f/1.9 f/2.2
Focal length 23 mm 26 mm
Sensor Sony IMX714 Sony IMX616
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/2.74
Pixel size 1.12 μm 0.8 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus No
Stabilization Optical Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- NAVIC
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*n/a2
SIM TypeeSIMNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)UMTS B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B53/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)
LTE categoryn/a19
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers n/a Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
92.6 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
88.9 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2024 yr January, 2022 yr
Release Date September, 2024 yr January, 2022 yr
Launch Price ($) n/a 790
MSRP ($) 1199 n/a
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No No

Note

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:

The US version of the smartphone exclusively supports eSIM, while the international model features both a physical SIM slot and eSIM capability. In China, the device is available with dual physical SIM card slots only.

* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below