Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs OnePlus 9 Pro: Which to Pick?

Introduction

While OnePlus's 9 Pro hit stores in March 2021, Samsung's Galaxy S21 Plus went on sale in January 2021.

Here you can look at the Galaxy S21 Plus and the 9 Pro, 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.

 Click here  to check who their rivals are.

Price*			vs.
Device	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Release Date	2021, January	2021, March	0y.
OS Updates	3 years	2 years	-1y.
Security Updates	4 years	3 years	-1y.

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Which One Has The Best Performance?

Geekbench 5 scores the 9 Pro 10% ahead of its rival in the multi-core ranking. All in all, there's not much of a difference between the two.  ? 

We can label both of them as high-end.

Performance*			vs.
Features	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
SoC	Exynos 2100	Snapdragon 888
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Adreno 660
Geekbench 5 Score	3113	3427	314
OS	Android 11 and OneUI	Android 11 and OxygenOS 11
Tek-Score	7.0	7.5	0.5

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.

Which Phone Has The Best Display?

The 9 Pro is the title-holder here, and it wins by a significant margin. But the glass on the Galaxy S21 Plus is much rougher.

Considering the Galaxy S21 Plus, you should know that 84% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and all have an AMOLED screen.

Compared to the 9 Pro, as a reference, 96% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, and 83% have an Always-On display.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Size	6.7	6.7	0.0
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1080x2400	1440x3216	2039040
Refresh Rate	120hz	120hz	0
Dots per Inch	392.81	525.92	133.11
Always-On-Display	Yes	Yes
Notch	Hole	Hole
Peak Brightness	883 nits	871 nits	-12
HDR	HDR10+	HDR10+
Sub Tek-Score	9.0	9.8	0.9
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Tek-Score	9.6	7.1	-2.6

*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.

Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?

By DXOMARK's standards, the Galaxy S21 Plus is also roughly 45 points above its rivals with comparable prices. But you can pick either one.

About the Galaxy S21 Plus: DXOMARK gave this shooter a score of 123. And if you take into account its wide-angle lens, it can go up to 137 points. If you want to know more about it, click here.

To put things in perspective: you'd probably like to know that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 92% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Nevertheless, only 20% of them feature a macro lens.

About the 9 Pro: The guys over at the DXOMARK labs scored this camera with 129 points. And by adding the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, we'll get to the final score of 141 points. Just click here to read about it.

Furthermore, just to let you know, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Regardless, only 12% of them feature a macro lens.

Considering this score, we can classify these two as high-end.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Megapixels	12	48	36
Aperture	1.8	1.8	0.0
Lens	26mm	23mm	-3
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	1	2	1
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	4320	4320	0
Score	137	141	4

*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.

Extra Camera(s)	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro	vs.
Megapixels	64	8	-56
Aperture	2.0	2.4	0.4
Lens	29mm	77mm (3x zoom)	48
Lens Type	Regular	Telephoto lens
Megapixels	12	50	38
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	13mm	14mm	1
Lens Type	Ultra-wide-Angle	Ultra-wide-Angle
Megapixels	-	2
Aperture	-	2.4
Score	14	12	-2

Selfie Camera	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro	vs.
Megapixels	10	16	6
Aperture	2.2	2.4	0.2
Lens	26mm	-

	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro	vs.
Tek-Score	8.1	8.3	0.2

Who has the best frame?

They're not that far apart, so there is no wrong choice here.

Adding to that, both weigh about the same: 197 g. (6.95 oz). But because screen size also matters, I've come up with an adapted "display size to phone weight ratio" score. The Galaxy S21 Plus got 4.6, showing it has an acceptable score for its screen size. The 9 Pro, on the other hand, has 4.9, so nothing to state here.  ? 

The Galaxy S21 Plus is water-resistant in up to 1 to 3 meters, much like the 9 Pro. But remember: it's for a maximum period of half an hour, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.

Looks*			vs.
Body	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Size	161 x 75 x 7 mm (5.68 x 2.65 x 0.25 in)	163 x 73 x 8 mm (5.75 x 2.58 x 0.28 in)	10667
Weight	200 g. (7.05 oz)	197 g. (6.95 oz)	-3
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Phantom Black, Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver, Phantom Red, Phantom Gold, and Phantom Pink	Morning Mist, Stellar Black, and Forest Green
Screen To Body Ratio	89.75%	90.78%	1.03
Disp.Size To Weight Score	4.6	4.9	0.3
Looks	10.0/10	9.1/10	-0.8
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Under Display Fingerprint	Under Display Fingerprint
Tek-Score	7.2	7.1	-0.1

*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.

Which has the best battery?

The Galaxy S21 Plus has a 4800 mAh battery, and the 9 Pro has a 4500 mAh. And according to GSMArena's tests, the winner is the Galaxy S21 Plus.

Just be aware that the Galaxy S21 Plus is also beating most smartphones. Do check our best-of listing.

Fast charging is indeed fast with the 9 Pro. Devices with similar prices usually sit at nearly 33w.

Quick wireless charging must be one of 9 Pro's most-loved features. You won't find many phones as fast at about its price.

Battery*			vs.
Features	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Capacity (mAh)	4800	4500	-300
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	84% left	82% left	-2
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	70% left	67% left	-3
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	74% left	67% left	-7
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	3.6	3.3	-0.2
Sub Tek-Score	7.6	7.2	-0.4
Fast Charging	25w	65w	40
Wireless Charging	15w	50w	35
Reverse Charging	4.5w	5w	0.5
Tek-Score	7.3	8.3	1.0

*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.

Which has more storage?

They share the same amount of storage.

Storage*			vs.
Features	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
RAM (GB)	8GB	8GB	0
Internal (GB)	128GB	128GB	0
Micro SD	No	No
Tek-Score	6.0	6.0	0.0

*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).

Which is the most connectivity-friendly?

I'd go for the 9 Pro if you really value Bluetooth 5.2.

They both run on (LTE and) 5G networks.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Network	5G	5G
Bluetooth	5.0	5.2
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	4.6	5.1	0.5

Which is more affordable?

Here are their recently updated prices:

Reference: $999

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$650.00

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus

Reference: $1,070

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$749.96

$749.99

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OnePlus 9 Pro

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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.

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:

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The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets

Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)

So, what about that global score? We'll get there. But first, let's see where its rivals are. The Galaxy S21 Plus class is at 6.9, and the 9 Pro 7.1.

Verdict: Does any of them really stand out?

What can the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus give you that the OnePlus 9 Pro can't:

- Better glass protection

- Better display

- Better battery life

What can the OnePlus 9 Pro give you that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can't:

- More DPIs

- A telephoto lens (+48 mm)

- Faster charging speeds (65w vs. 25w)

- Faster wireless charging (50w vs. 15w)

- Bluetooth 5.2

Pros	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
#1	Performance	Performance
#2	AMOLED	AMOLED
#3	Always-On-Display	Always-On-Display
#4	Cameras	Cameras
#5	Battery Life	Fast Charging
#6	Fast Charging	Wireless Charging
#7	Wireless Charging
#8	Glass Protection

Cons	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
#1	MicroSD Slot	MicroSD Slot
#2	Weight	Weight
#3	3.5mm Jack	3.5mm Jack
#4	Price	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	Galaxy S21 Plus	9 Pro
Gaming Score	7.6	8.0	0.5
Tek-Score	7.43	7.33	-0.10
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.

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