Apple iPhone 12 Mini vs Samsung Galaxy S21
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S21, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 2,227 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 5.4 in | 6.2 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 64 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 135 g | 169 g |
| Released | Nov 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 12 Mini is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S21 is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Size | 5.4 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| OS | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 17.5.1 (as of current date) | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 (with One UI 6.1) |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) | — |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) | — |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | — |
| 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
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Card Slot | No | No |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM | — |
| RAM | — | 8GB |
| Internal Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), dual pixel PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide) | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec. | 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
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Features | HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 2227 mAh, non-removable (8.57 Wh) | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery 2.0 | 25W wired, PD3.0; 15W wireless (Qi/PMA); 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 in) | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM | Dual Nano-SIM; eSIM |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) | — |
| Water Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only) |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|
| Announced | October 13, 2020 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released November 13, 2020 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 12 Mini or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — 2,227 mAh for the Apple iPhone 12 Mini versus 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 12 Mini or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Apple iPhone 12 Mini — 135 g for the Apple iPhone 12 Mini versus 169 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 12 Mini or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — Nov 2020 for the Apple iPhone 12 Mini versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Is the Apple iPhone 12 Mini or the Samsung Galaxy S21 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 12 Mini 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 8/10.
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