Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $314 | $280 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 3,095 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 23W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 6 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.1 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 108 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 204 g | 227 g |
| Released | Sep 2021 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 13 Pro is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on battery, wired charging, ram (max), screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Display
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | — | Always-on display, adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS 15, upgradable to latest iOS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) | — |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.22 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) | — |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | — |
| Chipset (International) | — | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
| Chipset (USA/China) | — | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU (Exynos) | — | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| CPU (Snapdragon) | — | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU (Exynos) | — | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM | — |
| Card slot | No | — |
| Internal Storage | — | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM |
| Card Slot | — | No |
| Type | — | UFS 3.1 |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Triple 12 MP | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm, 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS | — |
| Telephoto | 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom | — |
| Ultrawide | 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚, PDAF | — |
| Depth Sensor | TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Night mode, Macro photography, Photographic Styles, Apple ProRAW | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, Cinematic mode (1080p@30fps), stereo sound rec. | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Dual | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm, 1/3.6" | — |
| Depth Sensor | SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) | — |
| Features | HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 3095 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 23W, 50% in 30 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery 2.0, MagSafe wireless charging 15W, Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7 mm (5.78 x 2.81 x 0.30 in) | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 204 g (7.20 oz) | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back (Gorilla Glass), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 14, 2021 | January 14, 2021 |
| Status | Released September 24, 2021 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 13 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 3,095 mAh for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which has more RAM, Apple iPhone 13 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 6 GB for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro versus 16 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 13 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Apple iPhone 13 Pro — 204 g for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro versus 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 13 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Apple iPhone 13 Pro — Sep 2021 for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Is the Apple iPhone 13 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 13 Pro 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10.