Apple iPhone 15 (256GB) vs Samsung Galaxy S21+
Side by side comparison between Apple iPhone 15 vs Samsung Galaxy S21+ Plus phones, differences, pros, cons and full specifications. What's the better?
,
6.1"
OLED
OLED
1179x2556
48
MP
MP
12mp
6GB
RAM
RAM
Hexa-core
3349
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
vs
6.7"
AMOLED
AMOLED
1080x2400
12.2
MP
MP
10mp
8GB
RAM
RAM
Octa-core
4800
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
What's the better phone? Apple iPhone 15 (256GB)
The phonemore's choice is much more technical than personal. Therefore, you shouldn't only consider this. Our goal is to help you, but what's important to us may not be important to you. You decide which one is the best! Comment!
14 Advantages 
13 Advantages | 34 Common items in both devices |
| 7.8 millimeters (0.31 inches) |
| Aluminum frame, glass front/back |
| Super Retina XDR OLED / Dynamic AMOLED |
| Dolby Vision/HDR10 / HDR10+ |
| PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| OIS: Optical stabilization |
| BSI sensor |
| +27 specs and more in the table below |
Check the comparison table below for more items that are not evaluated in comparison score above.
Highlight differences Clear highlight📱 Model features | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Model | iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ |
| Other model names | iPhone 15 (A2846, A3089, A3090, A3092) | Galaxy S21 Plus 5G SM-G996B/DS |
| Country or region available |  (Global, International) | (Global, International) |
| Brand | Apple | Samsung |
| Release date | 9/22/2023, Announced: 9/12/2023 | 1/29/2021, Announced: 1/14/2021 |
| Depth | 7.8 millimeters (0.31 inches) | 7.8 millimeters (0.31 inches) |
| Size (width x height) | 71.6 x 147.6 millimeters (2.82 x 5.81 in) | 75.6 x 161.5 millimeters (2.98 x 6.36 in) |
| Weight | 171 grams (5.99 ounces) | 200 grams (7 ounces) |
| Build, materials | Aluminum frame, glass front/back | Aluminum frame, glass front/back |
| Protection against water and others | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant |
📲 Display | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Display type | Super Retina XDR OLED | Dynamic AMOLED |
| Screen size | 6.1" inches | 6.7" inches |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~86.4% (screen-to-body ratio) | ~88.8% (screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display resolution | 1179x2556 pixels (19.5:9) | 1080x2400 pixels (20:9) |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points |
| Pixel density (dot pitch) | 461 PPI | 393 PPI |
| Colors | 1 billion | 16 million |
| Scratch-resistant glass | Ceramic Shield | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Display features | 1000nits[typ], 2000nits[peak] Dolby Vision/HDR10 Oleophobic coating screen True-tone Wide color gamut | 1300nits[peak] HDR10+ Always-On Display |
🤖 Operating System | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| System version | iOS 17 | Android 11 |
| Firmware update | iOS 18 | Android 15 |
| User Interface | feature not registered | One UI 3.1 / 4.1 / 5.1 / 6.0 / 7.0 |
⚙️ Processor | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Chipset | 64bit: Apple A16 Bionic (4nm) | 64bit: Samsung Exynos 2100 (5nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core, 2 processors: 2x 3.46GHz Everest (Dual-core) 4x 2GHz Sawtooth (Quad-core) | Octa-core, 3 processors: 1x 2.9GHz ARM Cortex-X1 (Single-core) 3x 2.8GHz ARM Cortex-A78 (Triple-core) 4x 2.2GHz ARM Cortex-A55 (Quad-core) |
| GPU graphical controller | Apple GPU (5-core) | ARM Mali-G78 MP14 (854MHz) |
| Performance (benchmark) | AnTuTu: 968212 (v9) Geekbench: 5346 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 622276 (v8) Geekbench: 3476 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
💽 Memory and storage | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| RAM memory | 6GB LPDDR4X | 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Internal storage | 256GB (230GB available) NVMe (SSD) | 128GB (104GB available) UFS 3.1 |
| External storage | Not supported | Not supported |
📶 Mobile networks | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card |
| SIM card | 1 slot (Single-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) + e-SIM | 2 slots (Dual-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) + e-SIM |
| Maximum Download / Upload | 5000/1024 Mbps | 5000/1920 Mbps |
| Network technology | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Frequency, bands | Expand band details Collapse details | |
| GSM MHz band | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 2G network | CDMA 800/1900, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | CDMA 800/1900, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 3G network | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO TD-SCDMA 1900/2000 UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Primary 4G network | LTE Cat20 VoLTE A2890, A2891, A2892 version: LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 66) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48) A2650, A2889 version: LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53) | LTE Cat24 () TD-LTE () VoLTE |
| Primary 5G network | A2890, A2891, A2892 version: SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79) A2650 version: SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261) A2889 version: SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 77, 78, 79) | SA/NSA/Sub6 () |
| Primary data network | GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A, SA/NSA, Sub6 | GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A, TD-SCDMA, UMTS, TD-HSDPA, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A, SA/NSA, Sub6 |
| Secondary 2G network | Not supported | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Secondary 3G network | Not supported | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Secondary 4G network | Not supported | LTE Cat24 () TD-LTE () VoLTE |
| Secondary data network | Not supported | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A |
📷 Camera | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Back camera (main camera) | (dual camera) 48 megapixels 12MP ultrawide f/2.413mm120° | (triple camera) 12.2 megapixels 64MP telephoto f/2.029mm1/1.72"0.8µmPDAFOIS1.1x-optical-zoom3x-hybrid-zoom 12MP ultrawide f/2.213mm120°1/2.55"1.4µmSuper-Steady-video |
| Main camera resolution | 8000x6000 pixels | 4032x3024 pixels |
| Video recording (primary) | 4K UHD (3840x2160) 60 fps | 8K UHD (7680x4320) 24 fps |
| Flash | Dual-LED flash | LED flash |
| Focal aperture | f/1.6 (aperture) | f/1.8 (aperture) |
| Focal length | 26mm (lens) | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | 1/1.28" inches | 1/1.76" inches |
| Pixel size | 1µm pixel | 1.8µm pixel |
| Autofocus | PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras | PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| Touch focus | Supported | Supported |
| Image stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization |
| Zoom | Only digital zoom | Digital and optical zoom |
| Face/smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection |
| BSI sensor | Supported | Supported |
| HDR | HDR photo/video on both cameras | HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| Camera extras | 4K@24/25/30/60fps 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps Dolby Vision HDR (60fps) | 4K@60fps 1080p@240fps 720p@960fps |
📸 Front camera | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Front camera (secondary) | (dual front camera) 12 megapixels 0.3MP SL 3D | 10 megapixels |
| Front camera resolution | 4000x3000 pixels | 3872x2592 pixels |
| Video recording (secondary) | 4K UHD (3840x2160) | 4K UHD (3840x2160) |
| Front flash | Not supported | Not supported |
| Focal aperture | f/1.9 (aperture) | f/2.2 (aperture) |
| Focal length | 23mm (lens) | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | 1/3.6" inches | 1/3.24" inches |
| Pixel size | feature not registered | 1.22µm pixel |
🔉 Sound and multimedia | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Loudspeaker | Stereo sound Dolby Atmos | Stereo sound 32-bit/384kHz Dolby Atmos Tuned by AKG |
| Active noise cancellation | 3 microphones | 2 microphones |
| Radio | Not supported | FM |
| TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Video formats | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, XviD, MKV | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, XviD, MKV |
| Audio formats | MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC | MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC |
🔌 Connectivity | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| USB | USB 2.0 Type-C reversible connector | USB 3.2 Type-C, USB OTG On-The-Go |
| Audio output | Type-C reversible connector | Type-C reversible connector |
| TV output | USB Type-C (reversible) | USB Type-C (reversible) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 + A2DP/LE | 5.0 + A2DP/LE |
| WiFi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax [wifi6] (2.4GHz, 5GHz) + MIMO WiFi hotspot | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax [wifi6] (2.4GHz, 5GHz) + MIMO WiFi Direct, hotspot |
| DLNA | Not supported | Supported |
| GPS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, QZSS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou |
| NFC | Supported | Supported |
| Infrared port | Not supported | Not supported |
🧭 Sensors | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Barometer Compass Face unlock 3D Gyroscope Proximity sensor UWB (Ultra Wideband) | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Barometer Compass Face unlock 2D Fingerprint sensor (under display) Gesture Gyroscope Hall effect Proximity sensor UWB (Ultra Wideband) |
| Vibrating alert | Supported | Supported |
🔋 Battery | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Battery type | Li-Ion: lithium-ion (Non removable) | LiPo: li-ion polymer (Non removable) |
| Battery capacity | 3349 mAh | 4800 mAh |
| Charger, watts | 20W Wired fast charging 4.5W Reverse charging by cable USB Power Delivery 2.0 | 25W Wired fast charging USB Power Delivery 3.0 |
| Inductive / wireless charging | 15W Qi wireless charging | 15W Qi wireless charging (Qi/PMA) 4.5W Reverse wireless charging |
| Talk time autonomy | feature not registered | feature not registered |
| Standby | feature not registered | feature not registered |
➕ Other features | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| Call control | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands |
| Messaging | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail |
| Hands-free calling | Supported | Supported |
| Video calling | Supported | Supported |
| Ringtones | Polyphonic and customized | Polyphonic and customized |
| Web browser | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 |
| Antenna | Internal antenna | Internal antenna |
| Qwerty physical keyboard | Not supported | Not supported |
| Miscellaneous | • Colors: Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink • Apple Pay • Face ID • MagSafe | • Colors: Phantom Black, Silver, Gold, Red, Violet, Pink • Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard) • Samsung DeX |
☢️ Radiation rate | ||
| iPhone 15 (256GB) | Galaxy S21+ | |
| SAR 1.6W/kg (USA, Mexico, etc.) | feature not registered | feature not registered |
| SAR 2W/kg (Europe, UK, etc.) | feature not registered | 0.541W/kg (head), 1.335W/kg (body) |