OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
A spec-by-spec comparison of the OnePlus 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Price | $175 | $167 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 12 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 our rating, wired charging, screen size, main camera. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 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 is the cheaper option.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Type | Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Size | 6.55 inches | 6.4 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~402 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Platform
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Version 1 or Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - Version 2 |
| 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) - Version 1 or Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Adreno 660 - Version 1 or Mali-G78 MP14 - Version 2 |
| OS | — | Android 12, upgradable to Android 16 (One UI 8) |
Memory
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | — |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | — |
| RAM | — | 6GB, 8GB |
| Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB |
Main Camera
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| 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, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide) |
Selfie Camera
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| 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 |
|---|
| 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, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| 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 (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Colors | — | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive |
| Durability | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| OnePlus 9 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| 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 |
|---|
| 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 is lighter, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — 192 g for the OnePlus 9 versus 177 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Which is newer, OnePlus 9 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — Mar 2021 for the OnePlus 9 versus Jan 2022 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Is the OnePlus 9 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE rated higher?
We rate the OnePlus 9 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 7/10.
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