iPhone 13 mini vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: A Detailed Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G emerges as the more practical choice. Its significantly longer battery endurance (92h vs 75h) and versatile feature set outweigh the iPhone 13 mini’s performance edge, especially considering the price difference.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Apple iPhone 13 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, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2628, A2629, A2630 | 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, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6/mmWave - A2628 | 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, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2629, A2630 | 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 14 | 2022, January 04 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 24 | 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 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 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 | 141 g (4.97 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, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) | 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 A15 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 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 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), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm | - |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 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 60fps), 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, BDS, 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 17.2 update | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless Reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 2438 mAh (9.34 Wh) | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive |
| Models | A2628, A2481, A2626, A2629, A2630, iphone14,4 | SM-G990B, SM-G990B/DS, SM-G990U, SM-G990U1, SM-G990W, SM-G990E, SM-G9900, SM-G990B2, SM-G990U2, SM-G990W2, SM-G990U3 |
| Price | € 299.00 / $ 240.00 / £ 244.89 | € 199.00 / $ 143.95 / £ 154.99 / ₹ 29,990 |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | 0.77 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.97 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) | 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.48 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 75h | Endurance rating 92h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.9 LUFS (Very good) | -26.9 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 772512 (v9) GeekBench: 4681 (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 13 mini
- Unmatched single-core performance with the A15 Bionic.
- Most compact flagship form factor for easy one-handed use.
- Excellent video recording quality and natural image processing.
- Significantly shorter battery life compared to the S21 FE.
- Limited charging speed compared to competitors.
- Higher price point for comparable storage.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
- Superior battery life for all-day usage.
- More versatile camera system with potential for advanced features.
- Competitive price point offering excellent value.
- Performance can vary between Snapdragon and Exynos versions.
- Larger form factor may not appeal to users seeking maximum portability.
- Android OS may not be preferred by iOS loyalists.
Display Comparison
Both devices feature 'Infinite' contrast ratios, typical of OLED panels. However, the iPhone 13 mini boasts a slightly higher peak brightness of 831 nits compared to the S21 FE’s 792 nits, making it marginally better in direct sunlight. While both offer excellent viewing experiences, the S21 FE’s larger display size caters to media consumption, while the iPhone 13 mini’s smaller size prioritizes one-handed usability. The lack of LTPO on either device means refresh rates are fixed, impacting power efficiency compared to adaptive refresh rate displays.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable photo and video recording, but their approaches differ. While detailed sensor information is missing, the iPhone’s computational photography excels in consistent image quality and natural color reproduction. The S21 FE offers more versatility with its camera system, potentially including features like Space Zoom, though the impact of a 2MP macro lens is minimal. The S21 FE’s image processing tends towards more saturated colors, appealing to some users. Both phones lack advanced features like 8K video recording found on higher-end models.
Performance
The iPhone 13 mini’s Apple A15 Bionic (5nm) chip, with its hexa-core CPU (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard), demonstrably outperforms the Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm) or Exynos 2100 (5nm) found in the S21 FE in single-core tasks. The S21 FE’s octa-core configuration (varying between Cortex-X1, A78, and A55 cores depending on the version) offers strong multi-core performance, but the A15’s architectural advantages provide a noticeable edge in responsiveness and app launch speeds. The S21 FE’s performance can also vary between the Snapdragon and Exynos versions, with the Snapdragon generally exhibiting better thermal management.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G significantly surpasses the iPhone 13 mini in battery endurance, achieving a rating of 92 hours versus the iPhone’s 75 hours. This translates to a tangible difference in real-world usage, with the S21 FE comfortably lasting a full day, while the iPhone 13 mini may require a midday top-up for heavy users. Both phones support 50% charging in 30 minutes, but the S21 FE offers 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging with reverse wireless capabilities, providing greater flexibility. The iPhone 13 mini supports 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging (with iOS 17.2).
Buying Guide
Buy the Apple iPhone 13 mini if you absolutely require the smallest possible flagship phone and prioritize the seamless iOS ecosystem and the A15 Bionic’s single-core performance. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G if you value all-day battery life, a more customizable Android experience, and a broader range of features like reverse wireless charging, all without sacrificing significant performance.