Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy A12 and Samsung Galaxy M21 - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy A12 vs Samsung Galaxy M21

41 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A12
VS
45 out 100
Samsung Galaxy M21
Samsung Galaxy A12
Samsung Galaxy M21

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A12 Manufactured in December, 2020, with display 6.5 with chipsetMediaTek Helio P35, 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 Samsung Galaxy A12
  • Larger display: 6.5in
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy M21
  • Higher pixel density: 403ppi
  • Lighter design: 188g vs 205g
  • Higher battery capacity: 6000mAh vs 5000mAh

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A12 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:
Samsung Galaxy A12
vs
Samsung Galaxy M21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type PLS TFT Super AMOLED
Size 6.5 in 6.4 in
Resolution 720x1600 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 270 ppi 403 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 450 nits 630 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 82.1 % 84.2 %
Features n/a Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A12
470 nits
Samsung Galaxy M21
608 nits
sRGB gamut96.3 %141.3 %
PWM (Flicker)337 Hz215 Hz
Response time52 ms9 ms
Contrast864:1∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy A12], [Samsung Galaxy M21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 164 mm (6.46 in) 159 mm (6.26 in)
Width 75.8 mm (2.98 in) 75.1 mm (2.96 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 205 g (7.23 oz) 188 g (6.63 oz)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Plastic
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Red		 - Black
- Blue
- Green
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A12
82.1 %
Samsung Galaxy M21
84.2 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A12 and Samsung Galaxy M21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset MediaTek Helio P35 Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611
Max Frequency 2300 MHz 2300 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A53)		 - 4/1.7 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A73)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 12 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor No Yes
Graphics PowerVR GE8320 Mali-G72 MP3
GPU Cores 32 54
GPU Frequency 680 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS 43.5 GFLOPS 113.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A12
480
Samsung Galaxy M21
514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A12
1522
Samsung Galaxy M21
1558
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)480514
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)15221558
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A12
147439
Samsung Galaxy M21
266455
CPU5212076468
GPU1812645756
Memory3927670269
UX3791773962
NanoReview Score147439266455
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A12
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 - 3 GB
- 4 GB
- 6 GB		 - 4 GB
- 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1866 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB		- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1UFS 2.1
Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

Software

OS Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 13) Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 12.0)
OS Size 13 GB 14.5 GB
UI Skin One UI Core 5.1 One Ui 4.1

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 6000 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (20% in 30 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (25% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 3:03 h 2:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A12
26:02
Samsung Galaxy M21
24:03
Web Browsing11:00 h10:07 h
Video Playback13:25 h13:59 h
Games06:03 h05:35 h
Standby Mode133 h115 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 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 30 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion No 240 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 5 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
Matrix48 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/2.0
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KGM2Samsung S5KGM2
Sensor size1/21/2.0
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix5 MP8 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a12 mm
Sensor sizen/a1/4.0
Pixel sizen/a1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy A12
96
Samsung Galaxy M21
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy A12
80
Samsung Galaxy M21
n/a
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy A12
90
Samsung Galaxy M21
n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy A12]

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
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 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP 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
- Beidou
- Galileo		 - 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 *NoNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS B1 (2100), B5(850), B8 (900)B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41)LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41)
LTE category712
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Mono Mono
3.5 mm Jack Yes Yes
FM Radio Yes Yes
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A12
80.9 dB
Samsung Galaxy M21
83.8 dB

Other

Class Budget Mid-range
Announced November, 2020 yr March, 2020 yr
Release Date December, 2020 yr March, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 180 210
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint sensor		 - 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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