Samsung Galaxy S21 5G vs Xiaomi Mi 11
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and the Xiaomi Mi 11, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Price | $141 | $529 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,600 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 55W |
| RAM (max) | 8 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.2 in | 6.81 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 64 MP | 108 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 169 g | 196 g |
| Released | Jan 2021 | Feb 2021 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Xiaomi Mi 11 is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Xiaomi Mi 11 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.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.81 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels (QHD+), 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | Always-on display, Eye Comfort Shield | — |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14, One UI 6.1 | Android 11, MIUI 12 (upgradable to Android 14, HyperOS) |
| Chipset | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - International; Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU | 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 | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Mali-G78 MP14 - International; Adreno 660 - USA/China | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Card slot | No | — |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | — |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | — |
| RAM | — | 8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| 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 | — |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/480fps, 720p@1920fps |
| Modules | — | 108 MP, f/1.85, 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS (wide); 13 MP, f/2.4, 123˚ (ultrawide); 5 MP, f/2.4 (telemacro, AF 3-10cm) |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF | — |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@30fps |
| Modules | — | 20 MP, f/2.2 |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 4600 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless | 55W wired, 100% in 45 min (advertised); 50W wireless, 100% in 53 min (advertised); 10W reverse wireless |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) | 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.06 mm (glass) / 8.56 mm (vegan leather) |
| Weight | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz) | 196 g (glass) / 194 g (vegan leather) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5) or eco-leather 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) | — |
| Water Resistance | — | No official IP rating |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| 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 | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Infrared Port | — | Yes |
| Radio | — | No |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Xiaomi Mi 11 |
|---|
| Announced | January 14, 2021 | December 28, 2020 (China) |
| Released | January 29, 2021 | — |
| Status | — | Released February 8, 2021 (Global) |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Mi 11?
Xiaomi Mi 11 — 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G versus 4,600 mAh for the Xiaomi Mi 11.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Mi 11?
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G — 169 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G versus 196 g for the Xiaomi Mi 11.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Mi 11?
Xiaomi Mi 11 — Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G versus Feb 2021 for the Xiaomi Mi 11.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or the Xiaomi Mi 11 rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 8/10 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 8/10.
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