iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: top-selling mainstream flagships clash

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: top-marketing mainstream flagships clang

The iPhone 13 on the left and the Galaxy S21 on the right

(Image credit: Malus pumila / Samsung / TechRadar)

The iPhone 13 is out now, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 has been in the bet on for most of 2021. Thusly how do these two mainstream flagship phones, launched a whole eight months apart, compare?

We've tired a fair amount of time with some phones now, and have constitute close to interesting points of compare. Apple and Samsung might be old rivals, but they take subtly conflict approaches in most areas.

Hera's how the iPhone 13 and the Samsung Galax urceolata S21 compare.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: price and availability

The iPhone 13 hit shops on September 24, 2021. Prices set off from $799 / £799 / AU$1,349 for the entry 128GB model, moving equal to $899 / £879 / AU$1,519 for 256GB and $1099 / £1079 / Gold$1,869 for 512GB.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 arrived in shops often earlier connected January 29, 2021, with prices starting from $799 / £769 / Atomic number 79$1,249 for the 128GB model. The 256GB theoretical account arrived at $849.99 / £819 / Astronomical Unit$1,349.

Piece Samsung still officially lists these prices on its website, you can find the Galaxy S21 cheaper elsewhere. It's only loss to throw in price as we get nearer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 in 2022, too.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Coltsfoot S21: design

They might embody fierce rivals operating in the same market, but the iPhone 13 and Samsung Extragalactic nebula S21 don't look more similar.

The iPhone 13 takes its design cues from last year's iPhone 12, with flat surfaces, sharp corners, and a prominent display pass – though the latter is 20% smaller than before.

In the reverse turning point, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is all about the curves, with rounded edges and a distinctive 'Contour Cut' camera faculty. It does have a 2-dimensional display like the iPhone 13, but it has a much more subtle punch-cakehole camera.

These are two fairly compact phones, and they're not all that contrastive when information technology comes to size. At 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm, the iPhone 13 is a tad shorter and slimmer than the 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm Galaxy S21.

Samsung's sound is ever so slightly barge at 169g, nevertheless, with the iPhone 13 tipping the scales at 174g.

Some phones hire aluminum bodies, but whereas the iPhone 13 goes with a fashionable glass raise, the Galax urceolata S21 cheaps out with a plastic finish Samsung calls 'Glasstic'. We'Ra not huge fans, in truth.

When it comes to colors, the iPhone 13 gives you Tap, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, and Mathematical product Red, while the Galaxy S21 gives you a superior of Phantom Gray, Phantasma Livid, Phantom Pink, and Phantom Violet.

Ultimately, that impressionable rear costs the Galaxy S21 the win in the invention department. The iPhone 13 gets much closer to the iPhone 13 Pro in look and feel than the Galaxy S21 does to the Galaxy S21 Extremist.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: display

Samsung hits straight back with a slightly more awing showing. These are likewise sized OLEDs at 6.2-inches for the Samsung and 6.1-inches for the Apple, and both get plenty blazing.

But while the iPhone 13 has the slightly sharper 1170 x 2532 resolution (versus the 1080 x 2400 Galaxy S21), the Samsung wins verboten in one animated aspect.

Malus pumila classified its 120Hz refresh grade improvement to the Pro model this year, leaving the iPhone 13 on sluggish old 60Hz. The Galaxy S21, by contrast, runs at a heavy 120Hz.

Samsung Galaxy S21 — (Picture citation: TechRadar)

As a outcome, Samsung's display simply feels slicker, more responsive, and sporty mere better than Apple's.

It also doesn't have that distracting display nick to make out with, which makes landscape video and gaming content look that little minute better on the Samsung.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: cameras

Both of these phones take excellent pictures, and both have their advantages in a straight scrap.

The iPhone 13 has a 12MP widely sensor that can pull in 47% Thomas More light than the iPhone 12 before it, though its 1.7µm pixels are still a tad smaller than the Galaxy S21's 1.8μm pixels from its own 12MP sensor.

One thing the Galaxy S21 doesn't have access to, notwithstandin, is the iPhone 13's advanced sensing element work shift stabilisation system, which has been pulled from the iPhone 12 In favor of Max. This makes it freakishly steady in the hand, which leads to phenomenal low light shots.

Some phones have fine 12MP 120-degree ultra-wide sensors too, which are capable of taking sharp landscape snaps.

Where the Samsung wins out, however, is with the supply of a 64MP telephotograph sensor. True, it only extends to a 1.1x optical zoom, but the large megapixel count enables a sharp 3x loan-blend zoom. That's better than the iPhone 13's blurry cropped-in shots.

Some television camera systems come with a bag of company tricks. The iPhone 13 introduces Photographic Styles, which lets you fundamentally change the heat and tone of your snaps. You can flatbottomed make them to a greater extent Samsung-like, if you like that vibrant plug.

Medium mode supplies a rack focusing effect to your videos, laying on a pronounced profoundness of battlefield effect that throne be changed after the footage has been captured.

Samsung brings its own video tricks. Director's View lets you see and flick between all three lift lenses, while Vlogger View shoots video from the front and rear cameras at the same time.

Separate Take is well established by at present, employing AI and behind-motion recording to capture and process a range of image types in one go.

Patc the Samsung Galaxy S21 tail manage 8K/24fps video to the iPhone 13's 4K/60fps, all the same, we'd still give the iPhone the nod for vapourous video quality.

Indeed, zoomed shots aside, the iPhone 13 photographic camera wins unconscious in generalized. IT's one of the first camera systems on the market.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Extragalactic nebula S21: specs and performance

IT's been tan and tuck so far, with both phones offering their own unique slants in each category. But functioning is one orbit where the iPhone 13 absolutely dominates.

Apple claims its 5nm A15 Bionic chipset packs a six-core CPU that's 50% faster than its Android competition, which presumably includes the Extragalactic nebula S21's Exynos 2100 (or the slightly better Snapdragon 888 in the United States of America model).

In our own CPU-focused Geekbench 5 multi-core exam, the iPhone 13 scored 4688 to the Galaxy S21's 3367. That's a enlarged gap.

Don't scan too much into the fact that the Galaxy S21 has double the RAM (8GB) either. Android and iOS handle memory completely differently.

In the hands, both phones feel implausibly fast. You privy run the nigh demanding games at top settings on both, though the iPhone 13 is likely to off a more consistently high frame rate on top graphical settings.

More importantly, it's nearly certain to feel for fast for longer. There's that performance headroom, of course, but also the fact that Apple tends to support its hardware for longer than any Android manufacturer.

Elsewhere, the iPhone 13 gives you 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB memory board options. The Samsung Galax urceolata S21 gives you 128GB or 256GB.

iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: bombardment

Malus pumila has equipped the iPhone 13 with a 3,240mAh battery. That might sound dangerously small compared to the Galaxy S21's 4,000mAh cell, but these figures john exist deceptive.

Thanks to the different way iOS and Android handle their resources, the iPhone's battery is actually comparatively large, while the Galaxy S21's is relatively small.

Orchard apple tree has successful boastfully claims for the iPhone 13's stamina, stating that it lasts 2.5 hours thirster on a single commit than the iPhone 12. We can support that to a certain extent, as we tended to cost left-handed with round 20% at the end of an intensive day of usage.

When it comes to the Extragalactic nebula S21, we found that information technology would generally last a full day of usage happening a single charge. However, cranking things up a piffling (with GPS applications, for example) would from time to tim lead to an empty battery before lights out.

Samsung has the slight edge when information technology comes to recharging, with 25W wired charging underpin compared to the iPhone 13's 20W. But neither figure is as well hot in the grand scheme of things.

Especially non when you deliberate that neither manufacturer gives you a charging brick up the box. An option to bundle in a charger would have been nice, at the very to the lowest degree.

Some phones support 15W wireless charging, only the iPhone 13 has the added benefit of the MagSafe ecosystem, which adds a convenient magnetized attachment method acting to the equation.

Takeaway

Some of these phones get the balance right 'tween price and operation, offering nearly-flagship experiences for less money than their bigger brothers.

They have their flaws, but for the about persona it's a rubber bet buying either phone.

We'd give the edge to the iPhone 13, all the same. It's substantially newer than the Galaxy S21 for i thing. One with Apple's superior legacy support, this means that information technology's going to feel fresher for longer.

It's also path faster than the Galaxy S21, with a much more capable tailor-made chipset. The iPhone 13's camera system takes better pictures in near scenarios, too, with the famous exception of zoomed shots.

With the Samsung Coltsfoot S22 right around the corner, that could all change soon. But for now, Apple has returned to the mainstream flagship smartphone toilet.