Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)![]()
|
Price | $1180 |
OS Updates | 5+ Years |
It's pretty obvious who this price belongs to: The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, and it's also clear that only iPhones, in general, have that many years of software and security updates.
Performance
And this is the highest performance achieved with GeekBench 5 (tested by GsmArena):
Geekbench 5 Score | 4240 |
And it also belongs to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Display
After several years of growing larger, this trend seems to have stopped with the Xiaomi Mi Max 3, back in 2018. Refresh rates and nits, on the other hand, are still on a growing trend.
Size | 6.9" |
Screen Type | AMOLED |
Refresh Rate | 120hz |
Dots Per Inch | 642 |
Always-On-Display | Yes |
Peak Brightness | 1024 nits |
HDR | HDR10+ |
Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus |
In this study, the 6.9-inch display belongs to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (and to the Note 20 Ultra), just like the 120Hz refresh rate. Those 642 DPIs came from the 4k display of the Sony Xperia 1, and the peak brightness, HDR, and glass protection came from the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Although you'll get equivalent or even better glass protection from the latest iPhone 12 lineup.
Cameras
The megapixel war looks like it's far from being over, with Samsung's 108 Megapixels sensor leading the way. Debuting in late 2018 on Xiaomi's Mi CC9 Pro Premium, it ended up featured on Samsung's own S20 Ultra.
Megapixels (Main) | 108 |
Megapixels (Secondary) | 64 |
Lens (mm) | 129 |
Optical Image Stabilization | Yes |
Video | 8K (4320p) |
Picture Quality | 156 |
Megapixels (Selfie) | 40 |
Lens (mm) | 32 |
Not only that, but it also is the owner of that 40 Megapixel selfie camera. But the secondary 64 Megapixel sensor belongs to its smaller sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S20.
The award for best optical zoom goes to the Oppo Find X2 Pro and its incredible 129mm telephoto lens. The 8K video recording abilities are found on (almost) every smartphone equipped with the latest Snapdragon 865.
According to DxoMark, the best camera-phone in this study is the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, although they're giving a higher score to its less popular sibling, the Mate 40 Pro+.
Body
Everyone knows what the smallest and lightest smartphone on the market is, right? The iPhone 12 Mini.
However, we're after the largest, so let's check the following table.
Size | 167 x 78 mm (6.58 x 3.07 in) |
Weight | 8.04 oz (228 g.) |
Build | Front and back glass |
Screen-To-Body Ratio | 93.50% |
Waterproof | IP68 |
Biometrics | Under Display Fingerprint |
While the king of height is the Sony Xperia 1, with 167 mm (1.22 inches), the Apple iPhone 8 Plus holds the crown for the largest width at 78 mm (3.07 inches).
However, none of them is winning any heavyweight contest. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the contrary, is betting big, at 228 grams (8.04 oz).
Wrapping it up, the smartphone with the smallest bezels, according to our formula, is the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.
Battery
What about the thing that can upset you the most on a smartphone? Yes, battery life.
I must admit I was expecting an extensive list of devices. Surprisingly, that wasn't the case.
The battery score is based on Gsmarena's endurance rating tests, and it's what you're left with, assuming that you fully charge the smartphone.
Capacity | 6000 mAh |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 86% |
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 74% |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 76% |
Fast Charging | 120w |
Wireless Charging | 50w |
Reverse Wireless Charging | 27w |
This battery capacity and battery performance are from the Samsung Galaxy M30s, but since it is about to lose its security updates, you should check the A31 instead. While having only 5000mAh of battery capacity, it has the same behavior and should last as much in day-to-day usage.
These blazing-fast wired charging speeds are from the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, which you can charge up to 41% in 5 minutes or fully charge in just 23 minutes (as advertised).
The wireless charging speeds are shared with the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, which also holds a record for the fastest reverse charging device.
Storage
When it comes to storage, there's no surprise here. At least for geeks like me, who's been following Samsung's flagship specs for quite a while now.
RAM | 12 GB |
Internal Storage | 256 GB |
External Expansion | Yes |
These specs could only come from the Note 10 Plus or its most recent sibling, the Note 20 Ultra.
Actually, other devices do come close, like the Oppo Find X2 Neo or the X2 Pro, but since they don't have a MicroSD card slot (not that you'll ever need it), it really isn't the same.
Connectivity
If you're hoping to find a smartphone with 5G, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and a headphone jack, you'll be disappointed.
Network | 5G |
Bluetooth | 5.2 |
NFC | Yes |
Headphone Jack | Yes |
You'll have to choose between having Bluetooth 5.2 (from devices like the Note 20 Ultra with the Snapdragon chipset) or Bluetooth 5.0 and a headphone jack (from devices like the Galaxy S10 5G).
The average specs that you can get.
These are the specs that you can expect from the average smartphone in the first quarter of 2021.
Be sure not to overpay for them.
These prices are based on unlocked phones found on amazon.com, ebay.com, bestbuy.com, and walmart.com.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Price | $414.83 | $668.50 | $253.67 |
Security Updates | 2.03 years | 5.00 years | 2.97 years |
Performance
Back when Apple released its iPhone 6s, iPhones weren't that smooth compared to Android flagships. But as years went by, they started to prioritize performance, and nowadays, no other device can even come close. That's why this average isn't surprising at all.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Geekbench 5 Score | 2146.32 | 2849.33 | 703.01 |
Display
The average display size shouldn't also come as a surprise. Apple has always favored smaller devices. Just as a curiosity, half of the iPhones now have AMOLED displays.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Size | 6.33" | 5.63" | -0.69" |
AMOLED | 88.73% | 50.00% | -38.73% |
90+ Refresh Rates | 30.99% | 0.00% | -30.99% |
Dots Per Inch | 444.52 | 400.78 | -43.74 |
Always-On-Display | 81.69% | 0.00% | -81.69% |
Peak Brightness | 654.80 nits | 656.50 nits | 1.70 nits |
HDR | 70.42% | 50.00% | -20.42% |
Gorilla Glass 6+ | 22.54% | 22.22% | -0.31% |
Cameras
I just realized now that Apple still insists on maintaining its cameras with 12 megapixels. And this has been going on for at least six years. Android, however, has crossed the 100 Megapixel mark for a couple of years now.
I know that more pixels don't mean better picture quality, but now and then, I like to crop my photos to get more zoom.
All iPhones can now record videos in 4K, and while I know that there still are some Androids that only do Full HD, I wasn't expecting that only 80% of them would do 4K. In theory, it should be 88%, because 8% can actually do 8K already. But still, even for a two or three-year-old midrange, 1080p is just too low.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Megapixels (Main) | 34.80 | 12.00 | -22.80 |
Aperture | f/1.74 | f/1.78 | f/0.04 |
Megapixels (Secondary) | 13.08 | 11.08 | -2.00 |
Aperture | f/2.39 | f/2.17 | f/-0.22 |
Lens (mm) | 51.58 | 40.69 | -10.88 |
Zoom | 42.25% | 50.00% | 7.75% |
Mega Zoom | 11.27% | 0.00% | -11.27% |
Ultra-Wide-Angle | 26.76% | 16.67% | -10.09% |
Optical Image Stabilization | 64.79% | 94.44% | 29.66% |
4K Videos | 80.28% | 100.00% | 19.72% |
8K Videos | 8.45% | 0.00% | -8.45% |
Picture Quality | 116.46 | 122.62 | 6.15 |
Megapixels (Selfie) | 18.94 | 8.83 | -10.11 |
Aperture | f/2.06 | f/2.20 | f/0.14 |
Lens (mm) | 25.22 | 27.73 | 2.51 |
Body
Smartphones are getting heavier. 182 grams (or 6.41 oz) is too much for the average Android. I guess that size, bigger batteries, and telephoto lenses do play their part.
Considering the following table, one would think that only two-thirds of all iPhones have a premium look, which is wrong because Apple is going back to aluminum for the back of their phones.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Size (mm) | 157 x 73 | 146 x 72 | -979 |
Size (in) | 6.17 x 2.88 | 5.77 x 2.82 | -38.58 |
Weight (g) | 182 | 177 | -4 |
Weight (oz) | 6.41 | 6.26 | -4 |
Full Glass Body | 74.65% | 66.67% | -7.98% |
Screen-To-Body Ratio | 86.01% | 77.46% | -8.55% |
Waterproof (IP6x) | 45.07% | 94.44% | 49.37% |
Battery
Battery life is still just too low for the average smartphone. It's even worse if you went for an iPhone. But at least, you'll most likely have wireless charging on it. I was shocked to see that only 42% of all Androids support it. What's worse, only half of that does reverse charging.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
Capacity | 3935.99 mAh | 2660.44 mAh | -1275.54 mAh |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 81.85% | 76.83% | -5.01% |
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 66.00% | 60.83% | -5.17% |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 68.94% | 60.39% | -8.55% |
Fast Charging | 25.85w | 17.33w | -8.51w |
Wireless Charging | 42.25% | 83.33% | 41.08% |
Wireless Charging | 15.58w | 7.47w | -8.11w |
Reverse Wireless Charging | 28.17% | 0.00% | -28.17% |
Reverse Wireless Charging | 7.05w | 0.00w | -7.05w |
Storage
6.5 GB of RAM should be more than enough for most Android users, but 3.5GB, even for iOS, is still a bit low. And the same goes for storage.
It's good to know that about 63% of all Android smartphones still allows you to add a MicroSD card, even if you'll most likely lose a SIM card slot.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
RAM | 6.51 GB | 3.56 GB | -2.95 GB |
Internal Storage | 117.18 GB | 65.78 GB | -51.41 GB |
External Expansion | 63.38% | 0.00% | -63.38% |
Connectivity
There isn't much to say here, except that the good-old headphone jack is still somewhat popular and that your next device should be 5G if you're planning on keeping it for over two years.
While Bluetooth 5.0 is great for range and battery life, nothing beats the reliability of wired headphones.
Feature/OS | ![]() |
![]() |
vs. |
5G | 32.39% | 22.22% | -10.17% |
Headphone Jack | 46.48% | 5.56% | -40.92% |
Bluetooth 5.0 | 81.69% | 83.33% | 1.64% |
Bluetooth 5.1 | 14.08% | 0.00% | -14.08% |
Bluetooth 5.2 | 1.41% | 0.00% | -1.41% |
Now you should have an idea of what to expect from your next smartphone. If there's any feature that you particularly value, then the following top 10 lists should help you get closer to finding the best device for you.
If not, just remember that the perfect phone (still) doesn't exist, and be careful when purchasing one so you won't regret it for the next two or three years.
About TTT
Hello there!
I'm Luis Silva, and this is the place where I nerd out about technology. I've been a tech enthusiast for 25 years, and I have a degree in computer management.
I'm glad to have you here!
Do feel free to check out any (or all) article(s) that you may find interesting.
I've personally made sure that they are as thorough and helpful as they can be, and they're entirely free, so read as much as you want, and in the end, please leave a comment or share them as a thank you.
And when you leave, please remember to come back in a not so distant future.
Smartphones:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For Every Budget
300+ Popular Smartphone Comparisons
The Best Camera Smartphones For Every Budget
The Most Gorgeous Smartphones For Every Budget
The Best And Quickest Smartphones For Every Budget
The Best Battery And Charging Phones For Every Budget
Smartwatches:
Choose The Right Smartwatch For You In Under 3 Min.
Best articles:
7-Zip vs WinZip vs WinRAR vs Windows Comparison
12 Best Android Apps For Smart TV Sony Bravia 2019
How To Test Your USB Flash Drive Speed