Home Phone comparison OnePlus 9 and Samsung Galaxy S21 - Which is better?

OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

63 out 100
OnePlus 9
VS
65 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21
OnePlus 9
Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : OnePlus 9 Manufactured in March, 2021, with display 6.55 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, vs Samsung Galaxy S21, Manufactured in February, 2021 with 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 OnePlus 9
  • Larger display: 6.55in
  • Higher battery capacity: 4500mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.2 vs 5
  • Supports DisplayPort
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Higher pixel density: 421ppi
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 192g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs OnePlus 9 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:
OnePlus 9
vs
Samsung Galaxy S21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.55 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 402 ppi 421 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 500 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 87.3 % 85.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
OnePlus 9
818 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut98.9 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)323 Hz240 Hz
Response time13 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [OnePlus 9], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 160 mm (6.3 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 74.2 mm (2.92 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 8.7 mm (0.34 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 192 g (6.77 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance No IP68
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Black
- Blue
- Purple		 - White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
OnePlus 9
87.3 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing OnePlus 9 and Samsung Galaxy S21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 2840 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55))
- 3/2.42 (Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78))
- 1/2.84 (Kryo 680 Prime (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 Hexagon 780 Yes
Graphics Adreno 660 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 1024 896
GPU Frequency 840 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 1290.2 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
OnePlus 9
1489
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
OnePlus 9
3996
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)14891331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)39963593
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
OnePlus 9
937505
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU248662253391
GPU308723281676
Memory169685158352
UX210435210361
NanoReview Score937505903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
OnePlus 9
5761
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.48.8 °C38.9 °C
Stability55 %66 %
Graphics Test34 fps34 fps
Graphics Score57615715
Sources: 3DMark [OnePlus 9], [Samsung Galaxy S21]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
OnePlus 9
12032
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score1508116101
Web score1111211909
Video editing60187097
Data manipulation1075110153
NanoReview Score1203213123

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 8 GB
- 12 GB		 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 2750 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 11 (Upgradeable to Android 13) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 35 GB 28.1 GB
UI Skin OxygenOS 13 One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 4500 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 65 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (100% in 29 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 0:29 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
OnePlus 9
19:38
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing07:52 h06:01 h
Video Playback11:44 h11:06 h
Games04:32 h04:21 h
Standby Mode96 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 1.1x
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Up to 24FPS
4K Recording Yes (Up to 120 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 140 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 50 MP
Monochrome: 2 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
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length23 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX689Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.431/1.76
Pixel size1.12 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalOptical
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
Matrix50 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length14 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX766Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/1.561/2.55
Pixel size1 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
OnePlus 9
123
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
OnePlus 9
104
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
OnePlus 9
115
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokehn/a70
Previewn/a72
Zoomn/a126
Sources: DxOMark [OnePlus 9], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Front camera

Matrix 16 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 4920x3264 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.2
Focal length n/a 26 mm
Sensor Sony IMX471 Sony IMX374
Sensor size 1/3.06 1/3.24
Pixel size 1 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus 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

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (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 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
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- SBAS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM B2, 3, 5, 8GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsWCDMA B1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 19WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B30/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/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 Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
OnePlus 9
83 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced March, 2021 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date March, 2021 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 730 800
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
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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