Google Pixel 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 6 Manufactured in October, 2021, with display 6.4 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
  • Higher pixel density: 411ppi
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.2 vs 5
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
  • Larger display: 6.7in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 200g vs 207g
  • Higher battery capacity: 4800mAh vs 4614mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 6 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
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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 6.4 in 6.7 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 411 ppi 394 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 500 nits 1300 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 83.3 % 88.7 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 6
843 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
879 nits
sRGB gamut99.8 %98.9 %
PWM (Flicker)397 Hz240 Hz
Response time5 ms6.2 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 158.6 mm (6.24 in) 161.5 mm (6.36 in)
Width 74.8 mm (2.94 in) 75.6 mm (2.98 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.8 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 207 g (7.3 oz) 200 g (7.05 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Blue
- Yellow
- Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Red
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 6
83.3 %
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
88.7 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 6 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
1363
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
1428
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 6
3100
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
3840
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)13631428
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)31003840
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 6
895119
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
919348
CPU243524262973
GPU308790294382
Memory139643147307
UX203162214686
NanoReview Score895119919348
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Google Pixel 6
6379
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
5538
Max Surface Temp.42.1 °C41.5 °C
Stability56 %67 %
Graphics Test38 fps33 fps
Graphics Score63795538
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Google Pixel 6
10663
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
n/a
Writing score14383n/a
Web score7690n/a
Video editing6612n/a
Data manipulation10293n/a
NanoReview Score10663n/a

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 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 17.6 GB 27.2 GB
UI Skin Stock Android One UI 6

Battery

Volume 4614 mAh 4800 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (21 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (41% in 30 min) Yes (54% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:53 h 1:12 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 6
18:55
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
20:53
Web Browsing07:07 h07:28 h
Video Playback13:13 h13:15 h
Games05:02 h05:04 h
Standby Mode85 h105 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8192x6144 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital 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
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 length25 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung GN1Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.311/1.76
Pixel size1.2 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a64 MP
Aperturen/af/2.0
Focal lengthn/a28 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor sizen/a1/1.72
Pixel sizen/a0.8 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length17 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX386 Exmor RSSony IMX563
Sensor size1/2.91/2.55
Pixel size1.12 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 6
136
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
129
Video quality
Google Pixel 6
133
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
137
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 6
126
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
133
Bokeh6570
Preview6572
Zoom79126

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 3840x2160 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 1.12 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 6
130
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
n/a
Video quality
Google Pixel 6
127
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
86.3 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 ($) 600 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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