iPhone 12 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G: Which Flagship Still Holds Up?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a streamlined ecosystem, the iPhone 12 Pro remains a compelling choice. However, the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G delivers superior battery endurance and faster charging, making it ideal for power users who demand all-day performance.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 12 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21+ 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 - A2341 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-G996U1 |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2341 | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G996U1 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| 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, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2406 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G996B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, October 13 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, October 23 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 in) | 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm (6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 189 g (6.67 oz) | 200 g (Sub6), 202 g (mmWave) (7.05 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 | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 107.8 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| NVMe | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., 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) | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, 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, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) 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 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 2815 mAh (10.78 Wh) | Li-Ion 4800 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gold, Phantom Red |
| Models | A2407, A2341, A2406, A2408, iPhone13,3 | SM-G996B, SM-G996B/DS, SM-G996U, SM-G996U1, SM-G996W, SM-G996N, SM-G9960 |
| Price | $ 277.86 / C$ 419.75 / £ 250.00 / € 299.99 | $ 162.99 / £ 185.00 / € 199.00 |
| SAR | - | 0.65 W/kg (head) 0.95 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) | 0.54 W/kg (head) 1.33 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | $ 725.05 | - |
| 256GB 6GB RAM | $ 575.00 | - |
| 512GB 6GB RAM | $ 799.50 | - |
| RENEWED | $ 499.00 | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 81h | Endurance rating 114h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.2 LUFS (Very good) | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 596244 (v8) GeekBench: 4056 (v5.1) GFXBench: 58fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 622276 (v8) GeekBench: 3476 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
- Superior video recording quality
- Long-term software support from Apple
- Strong ecosystem integration
- Shorter battery life compared to S21+
- Slower charging speeds
- Less vibrant display in direct sunlight
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Excellent battery endurance (114h rating)
- Faster charging (25W wired)
- Brighter display for outdoor visibility
- Android update support is shorter than Apple's
- Image processing can be overly saturated for some users
- Potential for thermal throttling under heavy load
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G boasts a notably brighter display, peaking at 883 nits, compared to the iPhone 12 Pro’s ‘infinite’ (nominal) contrast ratio which doesn’t specify peak brightness. This translates to better outdoor visibility for the S21+. Both displays share an ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, suggesting excellent black levels, but the S21+’s higher peak brightness is a tangible advantage. While both are excellent, the S21+’s panel is more easily viewable in direct sunlight.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable photo and video recording, but approach it differently. The iPhone 12 Pro is renowned for its cinematic mode and excellent video stabilization. While both phones have multiple lenses, the iPhone 12 Pro’s image processing tends towards natural colors, while Samsung’s leans towards more vibrant, saturated images. The S21+’s camera system benefits from Samsung’s advanced computational photography, but the iPhone 12 Pro’s video capabilities are generally considered superior. The lack of detailed sensor information makes a direct comparison difficult, but the iPhone’s video prowess is a key differentiator.
Performance
The iPhone 12 Pro’s Apple A14 Bionic (5nm) chip features a hexa-core CPU, while the Galaxy S21+ 5G utilizes either the Exynos 2100 (5nm - International) or Snapdragon 888 (5nm - USA/China). The A14 Bionic’s architecture, with its Firestorm and Icestorm cores, is optimized for single-core performance, often giving it an edge in everyday tasks. The S21+’s octa-core processor, particularly the Cortex-X1 core, aims for peak performance, but can be more prone to thermal throttling under sustained load. Both devices feature 6GB of RAM, but iOS’s memory management is generally more efficient, allowing the iPhone 12 Pro to maintain responsiveness with less RAM.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G significantly outperforms the iPhone 12 Pro in battery endurance, achieving a rating of 114 hours versus the iPhone’s 81 hours. This is a substantial difference, translating to a full day of heavy use for the S21+ compared to potentially needing a top-up for the iPhone 12 Pro. The S21+ also supports 25W wired charging with PD3.0, allowing for a faster 0-100% charge than the iPhone 12 Pro’s 50% in 30 minutes via PD2.0. The iPhone 12 Pro offers 15W wireless charging with MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.4), while the S21+ provides 15W Qi wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the Apple iPhone 12 Pro if you need a tightly integrated ecosystem, prioritize video recording quality, and value Apple’s long-term software update commitment. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G if you prefer a brighter display, require significantly longer battery life, and appreciate the flexibility of Android with faster charging capabilities.