Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Xiaomi 18 Pro Max
37.2Performance64.4
56.3Display69.8
72Camera83.6
46.4Battery92
78.7Features86.7
4 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra11 spec wins — Xiaomi 18 Pro Max
InnoReviews verdict
Xiaomi 18 Pro Max wins this phone face-off, 77.1 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+46) and performance (+27). 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 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- 213% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 3.2 x
- 23% higher Pixel density: 515 ppi vs 418 ppi
- Has eSIM — the other doesn't
Reasons to pick the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max
- Stronger performance score: 64 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 70 vs 56
- Stronger camera score: 84 vs 72
- Stronger battery score: 92 vs 46
- Stronger features score: 87 vs 79
Display
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.8 ″ | 6.9 ″+1% |
| Panel type | LTPO AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 3200x1440 | 1208x2624 |
| Pixel density | 515 ppi+23% | 418 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1,500 nits | 4,000 nits+167% |
| Screen-to-body | — | 91.6 % |
Performance
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 2100 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 |
| 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) | 1,430Top 46% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 3,550Bottom 50% | — |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 16 GB+33% |
| Storage options | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 256/512GB/1TB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 4.1 |
Camera
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 108 MP | 200 MP+85% |
| Main aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.7 |
| Ultra-wide | 12 MP | 50 MP+317% |
| Telephoto | 10 MP | 200 MP+1900% |
| Optical zoom | 10 x+213% | 3.2 x |
| Max video | 8K@24fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 40 MP | 50 MP+25% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 mAh | 8,500 mAh+70% |
| Wired charging | 25 W | 100 W+300% |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 50 W+233% |
Design
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 228 g+3% | 235 g |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm | 8.4 mm+6% |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP66/IP68/IP69 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 6.0 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | No |
Software
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) | Android 17 (HyperOS 4) |
| OS update pledge | 4 years | — |
Audio
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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