OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
A spec-by-spec comparison of the OnePlus 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Price | $175 | $137 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.55 in | 6.4 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 50 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 192 g | 177 g |
| Released | Mar 2021 | Jan 2022 |
Summary: OnePlus 9 is ahead on wired charging, ram (max), screen size, main camera. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is ahead on 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 FE 5G is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Type | Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.55 inches | 6.4 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~402 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Platform
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (USA/some regions) or Exynos 2100 (International) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Snapdragon 888 / Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Exynos 2100 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Adreno 660 - Snapdragon 888 / Mali-G78 MP14 - Exynos 2100 |
| OS | — | Android 12, upgradable to Android 14 (One UI 6) |
Memory
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | — |
Main Camera
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 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 | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Triple | — | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚ (ultrawide) |
Selfie Camera
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Modules | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm | — |
| Features | Auto-HDR | HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| Single | — | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) |
Battery
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 65W wired, 100% in 29 min (advertised); 15W wireless (Qi) | 25W wired (50% in 30 min advertised), 15W wireless, Reverse wireless charging |
Body
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Dimensions | 160 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 192g (EU/NA), 183g (IN/CN) | 177 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), plastic frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | — | Single SIM or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| IP Rating | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 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 | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 23 | 2022, January 04 |
| Status | Released 2021, March 26 | Available. Released 2022, January 07 |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, OxygenOS 13 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more RAM, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
OnePlus 9 — 12 GB for the OnePlus 9 versus 8 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Which is lighter, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G — 192 g for the OnePlus 9 versus 177 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Which is newer, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G — Mar 2021 for the OnePlus 9 versus Jan 2022 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Is the OnePlus 9 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G rated higher?
We rate the OnePlus 9 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G 8/10.
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