The Galaxy S21 Plus isn't that affordable, but it also is the better device of the two considering their specs.
You'll get better glass protection and a better display.
With the Galaxy S21 Plus, you'll also get a larger (+0.2") display, optical image stabilization, and reverse wireless charging. But with the 9, you can get faster-charging speeds (65w vs. 25w) and Bluetooth 5.2.
If you're going off-contract, you'll have to invest an additional amount close to $278.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is clearly worth buying in 2022, even if there are better phones out there. Sure, you can take a peek at other devices like the 9 Pro, but this one does hold a good performance, good battery life, excellent glass protection, and 8K recordings.
Of course, I still recommend the 9 in 2022. Its overall score hasn't dropped much yet, mainly because of its good performance, good battery life, fast charging, and 8K recordings. It doesn't mean you can't take a quick peek at (again) the 9 Pro, though.
Keep reading for answers to all your questions about their differences, how they rival their competition, and you'll know what the industry thinks about their specs.
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In March of 2021, OnePlus started selling its 9, while Samsung's Galaxy S21 Plus hit the stores in January 2021.
Here you can look at the Galaxy S21 Plus and the 9, 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. | ||
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Device | ![]() |
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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.
As for performance, Geekbench 5 scores the 9 9% ahead of its competitor in the multi-core ranking. On daily usage, you wouldn't be able to notice any relevant differences between them.
Are you looking for the quickest phone around? The 9 is clearly above the average if you consider its rivals. While the average sits at 2442, this one is 39% above them.
It's safe to say that both of them can be tagged as high-end.
Performance* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
SoC | Exynos 2100 | Snapdragon 888 | |
Graphics | Mali-G78 MP14 | Adreno 660 | |
Geekbench 5 Score | 3113 | 3394 | 281 |
OS | Android 11 and OneUI | Android 11 and OxygenOS 11 | |
Tek-Score | 0.5 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.
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There's no phone to praise here, so don't worry about it. But the Galaxy S21 Plus features better glass protection.
If you're leaning towards the Galaxy S21 Plus, 84% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and all have an AMOLED screen.
Compared to the 9, I should say that 83% of its rivals can play HDR content, 96% have an AMOLED screen, and 87% have an Always-On display.
Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
Size | 6.7 | 6.5 | -0.2 |
Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | |
Resolution (px) | 1080x2400 | 1080x2400 | 0 |
Refresh Rate | 120hz | 120hz | 0 |
Dots per Inch | 392.81 | 404.89 | 12.09 |
Always-On-Display | Yes | Yes | |
Notch | Hole | Hole | |
Peak Brightness | 883 nits | 821 nits | -62 |
HDR | HDR10+ | HDR10+ | |
Sub Tek-Score | 0.1 | ||
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | |
Tek-Score | -2.8 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
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If you value quality photos, you should know that the 9 is about 63% above its adversaries in its class. But you won't find a winner here.
About the Galaxy S21 Plus: DXOMARK tested this camera and gave it a score of 123. By including its wide-angle lens, the final score goes up to 137 points. If you click here, you can check what they think of it.
Before moving on, keep in mind 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. Although only 20% of them feature a macro lens.
About the 9: DXOMARK evaluated this camera, and here's the score: 123. And if we consider its wide-angle lens, this score goes up to 131 points. Just click here to read about it.
Finally, if you must know, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 96% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, only 22% of them feature a macro lens.
If you're not a numbers person, we can tag these two as high-end.
If you take optical zoom seriously, just ignore these two and check the 9 Pro instead. And if you're willing to take it one step further, smartphones like the Galaxy S20 Ultra are much more fun.
Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
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Primary Camera | ![]() |
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|
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 | No | |
Video | 4320 | 4320 | 0 |
Score | 137 | 131 | -6 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Extra Camera(s) | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 64 | 50 | -14 |
Aperture | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
Lens | 29mm | 14mm | -15 |
Lens Type | Regular | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
Megapixels | 12 | 2 | -10 |
Aperture | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
Lens | 13mm | - | |
Lens Type | Ultra-wide-Angle | - | |
Score | 14 | 8 | -6 |
Selfie Camera | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 10 | 16 | 6 |
Aperture | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
Lens | 26mm | - |
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vs. | |
---|---|---|---|
Tek-Score | -0.4 |
They ended up with the same score, so don't worry too much.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is a little bit heavier: About 8 g. (0.28 oz). If you're curious, I've come up with an adapted "display size to phone weight ratio" score. The Galaxy S21 Plus got 4.6, and that's another way of saying it has an acceptable score for its screen size. The 9, on the other hand, has 4.8, so nothing to state here.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is resistant to water up to 1 to 3 meters, on par with the 9. That should be for up to 30 minutes, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.
Looks* | vs. | ||
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Body | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Size | 161 x 75 x 7 mm (5.68 x 2.65 x 0.25 in) |
160 x 74 x 8 mm (5.64 x 2.61 x 0.28 in) |
10195 |
Weight | 200 g. (7.05 oz) | 192 g. (6.77 oz) | -8 |
Build | Front and back glass | Front and back glass | |
Colors | Phantom Black, Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver, Phantom Red, Phantom Gold, and Phantom Pink | Winter Mist, Astral Black, and Arctic Sky | |
Screen To Body Ratio | 89.75% | 86.15% | -3.60 |
Disp.Size To Weight Score | 4.6 | 4.8 | 0.2 |
Looks | 10.0/10 | 8.9/10 | -1.0 |
Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 (T-Mobile variant only) | |
Biometrics | Under Display Fingerprint | Under Display Fingerprint | |
Tek-Score | 0.1 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
The Galaxy S21 Plus has a 4800 mAh battery, and the 9 has a 4500 mAh. And GSMArena did test them out, and the former does have better battery life.
For the record, the Galaxy S21 Plus is also beating most smartphones. Actually, it may even be on our top 10 list with the best battery life.
The 9 does charge quicker. Its competitors usually stay at around 29w/hour.
Battery* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
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 | 69% left | -5 |
Bat. To Phone Size Score | 3.6 | 3.5 | -0.1 |
Sub Tek-Score | -0.3 | ||
Fast Charging | 25w | 65w | 40 |
Wireless Charging | 15w | 15w | 0 |
Reverse Charging | 4.5w | No | -4.5 |
Tek-Score | -0.1 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.
There isn't a winner here.
Storage* | vs. | ||
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Features | ![]() |
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|
RAM (GB) | 8GB | 8GB | 0 |
Internal (GB) | 128GB | 128GB | 0 |
Micro SD | No | No | |
Tek-Score | 0.0 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
The 9 is your better option, as it features Bluetooth 5.2.
If you love good-old wired headphones, you're out of luck because none of them included a 3.5mm headphone jack. Want a piece of advice? Forget about adapters and go for the wireless buds. There also are other options out there if you're not really leaning towards any of these. Perhaps you don't mind settling with the Galaxy Note 10 Lite.
The 9 has two network variants: LTE or (LTE and) 5G.
Connectivity | vs. | ||
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Features | ![]() |
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|
Network | 5G | 5G (also available in LTE) | |
Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.2 | |
NFC | Yes | Yes | |
3.5mm jack | No | No | |
Tek-Score | 0.5 |
Here are the best deals on some major online stores:
Reference: $999
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
Reference: $721
OnePlus 9
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 | Galaxy S21 Plus | 9 | VS |
---|---|---|---|
Amazon | - | - | - |
eBay | 1.15 | 1.33 | 0.18 |
Best Buy | - | - | - |
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)
Are you also considering other options? The global score can help. But first, let's see where its rivals are. They usually sit close to 6.9 (for the Galaxy S21 Plus) and 6.7 (for the 9).
What can the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus give you that the OnePlus 9 can't:
- Better glass protection
- Better display
- A larger display (+0.2")
- OIS
- Reverse wireless charging
What can the OnePlus 9 give you that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can't:
- Faster charging speeds (65w vs. 25w)
- Bluetooth 5.2
Pros | ![]() |
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#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 | ![]() |
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---|---|---|
#1 | MicroSD Slot | MicroSD Slot |
#2 | Weight | Weight |
#3 | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack |
#4 | Price | Price |
Relative Score* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Global Score | ![]() |
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|
Gaming Score | 0.0 | ||
Tek-Score | -0.44 | ||
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.
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