Apple iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

86 out 100

VS

63 out 100

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 16 Manufactured in September, 2024, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A18, 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

Higher pixel density: 460ppi
Lighter design: 170g vs 177g
Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
Supports DisplayPort
Built-in eSIM

Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Larger display: 6.4in
Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
Higher battery capacity: 4500mAh vs 3561mAh
Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations

Memory Options

- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB

- 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Display

Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness

Apple iPhone 16

76

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

76

Camera

Main & front camera tests

Apple iPhone 16

89

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

67

Performance

App & system performance

Apple iPhone 16

90

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

53

Games

3D gaming performance

Apple iPhone 16

87

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

45

Battery

Battery life, charging speed & type

Apple iPhone 16

88

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

59

Connectivity

Connectivity features

Apple iPhone 16

88

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

80

NanoReview Score

Overall score by NanoReview

Apple iPhone 16

86

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

63

Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.

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Function

Importance (Weight)

Display:

Camera:

Performance:

Gaming:

Battery:

Connectivity:

Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Display

Display quality comparison

Type	OLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	6.1 in	6.4 in
Resolution	1179x2556 pixels	1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	19.5:9
Pixel density	460 ppi	403 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max brightness	2000 nits	800 nits
HDR support	Yes Dolby Vision	Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio	86.4 %	86.7 %
Features	DCI-P3	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

Peak brightness (auto)

Apple iPhone 16

1719 nits

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

785 nits

sRGB gamut	99.7 %	97 %
PWM (Flicker)	60 Hz	247 Hz
Response time	3 ms	6 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinite	∞ Infinite

Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison

Height	147.6 mm (5.81 in)	155.7 mm (6.13 in)
Width	71.6 mm (2.82 in)	74.5 mm (2.93 in)
Thickness	7.8 mm (0.31 in)	7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight	170 g (6 oz)	177 g (6.24 oz)
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Back panel	Glass	Plastic
Frame	Metal	Metal
Colors	- White - Black - Blue - Green - Pink	- White - Gray - Green - Purple
Fingerprint sensor	No	Yes In-Display

Screen-to-body ratio

Apple iPhone 16

86.4 %

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

86.7 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G In benchmarks

Chipset	Apple A18	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 GPU	Adreno 660
GPU Cores	640	1024
GPU Frequency	1490 MHz	840 MHz
FLOPS	1907 GFLOPS	1290.2 GFLOPS

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple iPhone 16

3283

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

1371

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple iPhone 16

8094

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

3396

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	3283	1371
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	8094	3396
Geekbench Compute (GPU)	28055	n/a

Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G]

AnTuTu 10

Apple iPhone 16

1580390

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

894898

CPU	439113	247848
GPU	611111	311997
Memory	181791	152639
UX	348375	182414
NanoReview Score	1580390	894898

3DMark Wild Life

Apple iPhone 16

n/a

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

5704

Max Surface Temp.	n/a	39.1 °C
Stability	n/a	69 %
Graphics Test	n/a	34 fps
Graphics Score	n/a	5704

Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G]

PCMark 3.0

Apple iPhone 16

n/a

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

12441

Writing score	n/a	14216
Web score	n/a	11960
Video editing	n/a	7049
Data manipulation	n/a	10196
NanoReview Score	n/a	12441

Memory

RAM Size	8 GB	- 6 GB - 8 GB
Memory Type	LPDDR5X	LPDDR5
Memory Frequency	n/a	3200 MHz
Channels	4	4

Storage Capacity	128 GB	- 128 GB - 256 GB
Storage Type	NVMe	UFS 3.1
Memory Card	No	No

Software

OS	iOS 18 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5)	Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size	16 GB	17.5 GB
UI Skin	n/a	One UI 6

Battery

Volume	3561 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 (59% in 30 min)	Yes (51% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time	1:42 h	1:15 h

Battery Life

Apple iPhone 16

29:45

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

18:37

Web Browsing	13:44 h	06:11 h
Video Playback	18:09 h	11:05 h
Games	05:56 h	04:48 h
Standby Mode	130 h	100 h

Main camera

Matrix	48 MP	12 MP
Photo resolution	8064x6048 pixels	4032x3024 pixels
Zoom	116	Optical, 3x
Flash	Dual LED	LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K Recording	No	No
4K Recording	Yes (Up to 60 fps)	Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording	Yes (Up to 60 fps)	Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion	240 fps (1080p)	960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens	120 °	123 °
Lenses count	Standard: 48 MP Ultra-wide: 12 MP	Standard: 12 MP Telephoto: 8 MP Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features	- Bokeh effect - Pro mode	- Bokeh effect - Pro mode

Matrix	48 MP	12 MP
Aperture	f/1.6	f/1.8
Focal length	26 mm	26 mm
Sensor	n/a	Sony IMX555
Sensor size	1/1.56	1/1.76
Pixel size	1 μm	1.8 μm
Autofocus	Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization	Optical	Optical

Matrix	n/a	8 MP
Aperture	n/a	f/2.4
Focal length	n/a	76 mm
Sensor	n/a	Hynix Hi847
Sensor size	n/a	1/4.5
Pixel size	n/a	1 μm
Stabilization	n/a	Optical

Matrix	12 MP	12 MP
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	13 mm	13 mm
Sensor	n/a	Sony IMX258
Sensor size	n/a	1/3.0
Pixel size	0.7 μm	1.12 μm
Stabilization	Digital	Digital

Photo quality

Apple iPhone 16

149

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

119

Video quality

Apple iPhone 16

154

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

107

Overall camera score

Apple iPhone 16

147

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

117

Bokeh	80	n/a
Preview	84	n/a

Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 16], [Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G]

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	CMOS	Sony IMX616
Sensor size	1/3.6	1/2.74
Pixel size	1.12 μm	0.8 μm
Autofocus	Phase autofocus	No
Stabilization	Digital	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	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	- GPS - GLONASS - Beidou - Galileo
NFC*	Yes	Yes
Infrared Port	No	No

SIM Count*	n/a	2
SIM Type	Nano	Nano
SIM Mode	n/a	Dual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *	Yes	No
Hybrid Slot	No	No
2G Bands	GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)	GSM GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G Bands	UMTS/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 category	n/a	19
5G Support	Yes	Yes

Sound

Speakers	n/a	Stereo
3.5 mm Jack	No	No
FM Radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Max Volume

Apple iPhone 16

90.4 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 ($)	n/a	790
MSRP ($)	799	n/a
Sensors	- 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:

The US model is eSIM-only, while the international version offers both a physical SIM slot and eSIM support.

Results

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

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?

Apple iPhone 16

0 (0%)

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

1 (100%)

Total Votes: 1

Apple iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Key Differences

Versions

Review

Tests & specs

Display

Design & Build

Performance

Memory

Software

Battery

Main camera

Front camera

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Note

Results

Survey

User comments