Google Pixel 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 5G: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S21 5G edges out the Pixel 6 with slightly better battery life and a brighter display. However, the Pixel 6 boasts Google's Tensor chip and potentially superior software experience, making it a compelling choice for Android purists. Ultimately, it depends on your priorities.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Google Pixel 6 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 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, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - GB7N6, G9S9B16 | 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-G991U1 |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - G9S9B | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G991U1 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | 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, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - GB7N6 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G991B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, October 19 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, October 28 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm (6.24 x 2.94 x 0.35 in) | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 207 g (7.30 oz) | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~411 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.4 inches, 98.9 cm2 (~83.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.80 GHz Cortex-X1 & 2x2.25 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | 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 | Google Tensor (5 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Mali-G78 MP20 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 12, upgradable to Android 15, up to 5 major Android upgrades | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 50 MP, f/1.9, 25mm (wide), 1/1.31", 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 17mm, 114˚ (ultrawide), 1.25µm | - |
| Features | Laser AF, Dual-LED flash, Pixel Shift, Auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm | - |
| Triple | - | 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@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 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 | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5) | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired (based on 30W charger), PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 21W wireless Reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4614 mAh | Li-Ion 4000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Sorta Seafoam, Kinda Coral, Stormy Black | Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink |
| Models | GB7N6, G9S9B16, G9S9B, GR1YH | SM-G991B, SM-G991B/DS, SM-G991U, SM-G991U1, SM-G991W, SM-G991N, SM-G9910, SM-G991Q, SCG09 |
| Price | $ 172.48 / C$ 238.84 / £ 169.99 / € 191.89 / ₹ 23,719 | € 194.00 / $ 153.58 / £ 149.99 |
| SAR | - | 0.74 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.46 W/kg (head) 1.51 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 249.00 |
| 256GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 289.99 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 317.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 86h | Endurance rating 93h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -26.9 LUFS (Good) | -26.4 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 676831 (v9) GeekBench: 2899 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 584055 (v8) GeekBench: 3238 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Google Pixel 6
- Clean Android experience
- Excellent computational photography
- Google Tensor chip with AI features
- Competitive price
- Slightly lower battery life than S21 5G
- Design can be polarizing
- Charging speed could be faster
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
- Brighter display
- Versatile camera system
- Established brand reputation
- Slightly better battery life
- Samsung's One UI can be overwhelming for some
- Price can be higher depending on configuration
- Software update commitment less certain than Pixel
Display Comparison
The Galaxy S21 5G takes the display crown with a measured peak brightness of 856 nits, significantly brighter than the Pixel 6's nominal 'infinite' contrast ratio. While both offer excellent color accuracy and sharpness, the S21 5G's brightness provides better visibility in direct sunlight. Both have excellent contrast.
Camera Comparison
Both phones have excellent camera systems. The Pixel 6 is known for its computational photography prowess, producing stunning images with realistic colors and impressive dynamic range. The Galaxy S21 5G offers more versatility with its multiple lenses and zoom capabilities. It's a close call, but the Pixel 6 often excels in challenging lighting conditions.
Performance
The Pixel 6's Google Tensor chip delivers smooth performance for everyday tasks and gaming. The Galaxy S21 5G, with its Exynos 2100 (International) or Snapdragon 888 (USA/China), is also incredibly fast. The Tensor chip's AI capabilities are a unique selling point, but the S21 5G's raw processing power is slightly higher.
Battery Life
The Galaxy S21 5G holds a slight advantage in battery life, achieving an endurance rating of 93 hours compared to the Pixel 6's 86 hours. While both phones will comfortably last a full day for most users, the S21 5G offers a bit more breathing room.
Buying Guide
The Google Pixel 6 is ideal for users who prioritize software updates, clean Android experience, and Google's AI-powered features. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is a better fit for those who want a brighter screen, a more established brand, and a wider range of features, even if it comes with Samsung's One UI.