Apple iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE – Price, Specs & Features

Q: Which phone has better performance, the Apple iPhone 16 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?

In this comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 with the A18 (3 nm) performs better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with the Snapdragon 888 (5 nm), thanks to its more efficient chipset.

Apple iPhone 16 alternatives

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE alternatives

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Redmi Note 13 Pro+

Motorola Edge 60 Stylus

Infinix GT 30 Pro

Samsung Galaxy A35

Realme 12 Pro+

Your comparison result will be shown here.

Apple iPhone 16

A18
3 nm
3561 mAh
45W
6.1"
1179 x 2556 pixels
48 MP
4K@24/25/30/60fps
Specs

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

Snapdragon 888
5 nm
4500 mAh
25W
6.4"
1080 x 2340 pixels
12 MP
4K@30/60fps
Specs

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

General

Launch Date

September 09, 2024

January 04, 2022

Availability

Available Now

iOS 18

Android 12

Custom UI

One UI 4

OS Updates

7 Years

4 Years

Security Updates

7 Years

5 Years

AI Features

Apple Intelligence

Body

Dimensions

147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm

155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm

Thickness

7.8 mm

7.9 mm

Weight

170 g

177 g

Back Material

Gorilla Glass

Build Details

Aluminum Frame

Plastic Back, Aluminum Frame

IP Rating

IP68 (up to 6m for 30 min)

IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 min)

Display

Size

6.1 inches

6.4 inches

Type

Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10

Dynamic AMOLED 2X, HDR10, Always-on display

Refresh Rate

60 Hz

120 Hz

Peak Brightness

2000 nits

1200 nits

Resolution

1179 x 2556 pixels

1080 x 2340 pixels

Pixel Density

461 ppi

403 ppi

Aspect Ratio

19.5:9

Screen to Body Ratio

86.4 %

86.7 %

Protection

Gorilla Glass

Gorilla Glass Victus

Performance

Comparison 1

Compare Version 1

With Version 1

Chipset

Apple A18

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888

Process Size

3 nm

5 nm

CPU

Hexa-core

Octa-core
1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1
3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78
4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55

GPU

Apple GPU (5-core graphics)

Adreno 660

RAM & Storage

8GB 128GB (NVMe)
8GB 256GB (NVMe)
8GB 512GB (NVMe)

8GB 128GB (UFS 3.1)
8GB 256GB (UFS 3.1)

RAM Type

LPDDR5X

LPDDR5

Expandable Memory

Comparison 2

With Version 2

Chipset

Exynos 2100

Process Size

5 nm

CPU

Octa-core
1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1
3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78
4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55

GPU

Mali-G78 MP14

RAM & Storage

8GB 128GB (UFS 3.1)
8GB 256GB (UFS 3.1)

RAM Type

LPDDR5

Expandable Memory

Camera

Main Camera

48 MP
f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS

12 MP
f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF

12 MP
f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS

8 MP
f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom

12 MP
f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm

OIS

Yes

Features

Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)

LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus

Video Recording

4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps

4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60/240fps
720p@960fps

Video Recording Features

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.

Slo-motion, HDR10+, gyro-EIS

Selfie Camera

12 MP
f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF
SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

32 MP
f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm

Selfie Features

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.

HDR

Selfie Video Recording

4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120fps

4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60fps

Connectivity

SIM

Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
SIM1: Nano, SIM2: eSIM

Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
SIM1: Nano, SIM2: Nano

SIM 1 5G Bands

26 Bands

FDD: N1, N2, N3, N5, N7, N8, N12, N14, N20, N25, N26, N28, N30, N66
TDD: N38, N40, N41, N48, N53, N70, N71, N75, N76, N77, N78, N79

12 Bands

FDD: N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28, N66
TDD: N38, N40, N41, N78

SIM 2 5G Bands

26 Bands

FDD: N1, N2, N3, N5, N7, N8, N12, N14, N20, N25, N26, N28, N30, N66
TDD: N38, N40, N41, N48, N53, N70, N71, N75, N76, N77, N78, N79

12 Bands

FDD: N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28, N66
TDD: N38, N40, N41, N78

VoLTE

Yes

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi Details

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/be/ax 5GHz 6GHz, MIMO

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 5GHz 6GHz, MIMO

Wi-Fi Features

Mobile Hotspot

Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot

USB

USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort

USB Type-C, OTG

Bluetooth

5.3

5.0

NFC

Yes

GPS

Yes with A-GPS, Glonass

Infrared

Yes

UWB (Ultra Wideband)

Yes

Battery

Capacity

3561 mAh

4500 mAh

Type

Li-Ion

Li-ion

Removable

Wired charging

45W

25W

Charging Speed

50% in 30 min

Wireless Charging

25W

15W

Reverse Wireless Charging

Charger in the Box

Sound

Stereo Speakers

Yes

3.5mm Headphone Jack

FM Radio

Extra Features

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

Others

Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Samsung DeX

Colors and Pricing

Colors

Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine

White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive

Price in India

₹79900

₹27999

FAQs

Which phone has better performance?

In this comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 with the Apple A18 (3nm) performs better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5nm), thanks to its more efficient chipset.

Which phone offers longer software support?

The Apple iPhone 16 offers 7 years of OS updates, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE provides 4 years. When it comes to security updates, Apple iPhone 16 leads with 7 years of support.

Which phone has a better display?

Both phones feature AMOLED displays. Moreover, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE offers a higher 120 Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling. Apple iPhone 16 also has a brighter display with 2000 nits, improving outdoor visibility. Notably, Apple iPhone 16 has a higher resolution display, resulting in sharper visuals.

Which phone has a bigger battery and faster charging?

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a larger 4500 mAh battery for longer usage. Apple iPhone 16 supports faster wired charging at 45W. Apple iPhone 16 also offers faster wireless charging at 25W.

Which phone has better water and dust resistance?

Both phones have the same IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.