Home Phone comparison Xiaomi 12S Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S21 - Which is better?

Xiaomi 12S Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S21

74 out 100
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
VS
65 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : Xiaomi 12S Ultra Manufactured in July, 2022, with display 6.73 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

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Xiaomi 12S Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.73in
  • Higher pixel density: 521ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 4860mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.2 vs 5
  • Infrared port
  • Includes charger
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 225g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Xiaomi 12S Ultra 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
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:
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
vs
Samsung Galaxy S21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.73 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1440x3200 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 521 ppi 421 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 1000 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes HDR10+
Touch Sampling Rate 240 Hz n/a
Screen-to-body ratio 89.4 % 85.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1064 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut99.7 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)186 Hz240 Hz
Response time2 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Xiaomi 12S Ultra], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 163.17 mm (6.42 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 74.92 mm (2.95 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 9.06 mm (0.36 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 225 g (7.94 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
Back panel n/a Plastic
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Green		 - White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
89.4 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing Xiaomi 12S Ultra 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)
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1458
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
3970
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)14581331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)39703593
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Xiaomi 12S Ultra]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
1234229
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU331276253391
GPU485862281676
Memory182917158352
UX234174210361
NanoReview Score1234229903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
9860
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.49.2 °C38.9 °C
Stability70 %66 %
Graphics Test59 fps34 fps
Graphics Score98605715
Sources: 3DMark [Xiaomi 12S Ultra], [Samsung Galaxy S21]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
13365
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score1579216101
Web score1177311909
Video editing74447097
Data manipulation998410153
NanoReview Score1336513123

Memory

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

Software

OS Android 12 Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 32 GB 28.1 GB
UI Skin MIUI 13 One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 4860 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 67 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (50 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (73% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 0:50 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
21:00
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing08:46 h06:01 h
Video Playback13:01 h11:06 h
Games05:25 h04:21 h
Standby Mode96 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution n/a 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Optical, 5x Optical, 1.1x
Flash Dual 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 3840 fps (720p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 128 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Telephoto: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 48 MP
Depth: 0.3 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix50 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.8
Focal length23 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX989Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/11/1.76
Pixel size1.6 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix48 MP64 MP
Aperturef/4.1f/2.0
Focal length120 mm28 mm
SensorSony IMX586Samsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor size1/2.01/1.72
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX586Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/2.01/2.55
Pixel size0.8 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
137
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
129
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
136
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokeh6570
Preview6372
Zoom136126
Sources: DxOMark [Xiaomi 12S Ultra], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Front camera

Matrix 32 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 6528x4896 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.5 f/2.2
Focal length 26 mm 26 mm
Sensor Omnivision OV32C Sony IMX374
Sensor size 1/3.2 1/3.24
Pixel size 0.7 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
103
Samsung Galaxy S21
n/a
Video quality
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
132
Samsung Galaxy S21
n/a

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 2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- NAVIC		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port Yes No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G Bandsn/aGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G Bandsn/aWCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*n/aLTE (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
Xiaomi 12S Ultra
83.2 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced July, 2022 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date July, 2022 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 890 800
Sensors - 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 Yes 67 W n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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