Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S21 and Apple iPhone XR - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Apple iPhone XR

65 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21
VS
51 out 100
Apple iPhone XR
Samsung Galaxy S21
Apple iPhone XR

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S21 Manufactured in February, 2021, with display 6.2 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100, vs Apple iPhone XR, Manufactured in October, 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 S21
  • Larger display: 6.2in
  • Higher pixel density: 421ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 194g
  • Higher battery capacity: 4000mAh vs 2942mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone XR

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 8/128 GB
    - 8/256 GB    		 - 3/64 GB
    - 3/128 GB
    - 3/256 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S21 and Apple iPhone XR
    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 S21
    vs
    Apple iPhone XR

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Dynamic AMOLED IPS LCD
    Size 6.2 in 6.1 in
    Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 828x1792 pixels
    Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 421 ppi 326 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (48-120 Hz) No
    Max brightness 800 nits 625 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes Dolby Vision
    Screen-to-body ratio 85.9 % 79.9 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 n/a
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    854 nits
    Apple iPhone XR
    635 nits
    sRGB gamut99.5 %100 %
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hzn/a
    Response time5 ms32.8 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite1920:1
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S21], [Apple iPhone XR]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 151.7 mm (5.97 in) 150.9 mm (5.94 in)
    Width 71.2 mm (2.8 in) 75.7 mm (2.98 in)
    Thickness 7.9 mm (0.31 in) 8.3 mm (0.33 in)
    Weight 169 g (5.96 oz) 194 g (6.84 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP67
    Back panel Plastic Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - White
    - Gray
    - Pink
    - Purple    		 - White
    - Black
    - Blue
    - Red
    - Orange
    - Yellow
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display No
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    85.9 %
    Apple iPhone XR
    79.9 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S21 and Apple iPhone XR In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Samsung Exynos 2100 Apple A12 Bionic
    Max Frequency 2900 MHz 2490 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
    Architecture - 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
    - 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
    - 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)    		 - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
    - 2/2.49 (Vortex)
    Process Samsung TSMC
    Transistor Size 5 nm 7 nm
    Neural Processor Yes Neural Engine
    Graphics Mali-G78 MP14 Apple A12 GPU
    GPU Cores 896 256
    GPU Frequency 854 MHz 1100 MHz
    FLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS 576 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    1331
    Apple iPhone XR
    1167
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    3593
    Apple iPhone XR
    3020
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)13311167
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)35933020
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    903780
    Apple iPhone XR
    656253
    CPU253391203013
    GPU281676155478
    Memory158352134836
    UX210361162926
    NanoReview Score903780656253
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    5715
    Apple iPhone XR
    5205
    Max Surface Temp.38.9 °C42.6 °C
    Stability66 %69 %
    Graphics Test34 fps31 fps
    Graphics Score57155205
    Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S21], [Apple iPhone XR]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    13123
    Apple iPhone XR
    n/a
    Writing score16101n/a
    Web score11909n/a
    Video editing7097n/a
    Data manipulation10153n/a
    NanoReview Score13123n/a

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 8 GB 3 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
    Memory Frequency 2750 MHz 2133 MHz
    Channels 2 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 128 GB
    - 256 GB    		- 64 GB
    - 128 GB
    - 256 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 3.1NVMe
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14) iOS 12 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
    OS Size 28.1 GB 11.1 GB
    UI Skin One UI 6.0 n/a

    Battery

    Volume 4000 mAh 2942 mAh
    Max Charging Power 25 W 15 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes Qi (10 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
    Fast Charging Yes (55% in 50 min) Yes (50% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:35 h 1:43 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    17:54
    Apple iPhone XR
    20:45
    Web Browsing06:01 h08:01 h
    Video Playback11:06 h11:59 h
    Games04:21 h04:34 h
    Standby Mode95 h106 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 1.1x Digital
    Flash Dual LED Quad LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording Up to 24FPS No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    Slow Motion 960 fps (720p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
    Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 64 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP    		 Standard: 12 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
    Focal length26 mm26 mm
    SensorSony IMX555Apple iSight X
    Sensor size1/1.761/2.55
    Pixel size1.8 μm1.4 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix64 MPn/a
    Aperturef/2.0n/a
    Focal length28 mmn/a
    SensorSamsung Bright S5KGW2n/a
    Sensor size1/1.72n/a
    Pixel size0.8 μmn/a
    StabilizationOpticaln/a
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MPn/a
    Aperturef/2.2n/a
    Focal length13 mmn/a
    SensorSony IMX563n/a
    Sensor size1/2.55n/a
    Pixel size1.4 μmn/a
    StabilizationDigitaln/a
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    129
    Apple iPhone XR
    103
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    137
    Apple iPhone XR
    96
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    133
    Apple iPhone XR
    101
    Bokeh70n/a
    Preview72n/a
    Zoom126n/a
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S21]

    Front camera

    Matrix 10 MP 7 MP
    Photo resolution 3872x2592 pixels 3088x2316 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 26 mm 32 mm
    Sensor Sony IMX374 CMOS
    Sensor size 1/3.24 n/a
    Pixel size 1.22 μm n/a
    Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) No
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) 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 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    Bluetooth version 5 5
    Bluetooth features LE, 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 3.2 2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - USB-Host mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - 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 *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G BandsGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
    3G BandsWCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
    LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2600)
    LTE category2412
    5G SupportYesNo

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Stereo
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S21
    87 dB
    Apple iPhone XR
    87.3 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced January, 2021 yr September, 2018 yr
    Release Date February, 2021 yr October, 2018 yr
    Launch Price ($) 800 750
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - 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 Samsung Galaxy S21 the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

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    Total Votes: 0

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