Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy A21s and Apple iPhone XS - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy A21s vs Apple iPhone XS

39 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A21s
VS
52 out 100
Apple iPhone XS
Samsung Galaxy A21s
Apple iPhone XS

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A21s Manufactured in June, 2020, with display 6.5 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 850, vs Apple iPhone XS, Manufactured in September, 2018 with chipsetApple A12 Bionic. 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 A21s
  • Larger display: 6.5in
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 2658mAh
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone XS
  • Higher pixel density: 458ppi
  • Lighter design: 177g vs 192g
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/64 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/32 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/64 GB
- 6/128 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 4/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A21s and Apple iPhone XS
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.
Customize your score
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 A21s
vs
Apple iPhone XS

Display

Display quality comparison
Type PLS TFT OLED
Size 6.5 in 5.8 in
Resolution 720x1600 pixels 1125x2436 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 270 ppi 458 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 540 nits 625 nits
HDR support No Yes Dolby Vision
Touch Sampling Rate n/a 120 Hz
Screen-to-body ratio 82.9 % 81.1 %
Features n/a DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A21s
487 nits
Apple iPhone XS
635 nits
sRGB gamut88.4 %98.8 %
PWM (Flicker)500 Hz240 Hz
Response time30.4 ms4.4 ms
Contrast1500:1∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy A21s], [Apple iPhone XS]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163.6 mm (6.44 in) 143.6 mm (5.65 in)
Width 75.3 mm (2.96 in) 70.9 mm (2.79 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.7 mm (0.3 in)
Weight 192 g (6.77 oz) 177 g (6.24 oz)
Water resistance No IP68
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Black
- Blue
- Red		 - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
Fingerprint sensor Yes rear No
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A21s
82.9 %
Apple iPhone XS
81.1 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A21s and Apple iPhone XS In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 850 Apple A12 Bionic
Max Frequency 2000 MHz 2490 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (8) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture 8/2 (Cortex-A55) - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
- 2/2.49 (Vortex)
Process Samsung TSMC
Transistor Size 8 nm 7 nm
Neural Processor No Neural Engine
Graphics Mali-G52 MP1 Apple A12 GPU
GPU Cores 24 256
GPU Frequency 850 MHz 1100 MHz
FLOPS 40.8 GFLOPS 576 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A21s
484
Apple iPhone XS
1307
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A21s
1523
Apple iPhone XS
3447
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)4841307
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)15233447
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A21s
191375
Apple iPhone XS
733639
CPU68748202576
GPU26807217548
Memory59210146853
UX36610166662
NanoReview Score191375733639
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A21s
425
Apple iPhone XS
5698
Max Surface Temp.43.2 °C44.8 °C
Stability98 %63 %
Graphics Test2 fps34 fps
Graphics Score4255698
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy A21s], [Apple iPhone XS]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy A21s
5429
Apple iPhone XS
n/a
Writing score5426n/a
Web score4708n/a
Video editing5145n/a
Data manipulation3808n/a
NanoReview Score5429n/a

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 3 GB
- 4 GB		 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1866 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 32 GB
- 64 GB		- 64 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1NVMe
Memory CardMicroSDNo

Software

OS Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12) iOS 12 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
OS Size 12 GB 11.8 GB
UI Skin One UI 4.1 n/a

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 2658 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No Yes Qi (10 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:10 h 2:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A21s
25:00
Apple iPhone XS
16:06
Web Browsing09:45 h05:44 h
Video Playback14:13 h09:44 h
Games05:34 h03:54 h
Standby Mode128 h84 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 2x
Flash LED Quad LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion No 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features Bokeh effect - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/1.8
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KGM2Apple iSight X
Sensor size1/2.01/2.55
Pixel size0.8 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a12 MP
Aperturen/af/2.4
Focal lengthn/a52 mm
Sensor sizen/a1/3.4
Pixel sizen/a1 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix8 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.2n/a
Sensor size1/4.0n/a
Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 7 MP
Photo resolution 4128x3096 pixels 3088x2316 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length n/a 32 mm
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.1 n/a
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus
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 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) 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 MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C No
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*21
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM Standbyn/a
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsB1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2600)
LTE category1316
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Mono Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio Yes No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A21s
79.5 dB
Apple iPhone XS
87.3 dB

Other

Class Budget Flagship
Announced May, 2020 yr September, 2018 yr
Release Date June, 2020 yr September, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 200 1000
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone XS the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below