Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Manufactured in August, 2022, with display 7.6 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, vs Samsung Galaxy S21, Manufactured in February, 2021 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
  • Larger display: 7.6in
  • Higher battery capacity: 4400mAh 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 263g

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 12/1024 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 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
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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

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Dynamic AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 7.6 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1812x2176 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 10.8:9 20:9
Pixel density 374 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 90.8 % 85.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
996 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut95.5 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)120 Hz240 Hz
Response time1 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 155.1 mm (6.11 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 130.1 mm (5.12 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 6.3 mm (0.25 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 263 g (9.28 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IPX8 IP68
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Green
- Burgundy
- White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
90.8 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy S21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 3190 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2 (Cortex-A510)
- 3/2.75 (Cortex-A710)
- 1/3.2 (Cortex-X2)
- 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Hexagon Yes
Graphics Adreno 730 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 1024 896
GPU Frequency 900 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 1843.2 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
1666
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
4089
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)16661331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)40893593
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
1225335
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU328991253391
GPU459294281676
Memory194943158352
UX242107210361
NanoReview Score1225335903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
9643
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.36.5 °C38.9 °C
Stability62 %66 %
Graphics Test57 fps34 fps
Graphics Score96435715
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
14062
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score1680516101
Web score1186611909
Video editing73937097
Data manipulation1124310153
NanoReview Score1406213123

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 12 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 13) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size n/a 28.1 GB
UI Skin One UI 5.1.1 One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 4400 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 25 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (11 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 1:19 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
21:52
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing07:30 h06:01 h
Video Playback13:00 h11:06 h
Games04:37 h04:21 h
Standby Mode119 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8160x6120 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Optical, 3x Optical, 1.1x
Flash LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording Up to 24FPS Up to 24FPS
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) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix50 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length23 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung GN3Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/1.561/1.76
Pixel size1 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MP64 MP
Aperturef/2.4f/2.0
Focal length52 mm28 mm
SensorSamsung S5K3K1Samsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor size1/3.941/1.72
Pixel size1 μm0.8 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length12 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX258Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/3.061/2.55
Pixel size1.12 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
127
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
123
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
128
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokeh7070
Preview7672
Zoom128126

Front camera

Matrix 10 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 3648x2736 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 26 mm 26 mm
Sensor Sony IMX374 Sony IMX374
Sensor size 1/3.2 1/3.24
Pixel size 1.22 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (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 MiMO
- 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 LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes DP 1.2 n/a
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 *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHzGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS Band I (2100), Band II (1900), Band IV (1700/2100), Band V (850)WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B38/B39/B40/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
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
87.4 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced August, 2022 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date August, 2022 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 1800 800
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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