OnePlus 8T vs Samsung Galaxy S21
A spec-by-spec comparison of the OnePlus 8T and the Samsung Galaxy S21, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $155 | $145 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65W | 25W |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.55 in | 6.2 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 64 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 188 g | 169 g |
| Released | Oct 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: OnePlus 8T is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size. Samsung Galaxy S21 is ahead on main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? OnePlus 8T is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Galaxy S21 is the cheaper option.
Display
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.55 inches, 103.6 cm2 (~87.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.2 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~402 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | Reading Mode, Night Mode, Vibrant Color, 1100 nits peak brightness, 8192 levels of automatic brightness | — |
Platform
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) | — |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) | — |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | — |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14, OxygenOS 14 | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 (with One UI 6.1) |
| Chipset (International) | — | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
| Chipset (USA/China/Korea) | — | Qualcomm 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 Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680) |
| GPU (Exynos) | — | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 8GB or 12GB LPDDR4X | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 2-LANE | — |
| Card slot | No | — |
| Internal Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Quad | 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS (Sony IMX586); 16 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 123˚ (ultrawide) (Sony IMX481); 5 MP, f/2.4 (macro); 2 MP, f/2.4 (monochrome) | — |
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama, UltraShot HDR, Nightscape, Macro, Portrait, Pro Mode, AI Scene Detection, RAW Image, Video Focus Tracking, Super Stable, Video Nightscape | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+ |
| Triple | — | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm (Sony IMX471) | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Features | HDR, Screen Flash, Face Retouching | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable (2S1P 2,250 mAh) | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 65W wired, PD, 100% in 39 min (advertised) | 25W wired, PD3.0; 15W wireless (Qi/PMA); 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm (6.33 x 2.92 x 0.33 in) | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 188 g (6.63 oz) | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual Nano-SIM; eSIM |
| Colors | Aquamarine Green, Lunar Silver | — |
| Water Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, AAC | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band), GLONASS, Galileo (E1+E5a Dual Band), Beidou, A-GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Radio | — | FM radio (Snapdragon model only) |
Launch
| OnePlus 8T | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 14, 2020 | 2021, January 14 |
| Released | October 16, 2020 | — |
| OS at launch | Android 11, OxygenOS 11 | — |
| Status | — | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, OnePlus 8T or Samsung Galaxy S21?
OnePlus 8T — 4,500 mAh for the OnePlus 8T versus 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is lighter, OnePlus 8T or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — 188 g for the OnePlus 8T versus 169 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is newer, OnePlus 8T or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — Oct 2020 for the OnePlus 8T versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Is the OnePlus 8T or the Samsung Galaxy S21 rated higher?
We rate the OnePlus 8T 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 8/10.