iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
66Performance37.2
40.7Display56.3
44.3Camera72
47Battery46.4
89.3Features78.7
8 spec wins — iPhone 168 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: iPhone 16 scores 55.1 against 53.9 for Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Pick by the categories that matter to you — iPhone 16 edges ahead in performance and features, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone 16
- Stronger performance score: 66 vs 37
- Stronger features score: 89 vs 79
- 131% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,300 vs 1,430
- 128% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 8,100 vs 3,550
- 85% higher AnTuTu 10: 1,450,000 vs 783,817
- Lower launch price: $799 vs $1,199
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger display score: 56 vs 41
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 44
- 400% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 2 x
- 233% higher Front camera: 40 MP vs 12 MP
- 125% higher Main camera: 108 MP vs 48 MP
Display
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.1 ″ | 6.8 ″+11% |
| Panel type | Super Retina XDR OLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1179x2556 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 515 ppi+12% |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 2,000 nits+33% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 86.4 % | — |
| AnTuTu 10 (CPU) | — | 263,424Top 88% |
| AnTuTu 10 (GPU) | — | 126,989Top 82% |
| AnTuTu 10 (Memory) | — | 165,563Top 72% |
| AnTuTu 10 (UX) | — | 227,841Top 82% |
Performance
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A18 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTu 10 | 1,450,000+85%Top 25% | 783,817Top 65% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,300+131%Top 5% | 1,430Top 52% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 8,100+128%Top 10% | 3,550Top 56% |
| RAM (max) | 8 GB | 12 GB+50% |
| Storage options | 128/256/512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 48 MP | 108 MP+125% |
| Main aperture | f/1.6 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Telephoto | — | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | 2 x | 10 x+400% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 40 MP+233% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 3,561 mAh | 5,000 mAh+40% |
| Wired charging | 25 W | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W+67% | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | 11 h | — |
Design
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 170 g+25% | 228 g |
| Thickness | 7.8 mm+12% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 18 | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| OS update pledge | 6 years+50% | 4 years |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone 16 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |