OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
A spec-by-spec comparison of the OnePlus 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $175 | $141 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.55 in | 6.2 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 50 MP | 64 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 192 g | 169 g |
| Released | Mar 2021 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: OnePlus 9 is ahead on battery, wired charging, ram (max), screen size. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is ahead on main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? OnePlus 9 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is the cheaper option.
Display
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.55 inches | 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| 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 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | — | Always-on display, Eye Comfort Shield |
Platform
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - International; Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - International; Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Mali-G78 MP14 - International; Adreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | — | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14, One UI 6.1 |
Memory
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
Main Camera
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF; 48 MP, f/2.2, 14mm (ultrawide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm; 2 MP, f/2.4, (monochrome) | — |
| Features | Hasselblad Color Calibration, Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| 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 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm | — |
| Features | Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
Battery
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 65W wired, 100% in 29 min (advertised); 15W wireless (Qi) | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 160 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 192g (EU/NA), 183g (IN/CN) | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), plastic frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | — | Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), SBAS, A-GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | — |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 23 | January 14, 2021 |
| Status | Released 2021, March 26 | — |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, OxygenOS 13 | — |
| Released | — | January 29, 2021 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 5G?
OnePlus 9 — 4,500 mAh for the OnePlus 9 versus 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.
Which has more RAM, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 5G?
OnePlus 9 — 12 GB for the OnePlus 9 versus 8 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.
Which is lighter, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 5G?
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G — 192 g for the OnePlus 9 versus 169 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.
Which is newer, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 5G?
OnePlus 9 — Mar 2021 for the OnePlus 9 versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.
Is the OnePlus 9 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G rated higher?
We rate the OnePlus 9 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 8/10.