Home Phone comparison Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy S21 - Which is better?

Google Pixel 7a vs Samsung Galaxy S21

68 out 100
Google Pixel 7a
VS
65 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21
Google Pixel 7a
Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 7a Manufactured in May, 2023, with display 6.1 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G2, vs Samsung Galaxy S21, Manufactured in February, 2021with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 7a
  • Higher pixel density: 429ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 4385mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Larger display: 6.2in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 193.5g

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy S21
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
Smartphones:
Google Pixel 7a
vs
Samsung Galaxy S21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.1 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 429 ppi 421 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 700 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 81.1 % 85.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 7a
1067 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut98.4 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)218 Hz240 Hz
Response time2 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Google Pixel 7a], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 152 mm (5.98 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 72.9 mm (2.87 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 9 mm (0.35 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 193.5 g (6.83 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IP67 IP68
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Gray
- Blue
- Orange		 - White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 7a
81.1 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy S21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G2 Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 2850 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 2 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2.35 (Cortex-A78)
- 2/2.85 (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 Next-gen Tensor Processing Unit Yes
Graphics Mali-G710 MP7 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 672 896
GPU Frequency 850 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 1142.4 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 7a
1443
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 7a
3493
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)14431331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)34933593
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Google Pixel 7a]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 7a
930436
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU255576253391
GPU325623281676
Memory149843158352
UX199394210361
NanoReview Score930436903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Google Pixel 7a
6343
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.50.8 °C38.9 °C
Stability65 %66 %
Graphics Test37 fps34 fps
Graphics Score63435715
Sources: 3DMark [Google Pixel 7a], [Samsung Galaxy S21]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Google Pixel 7a
10609
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score1504816101
Web score750011909
Video editing63627097
Data manipulation1050410153
NanoReview Score1060913123

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size n/a 28.1 GB
UI Skin Stock Android One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 4385 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (20% in 36 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 1:57 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 7a
19:16
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing08:24 h06:01 h
Video Playback13:40 h11:06 h
Games05:06 h04:21 h
Standby Mode76 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 64 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 9000x7000 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 120 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 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
Matrix64 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.8
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX787Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.731/1.76
Pixel size0.8 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase 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
Matrix13 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
SensorSony IMX712Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/3.061/2.55
Pixel size1.12 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 7a
138
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
Google Pixel 7a
133
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 7a
133
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokeh7070
Preview6972
Zoom105126
Sources: DxOMark [Google Pixel 7a], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture n/a f/2.2
Focal length n/a 26 mm
Sensor n/a Sony IMX374
Sensor size n/a 1/3.24
Pixel size n/a 1.22 μm
Autofocus n/a Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization n/a 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 7a
136
Samsung Galaxy S21
n/a
Video quality
Google Pixel 7a
146
Samsung Galaxy S21
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 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
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
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
- NAVIC		 - 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/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B/B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B40/B41/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 Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 7a
90.4 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced May, 2023 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date May, 2023 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 800
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

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

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