iPhone 17 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
72.9Performance37.2
65.6Display56.3
53.2Camera72
55.1Battery46.4
89.3Features78.7
10 spec wins — iPhone 177 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
iPhone 17 wins this phone face-off, 65.6 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+36) and features (+11). Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone 17
- Stronger performance score: 73 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 66 vs 56
- Stronger battery score: 55 vs 46
- Stronger features score: 89 vs 79
- 300% higher Ultra-wide: 48 MP vs 12 MP
- Lower launch price: $799 vs $1,199
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 53
- 400% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 2 x
- 125% higher Main camera: 108 MP vs 48 MP
- 122% higher Front camera: 40 MP vs 18 MP
- 50% higher RAM (max): 12 GB vs 8 GB
Display
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.3 ″ | 6.8 ″+8% |
| Panel type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1206x2622 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 515 ppi+12% |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 3,000 nits+100% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 90.9 % | — |
| 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 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A19 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTu 10 | 1,900,000+142%Top 13% | 783,817Top 65% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,600+152%Top 3% | 1,430Top 52% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 8,800+148%Top 7% | 3,550Top 56% |
| RAM (max) | 8 GB | 12 GB+50% |
| Storage options | 256/512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 48 MP | 108 MP+125% |
| Main aperture | f/1.6 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 48 MP+300% | 12 MP |
| Telephoto | — | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | 2 x | 10 x+400% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 18 MP | 40 MP+122% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 3,692 mAh | 5,000 mAh+35% |
| Wired charging | 40 W+60% | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W+67% | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | 12 h | — |
Design
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 177 g+22% | 228 g |
| Thickness | 8 mm+11% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 26 | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| OS update pledge | 6 years+50% | 4 years |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone 17 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |