Apple iPhone 13 mini vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 13 mini 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
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Price | $206 | $137 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 2,438 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | — | 8 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 5.4 in | 6.4 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 141 g | 177 g |
| Released | Sep 2021 | Jan 2022 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 13 mini is ahead on storage (max), weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is ahead on battery, wired charging, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G 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 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak) |
| Size | 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm² (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.4 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield front | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch | — |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| OS | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 17.5.1 | Android 12, upgradable to Android 14 (One UI 6) |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (USA/some regions) or Exynos 2100 (International) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) | 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 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 660 - Snapdragon 888 / Mali-G78 MP14 - Exynos 2100 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| RAM | 4GB | — |
| Internal Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Card slot | — | No |
| Internal | — | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Modules | Dual 12 MP | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS | — |
| Ultra Wide | 12 MP, f/2.4, 120°, 13mm (ultrawide) | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Cinematic mode, Photographic Styles | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. | 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
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Modules | Dual 12 MP | — |
| TrueDepth | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" | — |
| SL 3D | SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) | — |
| Features | HDR, Cinematic mode | HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| Single | — | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Type | Li-Ion 2438 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery 2.0, MagSafe wireless charging 15W, Qi magnetic fast wireless charging 7.5W | 25W wired (50% in 30 min advertised), 15W wireless, Reverse wireless charging |
Body
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 in) | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 141 g (4.97 oz) | 177 g |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM | Single SIM or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) | — |
| IP Rating | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| 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, BDS, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | — | No |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G |
| Announced | September 14, 2021 | 2022, January 04 |
| Status | Released September 24, 2021 | Available. Released 2022, January 07 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 13 mini or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G — 2,438 mAh for the Apple iPhone 13 mini versus 4,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 13 mini or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
Apple iPhone 13 mini — 141 g for the Apple iPhone 13 mini versus 177 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 13 mini or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G — Sep 2021 for the Apple iPhone 13 mini versus Jan 2022 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Is the Apple iPhone 13 mini or the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 13 mini 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G 8/10.
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