Home Phone comparison Nokia G42 and Samsung Galaxy M21 - Which is better?

Nokia G42 vs Samsung Galaxy M21

47 out 100
Nokia G42
VS
45 out 100
Samsung Galaxy M21
Nokia G42
Samsung Galaxy M21

Compared 2 smartphones : Nokia G42 Manufactured in June, 2023, with display 6.56 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus, vs Samsung Galaxy M21, Manufactured in March, 2020 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611. 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 Nokia G42
  • Larger display: 6.56in
  • Higher refresh rate: 90Hz
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.1 vs 5
  • Includes charger
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy M21
  • Higher pixel density: 403ppi
  • Lighter design: 188g vs 193.8g
  • Higher battery capacity: 6000mAh vs 5000mAh
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/256 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Nokia G42 and Samsung Galaxy M21
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:
Nokia G42
vs
Samsung Galaxy M21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD Super AMOLED
Size 6.56 in 6.4 in
Resolution 720x1612 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 269 ppi 403 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 560 nits 630 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 83.1 % 84.2 %
Features n/a Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Nokia G42
450 nits
Samsung Galaxy M21
608 nits
sRGB gamut95.3 %141.3 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a215 Hz
Response time29 ms9 ms
Contrast990:1∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Nokia G42], [Samsung Galaxy M21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 165 mm (6.5 in) 159 mm (6.26 in)
Width 75.8 mm (2.98 in) 75.1 mm (2.96 in)
Thickness 8.55 mm (0.34 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 193.8 g (6.84 oz) 188 g (6.63 oz)
Water resistance IP52 No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Plastic
Colors - Gray
- Purple		 - Black
- Blue
- Green
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Nokia G42
83.1 %
Samsung Galaxy M21
84.2 %

Performance

Testing Nokia G42 and Samsung Galaxy M21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611
Max Frequency 2200 MHz 2300 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 6/1.8 (Kryo 460 Silver (Cortex-A55))
- 2/2.2 (Kryo 460 Gold (Cortex-A76))		 - 4/1.7 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A73)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 8 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Hexagon 686 Yes
Graphics Adreno 619 Mali-G72 MP3
GPU Cores 256 54
GPU Frequency 950 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS 486.4 GFLOPS 113.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Nokia G42
753
Samsung Galaxy M21
514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Nokia G42
1915
Samsung Galaxy M21
1558
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)753514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)19151558
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Nokia G42]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Nokia G42
388487
Samsung Galaxy M21
266455
CPU14105076468
GPU6995345756
Memory9128070269
UX8620473962
NanoReview Score388487266455
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Nokia G42
n/a
Samsung Galaxy M21
816
Max Surface Temp.n/a44.1 °C
Stabilityn/a73 %
Graphics Testn/a4 fps
Graphics Scoren/a816
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy M21]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 4 GB
- 6 GB		 - 4 GB
- 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 2.2UFS 2.1
Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

Software

OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 12.0)
OS Size 18 GB 14.5 GB
UI Skin n/a One Ui 4.1

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 6000 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 40 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (25% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:00 h 2:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Nokia G42
n/a
Samsung Galaxy M21
24:03
Web Browsingn/a10:07 h
Video Playbackn/a13:59 h
Gamesn/a05:35 h
Standby Moden/a115 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution n/a 8000x6000 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion n/a 240 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens n/a 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP		 Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Depth: 5 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix50 MP48 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/2.0
Focal lengthn/a26 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung S5KGM2
Sensor sizen/a1/2.0
Pixel sizen/a0.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrixn/a8 MP
Aperturen/af/2.2
Focal lengthn/a12 mm
Sensor sizen/a1/4.0
Pixel sizen/a1.12 μm
Stabilizationn/aDigital

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 20 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 5184x3888 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.0
Focal length n/a 26 mm
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Pixel size 1.12 μm n/a
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5.1 5
Bluetooth features LE PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Varies by region Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoNo
Hybrid SlotYesNo
2G BandsGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsWCDMA 1, 2, 4, 5, 8B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B/B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B20/B28/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41)
LTE category1812
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Mono Mono
3.5 mm Jack Yes Yes
FM Radio Yes Yes
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Nokia G42
78.5 dB
Samsung Galaxy M21
83.8 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Mid-range
Announced June, 2023 yr March, 2020 yr
Release Date June, 2023 yr March, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 199 210
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 20 W n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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