Sony Xperia 5 III vs Samsung S21

Q: Which phone is better the S21?

If you want the most powerful phone in Samsungs Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is for you. It comes with the largest display at 6.8-inches, the biggest battery at 5,000mAh, and the best camera setup with a primary 108MP sensor. It also comes with as much as 16GB of RAM.

Q: Is Samsung S21 worth buying?

TechRadar Verdict. The Galaxy S21 isnt the star of Samsungs S series in 2021, like weve been used to for most of the past decade, but its a solid smartphone choice with an impressive camera, powerful internals and great battery life.

Índice Show

Key differences
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Design and build
Performance
DxOMark camera tests
Connectivity
Cast your vote
Related comparisons
Which is better S21 or pixel 5?
Which phone is better the S21?
Why was Samsung S21 Cancelled?
Is Samsung S21 worth buying?

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.1-inch Sony Xperia 5 III (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888) that was released on April 14, 2021, against the Samsung Galaxy S21, which is powered by Exynos 2100 and came out 3 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Sony Xperia 5 III

The rear camera has a 4.4x optical zoom
Shows 19% longer battery life (30:20 vs 25:31 hours)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 1000GB
Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 4000 mAh
9% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 1128 and 1034 points
Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21

Delivers 45% higher peek brightness (856 against 591 nits)
Supports wireless charging up to 15W
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Thinner bezels – 5.8% more screen real estate
Reverse charging feature
The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Ready for eSIM technology

Review

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Performance

CPU/GPU performance in apps and games

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

NanoReview score

Final comparison evaluation

Value for money

You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type	OLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	6.1 inches	6.2 inches
Resolution	1080 x 2520 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	21:9	20:9
PPI	449 ppi	421 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Max rated brightness	350 nits	800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	600 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, HDR10	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 6	Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio	81.4%	87.2%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

Display tests

RGB color space	100%	99.5%
PWM	490 Hz	240 Hz
Response time	14 ms	5 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Peak brightness test (auto)

Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height	157 mm (6.18 inches)	151.7 mm (5.97 inches)
Width	68 mm (2.68 inches)	71.2 mm (2.8 inches)
Thickness	8.2 mm (0.32 inches)	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)
Weight	168 gramm (5.93 oz)	169 gramm (5.96 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Green, Pink	White, Gray, Pink, Purple
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in home button	Yes, in-display

Performance

Tests of Sony Xperia 5 III and Samsung Galaxy S21 in the benchmarks

SoC

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	Samsung Exynos 2100
Max. clock	2840 MHz	2900 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) - 1 core at 2.84 GHz: Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1)	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.9 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache	4 MB	-
Lithography process	5 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 660	Mali-G78 MP14
GPU clock	840 MHz	760 MHz
FLOPS	~1720 GFLOPS	-

Memory

RAM size	8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	2750 MHz	2750 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage

Storage size	128, 256 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	UFS 3.1
Memory card	MicroSD	No
Memory card max. size	Up to 1000 GB	-

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)

CPU	152244	190831
GPU	278585	245573
Memory	103244	124639
UX	143374	130708
Total score	680882	693086

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Stability	-	66%
Graphics test	-	33 FPS
Graphics score	-	5640
PCMark 3.0 score	-	13868

Sources: 3DMark [3]

Software

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 12)	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 12)
ROM	-	One UI 4.1
OS size	17.6 GB	28.1 GB

Battery

Specifications

Capacity	4500 mAh	4000 mAh
Charge power	30 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	No	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	No	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (49% in 30 min)	Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full charging time	1:50 hr	1:35 hr

Battery life tests

Web browsing	09:32 hr	07:17 hr
Watching video	17:37 hr	12:26 hr
Gaming	05:12 hr	04:20 hr
Standby	84 hr	92 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera

Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Optical, 4.4x	Optical, 1.1x
Flash	LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	Up to 24FPS
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	240 FPS (1080p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	124°	120°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP)	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 24 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.7", Sony IMX557 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.3 - Focal length: 105 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/2.9", Sony IMX663 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 28 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 16 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	-	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels	8 megapixels	10 megapixels
Image resolution	3264 x 2448	3872 x 2592
Aperture	f/2.0	f/2.2
Focal length	24 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	1.12 microns	1.22 microns
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/4"	1/3.24"
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.1	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC*	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Network

Number of SIM*	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support*	No	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat*	18	24
5G support	Yes	Yes

Sound

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	Yes	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Other

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	April 2021	January 2021
Release date	October 2021	February 2021
SAR (head)	-	0.46 W/kg
SAR (body)	-	1.51 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint

*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

If the performance, battery life, and design are more important to you, then choose the Sony Xperia 5 III. But if the software and camera are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy S21.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?

Sony Xperia 5 III

28 (75.7%)

Samsung Galaxy S21

9 (24.3%)

Total votes: 37

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below

Which is better S21 or pixel 5?

Again both are good, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is even better. The Pixel 5 continues to trade blows with the far more expensive Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in other low-light shots. Highlights and shadows are just as well balanced, but Samsung clocks in a slightly better dynamic range.

Which phone is better the S21?

If you want the most powerful phone in Samsung's Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is for you. It comes with the largest display at 6.8-inches, the biggest battery at 5,000mAh, and the best camera setup with a primary 108MP sensor. It also comes with as much as 16GB of RAM.

Why was Samsung S21 Cancelled?

Global chip shortage is said to be one of the reasons for the cancelation of the device with phone manufacturers scrambling for chips. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE was to be powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset and the company was planning to change the design and display of the handset, to keep the price down.

Is Samsung S21 worth buying?

TechRadar Verdict. The Galaxy S21 isn't the star of Samsung's S series in 2021, like we've been used to for most of the past decade, but it's a solid smartphone choice with an impressive camera, powerful internals and great battery life.