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Since both devices are currently available at great prices, we decided that the iPhone 12, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 would be the perfect devices for comparison. Even though these phones are a couple of years old, they are still very powerful pieces of tech. Today, we will go over the differences between these devices, and give you the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about your next purchase.
1: Camera Quality.
Nowadays, I would wager that one of the first things you look at when checking the specifications of a new phone is the camera. Being able to capture important moments in our lives is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the modern smartphone. Both devices can take beautiful pictures, but let’s go into more detail.
We will begin with the front facing camera. The Galaxy S21 has a 10 MP selfie camera, while the iPhone 12 packs 12 megapixels. In practice, I believe that you won’t find much of a difference between the two cameras hardware wise, but hardware only tells half the story nowadays. I will explain what I mean by this after we talk about the main cameras.
Firstly, the Samsung Galaxy S21. It has a triple camera design, with a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide sensor, and a 64MP telephoto lens. The iPhone 12 on the other hand makes use of a dual 12MP pixel setup. So, 2 lenses vs 3, surely the Galaxy S21 takes the win?
Wrong – like I said earlier, hardware only tells half the story. The neural engine on Apple’s A14 Bionic chip picks up the slack by providing computational photography assistance, allowing it to still produce incredible shots.
2: Display Quality.
The first thing you see when you pick up a phone, and, of course, the part of your phone that you will spend the most time looking at. While both screens are OLED screens with beautiful colours, there are some major differences.
Firstly, the Galaxy S21. With its 6.2” Dynamic AMOLED display, it is a real standout. The main draw of the Galaxy S21 over the iPhone 12 however, is the refresh rate. With its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, the Galaxy S21 looks buttery smooth as you use it. It truly is a night and day difference from the 60Hz refresh rate on the iPhone, and one that is hard to forget about once you have experienced it.
That isn’t to say the iPhone 12 is a slouch in the display department however, with its 6.1” Super Retina XDR OLED display, and slightly higher resolution, iOS looks gorgeous. Too bad Apple had yet to implement the 120Hz refresh rate, as it gives the edge to the Samsung.
3: Processing Power.
In day-to-day use, speed is key. Who wants to use a phone that feels sluggish? The Galaxy ‘S’ range and the iPhone range are flagship models, and we purchase them because we want to use a powerful phone. So just how powerful are these devices, and which one edges out the other?
Firstly, the Samsung. The Galaxy S21 packs 8GB of RAM, and either the Exynos 2100 chip, or the Snapdragon 888 chip, depending on where you are in the world. While these are no doubt top of the line mobile chipsets, it is very hard to top Apple’s A14 Bionic chip. At the time of release, it was quite simply the best-performing mobile chipset ever produced.
In Geekbench 6, a benchmark test that runs programs to put a device through its paces, judging how well it performs and assigning it a score. The higher the score, the more powerful the device.
The Galaxy S21 scored 4032, a very respectable score. The iPhone 12, however, scored a blistering 4298, easily beating out the S21.
When using the 2 phones next to each other, there’s barely a noticeable difference, the smoother display on the S21 notwithstanding. When it comes to processing, rendering, or gaming however, you cannot deny that the iPhone 12 packs more punch.
4: Conclusion.
I believe that camera, power, and display are the 3 most important features on any device. Other features, such as design, software and so on are subjective.
Do you prefer iOS for its simplicity, or Android for its customizability? The iPhone’s notch design, or the Galaxy S21’s hole punch front camera? Do you prefer Siri, or Google Assistant? There are many subjective factors to consider when choosing your next smartphone. Hopefully we have helped to lay out the key differences for you.
Don’t forget, both phones are available from Fonez, with a 1-year warranty.