Samsung Galaxy M12 vs Samsung Galaxy A21s

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy M12 Manufactured in April, 2021, with display 6.5 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 850, vs Samsung Galaxy A21s, Manufactured in June, 2020 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 850. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy M12
  • Higher refresh rate: 90Hz
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A21s
  • Lighter design: 192g vs 214g

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy M12 and Samsung Galaxy A21s
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

Display

Display quality comparison
Type PLS TFT PLS TFT
Size 6.5 in 6.5 in
Resolution 720x1600 pixels 720x1600 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 270 ppi 270 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 450 nits 540 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 82 % 82.9 %
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy M12
424 nits
Samsung Galaxy A21s
487 nits
sRGB gamut93.3 %88.4 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a500 Hz
Response time39 ms30.4 ms
Contrast926:11500:1

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 164 mm (6.46 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
Width 75.9 mm (2.99 in) 75.3 mm (2.96 in)
Thickness 9.7 mm (0.38 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 214 g (7.55 oz) 192 g (6.77 oz)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Plastic
Colors - Black
- Blue
- Green
- Black
- Blue
- Red
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy M12
82 %
Samsung Galaxy A21s
82.9 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy M12 and Samsung Galaxy A21s In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 850 Samsung Exynos 850
Max Frequency 2000 MHz 2000 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (8) 8 (8)
Architecture 8/2 (Cortex-A55) 8/2 (Cortex-A55)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 8 nm 8 nm
Neural Processor No No
Graphics Mali-G52 MP1 Mali-G52 MP1
GPU Cores 24 24
GPU Frequency 680 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS 40.8 GFLOPS 40.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy M12
481
Samsung Galaxy A21s
484
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy M12
1522
Samsung Galaxy A21s
1523
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)481484
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)15221523
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy M12
185374
Samsung Galaxy A21s
191375
CPU6499068748
GPU2675326807
Memory5418059210
UX3945136610
NanoReview Score185374191375
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy M12
429
Samsung Galaxy A21s
425
Max Surface Temp.41.7 °C43.2 °C
Stability98 %98 %
Graphics Test2 fps2 fps
Graphics Score429425
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy M12
5926
Samsung Galaxy A21s
5429
Writing score56485426
Web score58534708
Video editing57415145
Data manipulation47343808
NanoReview Score59265429

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 3 GB
- 4 GB
- 3 GB
- 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1866 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 32 GB
- 64 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1eMMC 5.1
Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

Software

OS Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 13) Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12)
OS Size 14 GB 12 GB
UI Skin One UI Core 5.0 One UI 4.1

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (40% in 60 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:30 h 2:10 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy M12
22:27
Samsung Galaxy A21s
25:00
Web Browsing08:52 h09:45 h
Video Playback12:52 h14:13 h
Games05:12 h05:34 h
Standby Mode113 h128 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 No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion No No
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
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix48 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/2.0
Focal lengthn/a26 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
Sensor size1/5.01/4.0
Pixel size1.12 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 13 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 4128x3096 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.2
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Sensor size n/a 1/3.1
Pixel size n/a 1.12 μm
Autofocus No No
Stabilization No 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 - Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Dual Band
- 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 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), B2 (1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8 (900)B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B17/B20/B26/B28/B66)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28)
LTE category713
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 M12
77.6 dB
Samsung Galaxy A21s
79.5 dB

Other

Class Budget Budget
Announced November, 2020 yr May, 2020 yr
Release Date April, 2021 yr June, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 180 200
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Hall 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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