OnePlus Nord 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
43.1Performance37.2
66.8Display56.3
49.8Camera72
78Battery46.4
70.7Features78.7
10 spec wins — OnePlus Nord 56 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
OnePlus Nord 5 wins this phone face-off, 58.9 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+32) and display (+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 OnePlus Nord 5
- Stronger performance score: 43 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 67 vs 56
- Stronger battery score: 78 vs 46
- 220% higher Wired charging: 80 W vs 25 W
- 47% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 5,221 vs 3,550
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 50
- Stronger features score: 79 vs 71
- 900% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 1 x
- 116% higher Main camera: 108 MP vs 50 MP
- 50% higher ultra-wide: 12 MP vs 8 MP
Display
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.83 ″ | 6.8 ″ |
| Panel type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1272x2800 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 450 ppi | 515 ppi+14% |
| Refresh rate | 144 Hz+20% | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1,800 nits+20% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 93.6 % | — |
Performance
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTu | — | 783,817Bottom 22% |
| AnTuTu 11 (CPU) | — | 263,424Bottom 17% |
| AnTuTu 11 (GPU) | — | 126,989Bottom 33% |
| AnTuTu 11 (Memory) | — | 165,563Bottom 35% |
| AnTuTu 11 (UX) | — | 227,841Bottom 20% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,025+42%Top 34% | 1,430Top 46% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 5,221+47%Top 35% | 3,550Bottom 50% |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 256/512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 108 MP+116% |
| Main aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 8 MP | 12 MP+50% |
| Telephoto | — | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | 1 x | 10 x+900% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 50 MP+25% | 40 MP |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 6,800 mAh+36% | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 80 W+220% | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 0 W | 15 W |
Design
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 211 g+7% | 228 g |
| Thickness | 8.1 mm+9% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP65 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Plastic | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | No | Yes |
Software
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 15 (OxygenOS 15) | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| OS update pledge | 4 years | 4 years |
Audio
| Spec | OnePlus Nord 5 | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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