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

Xiaomi Redmi 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

47 out 100
Xiaomi Redmi 12
VS
65 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21
Xiaomi Redmi 12
Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : Xiaomi Redmi 12 Manufactured in June, 2023, with display 6.79 with chipsetMediaTek Helio G88, 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 Redmi 12
  • Larger display: 6.79in
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Infrared port
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Higher pixel density: 421ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 198.5g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/128 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB		 - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Xiaomi Redmi 12 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 Redmi 12
vs
Samsung Galaxy S21

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.79 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1080x2460 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 20:9
Pixel density 396 ppi 421 ppi
Refresh rate 90 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 550 nits 800 nits
HDR support No Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 88 % 85.9 %
Features n/a - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Xiaomi Redmi 12
539 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut96.3 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a240 Hz
Response time26 ms5 ms
Contrast898:1∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Xiaomi Redmi 12], [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 168.6 mm (6.64 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 76.28 mm (3 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 8.17 mm (0.32 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 198.5 g (7 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IP53 IP68
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Blue		 - White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Xiaomi Redmi 12
88 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing Xiaomi Redmi 12 and Samsung Galaxy S21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset MediaTek Helio G88 Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 2000 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 6/1.8 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2 (Cortex-A75)		 - 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 12 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor MediaTek APU Yes
Graphics Mali-G52 MP2 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 48 896
GPU Frequency 1000 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 96 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Xiaomi Redmi 12
434
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Xiaomi Redmi 12
1223
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)4341331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)12233593
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Xiaomi Redmi 12
266658
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU84508253391
GPU39522281676
Memory69688158352
UX72940210361
NanoReview Score266658903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Xiaomi Redmi 12
743
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.n/a38.9 °C
Stabilityn/a66 %
Graphics Testn/a34 fps
Graphics Scoren/a5715
Sources: 3DMark [Xiaomi Redmi 12], [Samsung Galaxy S21]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Xiaomi Redmi 12
9150
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score864616101
Web score861511909
Video editing68497097
Data manipulation639110153
NanoReview Score915013123

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 4 GB
- 8 GB		 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 1800 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB		- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardMicroSDNo

Software

OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 18 GB 28.1 GB
UI Skin HyperOS 2.0 One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (29% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 2:07 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Xiaomi Redmi 12
22:09
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing07:58 h06:01 h
Video Playback12:45 h11:06 h
Games04:59 h04:21 h
Standby Mode118 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8150x6150 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 1.1x
Flash LED Dual LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording No Up to 24FPS
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 120 fps (720p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Depth: 2 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 lengthn/a26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KJN1Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/2.761/1.76
Pixel size0.64 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a64 MP
Aperturen/af/2.0
Focal lengthn/a28 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor sizen/a1/1.72
Pixel sizen/a0.8 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix8 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
SensorSony IMX355Sony IMX563
Sensor size1/2.81/2.55
Pixel size1.14 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Xiaomi Redmi 12
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
Xiaomi Redmi 12
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
Xiaomi Redmi 12
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokehn/a70
Previewn/a72
Zoomn/a126
Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S21]

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.1 f/2.2
Focal length n/a 26 mm
Sensor n/a Sony IMX374
Sensor size n/a 1/3.24
Pixel size n/a 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

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
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 5.3 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		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Varies by region Yes
Infrared Port Yes No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotYesNo
2G BandsGSM 2/3/5/8GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsWCDMA 1/5/8WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)
LTE category724
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers Mono Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio Yes No
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Xiaomi Redmi 12
79.4 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Budget Flagship
Announced June, 2023 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date June, 2023 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 159 800
Sensors - Accelerometer
- 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

After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S21 the clear winner in this comparison.

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