The price of the Galaxy S21 Plus isn't that much higher, but considering its features, it is the one you should pick.
It features a better display, better battery life, and more internal storage (128GB vs. 64GB). But the iPhone 12 features better performance (+31%).
The Galaxy S21 Plus also has a higher refresh rate, Always-On, larger (+0.6") display, better peak brightness, reverse wireless charging, and more RAM (8GB vs. 4GB). But the iPhone 12 also brings a cleaner user interface and a lightweight body (36 g./1.27 oz less).
If you ignore carrier offers, it'll cost you around $119 more.
The iPhone 12 is holding up pretty well in 2022, but given that it's now an older device, you can pick it up even cheaper than it was at launch. That doesn't mean you should ignore other devices like the iPhone 13 since it has more storage and more security updates.
Just because the Galaxy S21 Plus was released last year doesn't mean I won't recommend it. That's mainly because of its good performance, good battery life, excellent glass protection, and 8K recordings. Although you can also check the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Just keep reading if you want to know everything about them, how they compare to similarly priced rivals, and how the tech industry is evaluating their specs.
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CONTENTS
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While Samsung's Galaxy S21 Plus hit stores in January 2021, Apple's iPhone 12 went on sale in October 2020.
Here you can look at the iPhone 12 and the Galaxy S21 Plus, compare each other's features, and decide which one is best for you. Let us delve into the finer details.
For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.
to check who their rivals are.
| Price* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Device |  iPhone 12 |
 Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Release Date | 2020, October | 2021, January | 1y. |
| OS Updates | 6 years | 3 years | -3y. |
| Security Updates | 6 years | 4 years | -2y. |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Performance-wise, Geekbench 5 (IOS)(Android) scores the iPhone 12 31% ahead in the multi-core ranking. If you value performance, be aware of that difference, as it will be noticeable daily. You should be aware that apps on iOs usually run smoother because of the optimizations that Apple does.
Are you looking for the quickest phone around? The iPhone 12 is clearly above the average if you consider related-priced phones. While they got a score of about 3040, it has 4067. That puts it 34% above them.
We can classify both of them as high-end.
| Performance* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| SoC | Apple A14 | Exynos 2100 | |
| Graphics | Apple GPU | Mali-G78 MP14 | |
| Geekbench 5 Score | 4067 | 3113 | -954 |
| OS | iOS 14.1 | Android 11 and OneUI | |
| Tek-Score | -1.5 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.
|
|
|---|
The Galaxy S21 Plus is the title-holder here, and you'd be able to tell the difference.
If you favor small notches, at least the Galaxy S21 Plus has a tinier notch.
About the iPhone 12, you should know that 92% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, and 88% have an Always-On display.
Regarding the Galaxy S21 Plus, 84% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and all have an AMOLED screen.
| Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Size | 6.1 | 6.7 | 0.6 |
| Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | |
| Resolution (px) | 1170x2532 | 1080x2400 | -370440 |
| Refresh Rate | 60hz | 120hz | 60 |
| Dots per Inch | 457.25 | 392.81 | -64.45 |
| Always-On-Display | No | Yes | |
| Notch | Wedge | Hole | |
| Peak Brightness | 639 nits | 883 nits | 244 |
| HDR | HDR10 | HDR10+ | |
| Sub Tek-Score | 6.0 | ||
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | |
| Tek-Score | 2.1 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
 |
 |
|---|
Be aware that the iPhone 12's picture quality is, on average, 48 points above other cameras for the same budget. So the Galaxy S21 Plus isn't good enough to win this battle.
About the iPhone 12: This camera came out of DXOMARK's labs with a score of 132. If you also consider its wide-angle lens, it'll get 139 points. For an in-depth review, click here.
I hope this helps: you'd probably like to know that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Nevertheless, only 12% of them feature a macro lens.
About the Galaxy S21 Plus: On DXOMARK's reviewing article, they gave this shooter 123 points. Plus, combining with its wide-angle lens, this score goes up to 137 points. For an out-and-out review, check their article.
Lastly, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 92% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, only 20% of them feature a macro lens.
One can place these two as high-end.
Have you noticed yet? If you want a telephoto lens, just ignore these two and check the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the OnePlus 9 Pro instead. Or just forget them because devices like the Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra aren't too good to be true anymore.
| Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Camera | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Megapixels | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Aperture | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| Lens | 26mm | 26mm | 0 |
| Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Wide-Angle | |
| Flash | 4 | 1 | -3 |
| HDR | Yes | Yes | |
| OIS | Yes | Yes | |
| Video | 2160 | 4320 | 2160 |
| Score | 139 | 137 | -2 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
| Extra Camera(s) | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
vs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megapixels | 12 | 64 | 52 |
| Aperture | 2.4 | 2.0 | -0.4 |
| Lens | 13mm | 29mm | 16 |
| Lens Type | Ultra-wide-Angle | Regular | |
| Megapixels | - | 12 | |
| Aperture | - | 2.2 | |
| Lens | - | 13mm | |
| Lens Type | - | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
| Score | 7 | 14 | 7 |
| Selfie Camera | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
vs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megapixels | 12 | 10 | -2 |
| Aperture | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
| Lens | 23mm | 26mm | 3 |
| iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
vs. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tek-Score | -0.1 |
If you're still undecided about them, the iPhone 12 is a better choice based on its weight. But I don't see any meaningful winner here.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is 36 g. (1.42 oz) heavier than the other, weighing about 164 g. (5.78 oz). If you're looking for a lightweight device, I've come up with an adapted "display size to phone weight ratio" score. The iPhone 12 got 6.9, which suggests a pretty nice weight for a 6.1 inches display. In the meantime, the Galaxy S21 Plus has 4.6, so nothing to state here.
The iPhone 12 is resistant to water up to 1 to 3 meters, much like the Galaxy S21 Plus. But remember: it's for a maximum period of half an hour, and it's in standby mode only. So don't take photos underwater.
| Looks* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Size | 146 x 71 x 7 mm (5.15 x 2.50 x 0.25 in) |
161 x 75 x 7 mm (5.68 x 2.65 x 0.25 in) |
11963 |
| Weight | 164 g. (5.78 oz) | 200 g. (7.05 oz) | 36 |
| Build | Front and back glass | Front and back glass | |
| Colors | Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue | Phantom Black, Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver, Phantom Red, Phantom Gold, and Phantom Pink | |
| Screen To Body Ratio | 88.18% | 89.75% | 1.57 |
| Disp.Size To Weight Score | 6.9 | 4.6 | -2.3 |
| Looks | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 | 0.0 |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 | |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Under Display Fingerprint | |
| Tek-Score | -1.4 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
At 2815 mAh, the iPhone 12 is the owner of the smallest battery, while the Galaxy S21 Plus features 4800 mAh. And according to GSMArena's tests, the winner is the Galaxy S21 Plus.
What's even better, the Galaxy S21 Plus is also beating most smartphones. Let's see if it still has a place on our top 10 list of smartphones with the best battery life.
On any of the new iPhone 12 siblings, wireless charging is also magnetic. That's great, but it's yet another proprietary solution.| Battery* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Capacity (mAh) | 2815 | 4800 | 1985 |
| 1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 79% left | 84% left | 5 |
| 1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 64% left | 70% left | 6 |
| 1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 64% left | 74% left | 10 |
| Bat. To Phone Size Score | 5.7 | 3.6 | -2.1 |
| Sub Tek-Score | 0.7 | ||
| Fast Charging | 20w | 25w | 5 |
| Wireless Charging | 15w | 15w | 0 |
| Reverse Charging | No | 4.5w | 4.5 |
| Tek-Score | 0.7 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.
Definitely, the Galaxy S21 Plus.
In terms of RAM, the iPhone 12 brings 4GB. In terms of storage, it has 64GB. Furthermore, other devices from this budget usually deliver more RAM and more storage. They're around 8GB of RAM and 135Gb of storage.
Most people should be OK with only 64 GB of internal storage. However, if you love to have or record tons of videos, you'll find out that 64 GB won't be enough for you.
| Storage* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| RAM (GB) | 4GB | 8GB | 4 |
| Internal (GB) | 64GB | 128GB | 64 |
| Micro SD | No | No | |
| Tek-Score | 3.3 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
If you still don't know which to pick, you can skip this section.
You can connect them to (LTE and) 5G networks.
| Connectivity | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Network | 5G | 5G | |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No | |
| Tek-Score | 0.0 |
Here are the best prices that we've found:
Reference: $880
Apple iPhone 12
Reference: $999
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone (or whatever else you end up buying). You'll be helping to take this to the next level.
Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.
Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).
How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).
Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.
| Value for money | iPhone 12 | Galaxy S21 Plus | VS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | - ! | - | - |
| eBay | 0.95 | 1.15 | 0.20 |
| Best Buy | 0.93 | - | - |
| Walmart | - | - | - |
Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.
Related articles:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets
Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)
Want to know about that global score? First, let me mention the average at their price range. They usually sit close to 7.1 (for the iPhone 12) and 6.9 (for the Galaxy S21 Plus).
What can the Apple iPhone 12 give you that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can't:
- Cleaner user interface
- Lighter (36 g./1.27 oz less)
- More OS updates (2 additional years)
What can the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus give you that the Apple iPhone 12 can't:
- Better peak brightness
- Higher refresh rates
- An Always-On display
- Better display
- A larger display (+0.6")
- Better battery life
- Reverse wireless charging
- More internal storage (128GB vs. 64GB)
- More RAM (8GB vs. 4GB)
| Pros | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Performance | Performance |
| #2 | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| #3 | Cameras | Always-On-Display |
| #4 | Fast Charging | Cameras |
| #5 | Wireless Charging | Battery Life |
| #6 | Glass Protection | Fast Charging |
| #7 | Wireless Charging | |
| #8 | Glass Protection |
| Cons | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Always-On-Display | MicroSD Slot |
| #2 | MicroSD Slot | Weight |
| #3 | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack |
| #4 | Price | Price |
| Relative Score* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Score | iPhone 12 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
|
| Gaming Score | 1.3 | ||
| Tek-Score | 0.71 | ||
| Your Score |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.
| Performance | 1.9 | |
| Display | 1.7 | |
| Cameras | 1.4 | |
| Frame | 0.9 | |
| Battery | 1.9 | |
| Storage | 2.0 | |
| Connectivity | 0.4 | |
| Total | Should be 10 or as close as possible: | 9.6 |
For suggestions and bug reports, click here. Your help is appreciated. Thank you.
About me
Hello!
My name is Luis Silva, and I have a degree in computer management. Ever since I was a teenager, I've loved everything to do with tech. Music, pictures, video editing, I've done it all! This site is a place for me to share some of the knowledge I have, as well as keep up-to-date with current trends. This is a wonderful place for tech-geeks and everyone else that just want to learn more about tech and smartphones in general.
Keep in touch
As of now, these are the rivals that were considered for each of them. They may change every time its prices are updated.
These are the lowest prices found on Amazon, eBay, BestBuy, and Walmart.
Luis Silva (February 2021 Updated: March 2022 - 6 min. reading time)
Introduction
Which One Has The Best Performance?
Which Phone Has The Best Display?
Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?
Which has the best battery?
Which has more storage?
Which is the most connectivity-friendly?
Which is more affordable?
Verdict: What Makes the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Stand Out?
Apple iPhone 12 Related Comparisons
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