Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 6 Pro Manufactured in October, 2021, with display 6.7 with chipsetGoogle Tensor, vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, Manufactured in February, 2021 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 6 Pro
  • Higher pixel density: 512ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 5003mAh vs 4800mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.2 vs 5
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
  • Lighter design: 200g vs 210g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 12/128 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 6 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
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.
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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 6.7 in 6.7 in
Resolution 1440x3120 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 20:9
Pixel density 512 ppi 394 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (10-120 Hz) Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 500 nits 1300 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 88.6 % 88.7 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 6 Pro
858 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
879 nits
sRGB gamut98.5 %98.9 %
PWM (Flicker)360 Hz240 Hz
Response time1 ms6.2 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163.9 mm (6.45 in) 161.5 mm (6.36 in)
Width 75.9 mm (2.99 in) 75.6 mm (2.98 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.8 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 210 g (7.41 oz) 200 g (7.05 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Yellow
- Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Red
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 6 Pro
88.6 %
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
88.7 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 6 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 2800 MHz 2840 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 2 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Cortex A55)
- 2/2.25 (Cortex A76)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-X1)
- 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 5 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Tensor Processing Unit Yes
Graphics Mali-G78 MP20 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 1280 896
GPU Frequency 848 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 2170.9 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 6 Pro
1331
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
1428
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 6 Pro
3078
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
3840
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)13311428
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)30783840
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 6 Pro
930173
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
919348
CPU245121262973
GPU306201294382
Memory171401147307
UX207450214686
NanoReview Score930173919348
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Google Pixel 6 Pro
6207
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
5538
Max Surface Temp.40.4 °C41.5 °C
Stability56 %67 %
Graphics Test37 fps33 fps
Graphics Score62075538
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Google Pixel 6 Pro
11580
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
n/a
Writing score16562n/a
Web score8739n/a
Video editing6925n/a
Data manipulation11190n/a
NanoReview Score11580n/a

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 12 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 14 GB 27.2 GB
UI Skin Stock Android One UI 6

Battery

Volume 5003 mAh 4800 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (23 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 30 min) Yes (54% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:59 h 1:12 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 6 Pro
18:34
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
20:53
Web Browsing06:56 h07:28 h
Video Playback10:55 h13:15 h
Games04:56 h05:04 h
Standby Mode94 h105 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8192x6144 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Optical, 4x Optical, 1.1x
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No Up to 24FPS
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 114 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Telephoto: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix50 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.8
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung GN1Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.311/1.76
Pixel size1.2 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix48 MP64 MP
Aperturef/3.5f/2.0
Focal length104 mm28 mm
SensorSony IMX586Samsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor size1/21/1.72
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length17 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX386Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/2.91/2.55
Pixel size1.25 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 6 Pro
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
129
Video quality
Google Pixel 6 Pro
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
137
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 6 Pro
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
133
Bokehn/a70
Previewn/a72
Zoomn/a126

Front camera

Matrix 111 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 3840x2880 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.2
Focal length 24 mm 26 mm
Sensor CMOS Sony IMX374
Sensor size n/a 1/3.24
Pixel size 1.22 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 6 Pro
143
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
n/a
Video quality
Google Pixel 6 Pro
115
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) 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 5.2 5
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/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 category2024
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 6 Pro
84.6 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
87.8 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced October, 2021 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date October, 2021 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 900 1000
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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