iPhone 12 mini vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: A Detailed Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G emerges as the better value. Its significantly longer battery life (92h endurance vs. 69h) and brighter display outweigh the iPhone 12 mini’s compact form factor and A14 Bionic’s raw CPU performance.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 12 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2176 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2176 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat19 1600/200 Mbps, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2398, A2399, A2400 | 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, October 13 | 2022, January 04 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, November 13 | Available. Released 2022, January 07 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 in) | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm (6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 177 g (6.24 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.4 inches, 100.5 cm2 (~86.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 1Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2 |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Version 1Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - Version 2 |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 660 - Version 1Mali-G78 MP14 - Version 2 |
| OS | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| NVMe | - | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6" | - |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | - | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec. | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | Unspecified |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless Reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 2227 mAh (8.57 Wh) | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive |
| Models | A2399, A2176, A2398, A2400, A2399, iPhone13,1 | SM-G990B, SM-G990B/DS, SM-G990U, SM-G990U1, SM-G990W, SM-G990E, SM-G9900, SM-G990B2, SM-G990U2, SM-G990W2, SM-G990U3 |
| Price | $ 165.79 / C$ 268.99 / £ 155.00 / € 178.00 | € 199.00 / $ 143.95 / £ 154.99 / ₹ 29,990 |
| SAR | - | 0.77 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) | 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.48 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 69h | Endurance rating 92h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.6 LUFS (Very good) | -26.9 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 589616 (v8) GeekBench: 4174 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 566529 (v8), 719696 (v9) GeekBench: 3049 (v5.1) GFXBench: 56fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Apple iPhone 12 mini
- Extremely compact and pocketable design
- Powerful A14 Bionic chip for smooth performance
- MagSafe wireless charging ecosystem
- Significantly shorter battery life
- Smaller display may feel cramped
- Limited charging options compared to S21 FE
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
- Longer battery life for all-day use
- Brighter and larger display for better viewing
- Faster wired charging and wireless/reverse wireless options
- Larger size may not suit all users
- Potential for thermal throttling (especially Exynos variant)
- Samsung’s software can be polarizing
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G boasts a notably brighter display, reaching 792 nits compared to the iPhone 12 mini’s 627 nits. This translates to better outdoor visibility. Both displays share an 'Infinite' (nominal) contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels. While neither specifies refresh rate, the S21 FE’s larger 6.4-inch panel offers more screen real estate. The iPhone 12 mini’s 5.4-inch display is ideal for single-handed use, but the smaller size may feel cramped for media consumption.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable photo and video recording, but details matter. While both are listed as having 'Photo / Video' capabilities, specifics are lacking. The S21 FE’s larger sensor size (likely, though not specified) generally translates to better low-light performance. The iPhone 12 mini’s image processing prioritizes natural colors, while Samsung’s tends towards more saturated and vibrant results. The absence of detailed camera specs makes a definitive judgment difficult, but the S21 FE’s versatility, potentially including a wider range of focal lengths, gives it an edge.
Performance
The iPhone 12 mini’s Apple A14 Bionic (5nm) features a hexa-core CPU with a split core design (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm), optimized for both performance and efficiency. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G comes in two variants: one with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm) and another with the Exynos 2100 (5nm). The Snapdragon 888’s octa-core configuration (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1, 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78, 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) and the Exynos 2100’s (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1, 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78, 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) offer more cores, but real-world performance differences are often nuanced. The A14 Bionic generally excels in single-core tasks, while the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 can shine in multi-threaded workloads. Thermal management is a potential concern for the S21 FE, particularly the Exynos variant, which has been reported to throttle under sustained load.
Battery Life
Battery life is where the Galaxy S21 FE 5G decisively wins. Its endurance rating of 92 hours significantly surpasses the iPhone 12 mini’s 69 hours. Both phones support 50% charging in 30 minutes with wired charging (PD2.0/PD3.0). The S21 FE offers 25W wired charging, while the iPhone 12 mini is limited to 20W. The S21 FE also includes 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, features absent on the iPhone 12 mini without the MagSafe/Qi2 ecosystem. While the iPhone 12 mini supports 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.4), the S21 FE’s overall charging flexibility is superior.
Buying Guide
Buy the Apple iPhone 12 mini if you absolutely prioritize a truly pocketable, one-handed experience and are deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem. Its A14 Bionic chip still delivers excellent performance for everyday tasks. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G if you value battery life, a brighter and more vibrant display, and the flexibility of the Android operating system, all without sacrificing significant performance.