The Galaxy S21 Plus does plenty of issues proper, from an enormous, stunning show to wonderful efficiency. Nonetheless, so does its direct competitor, the iPhone 12 Pro. Which one finally ends up being higher for you is dependent upon what you need from a cellphone, and whether or not Android or iOS is extra your fashion.
The reality is, each telephones are unimaginable gadgets. They price $999 and are drastically completely different in measurement. The Galaxy S21 Plus is an enormous cellphone, whereas the iPhone 12 Professional is extra compact. And though the bigger, extra sturdy Galaxy S21 Ultra exists, it competes with the iPhone 12 Pro Max somewhat than the smaller 12 Professional.
How does Samsung’s newest stack up in opposition to Apple’s greatest? It’s a fairly shut struggle. Our Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional face-off will shed some mild on how these telephones evaluate.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Specs
| Galaxy S21 Plus | iPhone 12 Professional | |
| Beginning value | $999 | $999 |
| Display measurement | 6.7-inch AMOLED (2400×1080) | 6.1-inch OLED (2532×1170) |
| Refresh price | 48Hz – 120Hz | 60Hz |
| CPU | Snapdragon 888 | A14 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| microSD | No | No |
| Rear cameras | 12MP extensive (f/1.8), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 64MP telephoto (f/2.0) with 3x hybrid zoom/30x digital | 12MP extensive (f/1.6), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.0) with 2x optical zoom/10x digital |
| Entrance digicam | 10MP (f/2.2) | 12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2) |
| Water resistance | IP68 as much as 1.5 m | IP68 as much as 6 m |
| Battery measurement | 4,800 mAh | 2,815 mAh |
| Battery life | 9:41 (adaptive) / 9:53 (60Hz) | 9:06 |
| Dimension | 6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 inches | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches |
| Weight | 7.05 ounces | 6.66 ounces |
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Value
Samsung appears to have discovered a lesson from the overpriced Galaxy S20 sequence, as a result of all three S21 gadgets are $200 cheaper. You possibly can decide up a Galaxy S21 Plus beginning at $999 for the 128GB mannequin from Samsung or your service. For an additional $50, you’ll be able to double the storage to 256GB. Make sure you take a look at our best Galaxy S21 deals first.
Apple launched the iPhone 12 sequence in October, with the iPhone 12 Professional beginning at $999 for the bottom 128GB mannequin. You possibly can soar to 256GB for one more $100, or load as much as 512GB for a complete of $1,299. We’ve rounded up the best iPhone 12 deals for you, so drop by to ensure you’re getting the most effective value.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is available in both 128GB or 256GB of storage, whereas the iPhone 12 Professional is out there in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. It’s good that each handsets begin at 128GB of storage for his or her base variants, as that’s plenty of storage for most individuals. However storage junkies will probably need the 512GB possibility, particularly because the Galaxy S21 Plus lacks a microSD card slot.
Winner: Draw
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Design
Each the Galaxy S21 Plus and iPhone 12 Professional are marvels of engineering, packing in highly effective {hardware} into stunning our bodies. They every have a glass again, although the S21 Plus’ has a matte end on it that feels so much just like the polycarbonate Galaxy S21. The tender contact coating on the blue iPhone 12 Professional feels nice and grippy. I’ve no fears about dropping this cellphone, thanks partially to its diminutive measurement.
The Galaxy S21 Plus homes its triple digicam module right into a contour that blends seamlessly with the cellphone’s body. In the meantime, the iPhone 12 Professional appears to be like similar to the 11 Professional, however Apple did away with the curved edges. As an alternative, the 12 Professional’s body could be very squared off, which isn’t as snug or ergonomic to carry.
As you would possibly count on, the Galaxy S21 Plus is the bigger cellphone, coming in at 6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 inches and seven.05 ounces. The iPhone 12 Professional is a a lot smaller 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches and 6.66 ounces. Each telephones characteristic an IP68 water- and dust-resistance score, however the iPhone can survive for half-hour at a deeper depth (6 m) versus the S21 Plus (1.5 m).
The Galaxy S21 Plus is available in Phantom Violet, Phantom Black, and Phantom Silver. Phantom Gold and Phantom Crimson are additionally accessible as Samsung.com exclusives. The iPhone 12 Professional is out there in Graphite, Silver, Gold, and Pacific Blue.
Regardless of them each being excellently-design telephones, we now have to present the benefit to the iPhone 12 Professional for its higher water resistance score.
Winner: iPhone 12 Professional
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Show
The Galaxy S21 Plus and iPhone 12 Professional each use OLED shows, and also you’d be hard-pressed to inform them aside in most use instances. The S21 Plus has a 6.7-inch 2400 x 1080 Dynamic AMOLED display with a variable 48Hz – 120Hz refresh price. Because of this the display refreshes sooner, which ends up in the next body price within the working system. That equals smoother scrolling and better body charges in video games that assist excessive refresh price shows.
The iPhone 12 Professional makes use of a 6.1-inch 2532 x 1170 Tremendous Retina XDR OLED show, although it’s locked to 60Hz. Fortunately, iOS already appears to be like actually easy with scrolling and animations, however it’s not fairly the identical as Android at as much as 120 frames per second. Nonetheless, the 12 Professional’s show is kind of unimaginable and delightful to take a look at.
As with all telephones, we put these two by some lab exams to get a greater concept about their shade accuracy and replica. For the Galaxy S21 Plus, within the Pure mode, it managed to breed 103.8% of the sRGB house and 73.% of the DCI-P3 gamut. The S21 Plus registered a Delta-E shade accuracy rating (the place 0 is ideal), of 0.18.
The iPhone 12 Professional managed 115.6% of the sRGB gamut and 81.9% of DCI-P3. Its Delta-E rating was 0.28, a far cry from the Galaxy S21 Plus’. Each telephones, nevertheless, get lots vibrant, with the S21 Plus managing 747 nits and the 12 Professional getting 743 nits.
Each shows are wonderful by any technique of measurement, informal or technical. Nonetheless, we will solely crown one winner on this class and we now have to present it to the Galaxy S21 Plus with its greater refresh price.
Winner: Galaxy S21 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Cameras
Each telephones use triple digicam lens setups, and so they’re remarkably comparable. The Galaxy S21 Plus has a 12MP primary wide-angle shooter, with a 12MP ultrawide and a 64MP 3x telephoto. The iPhone 12 Professional additionally makes use of a 12MP wide-angle and a 12MP ultrawide, however its telephoto lens is backed by a 12MP sensor.
In observe, the S21 Plus and iPhone 12 Professional every produce incredible pictures, although they every take completely different approaches to post-processing. Samsung strays towards brighter scenes and smoother faces, whereas the iPhone stays a bit extra true to life (much like the Pixels). The magic for each gadgets lies in software program.
The iPhone 12 Professional with the A14 Bionic sports activities Apple’s greatest computational images efforts. It additionally has the most effective model of Night time Mode, stable zoom efficiency, and wonderful post-processing. The Galaxy S21 Plus comes filled with Samsung’s newest options just like the loopy House Zoom, zoom lock, Director’s View and a bunch extra. Right here’s how these two telephones evaluate.
On this photograph of the affiliation pool close to my home, you’ll be able to see variations proper off the bat. The S21 Plus oversaturated the picture, making the tall timber within the background and the bush within the foreground extra verdant. You can too see how a lot brighter the whole lot is, as a result of that very same bush to the left is way extra seen than within the iPhone’s shot.
However I want the iPhone’s picture right here, as a result of the shadow within the foreground is deeper, the umbrella is a darker inexperienced, and the image doesn’t have the bizarre soft-brushed impact that the S21 Plus’ does.
On this outside photograph, you’ll be able to see an analogous sample. The Galaxy S21 Plus bumps up the publicity, making the sky a vibrant blue, and softening the entire picture. It appears to be like a bit surreal to me. The iPhone 12 Professional reproduces the scene higher. The shadows are deeper, there’s a more true sense of depth, and the image as an entire appears to be like extra drab because it’s winter. I’ve to present it to the iPhone right here.
Transferring inside, I challenged every cellphone to take an honest photograph of my RGB keyboard. The colours radiate from the middle hypnotically. Beginning with the S21 Plus, the cellphone’s tendency to bump up the publicity works in opposition to it right here. The keyboard appears to be like a bit blown out and blurry. The white keycaps are laborious to learn. With the iPhone’s shot, the colours look a bit richer, the publicity is stored in verify, and the keycap legends are extra legible.
The vital factor with these portrait photographs is how these telephones approached the picture of me again up in opposition to the entrance of my home. The S21 Plus’ shot could be very cool, overly smoothed, and it feels a bit bizarre to me. However the iPhone’s portrait isn’t a lot better. Because the solar units, the 12 Professional warmed the whole lot up. My face is usually very ruddy, however the iPhone exaggerates this to a small diploma.
Alternatively, the redness in my beard is extra acceptable and true-to-life. It’s laborious to name a winner right here so each telephones struggled to seize my likeness appropriately. They each utilized an analogous blur radius on the background for that bokeh impact. This one is a draw.
On this selfie comparability, I’m actually at a loss on which one I like higher. On one hand, the Galaxy S21 Plus’ photograph is softer and it regulates the tough daylight within the background higher. You possibly can nonetheless make out particulars in my face and the stray strands of hair that escaped my pony tail. However however, the iPhone’s selfie has a lot sharper particulars, even when the background is on the verge of blowing out. The fibers of my hoodie look a bit clearer, too. I’m going to name it a draw on this check, as a result of I might actually decide both picture and be completely happy.
Attempting out the completely different night time modes, the outcomes look a bit acquainted. This quantity plate could be very clear in each pictures, however the iPhone’s shot is brighter. You may make out much more element within the bricks and light-weight fixture, and the sunshine from the window is softer and hotter, nearly inviting. Whereas the Galaxy S21 Plus does a superb job, the iPhone 12 Professional does approach higher on this night time mode comparability.
Lastly, I put each telephones to their max zooms to see if they might make out the pink stool on the finish of the highway. Each images are extremely blurry and neither is remotely usable in any context I can consider, however you’ll be able to see how a lot nearer the Galaxy S21 Plus’ 30x zoom received versus the 10x on the iPhone 12 Professional. It’s no contest.
Winner: iPhone 12 Professional
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Efficiency
When it comes all the way down to it, the iPhone 12 Professional is the final word smartphone when it comes to efficiency. Regardless of the Galaxy S21 Plus rocking a Snapdragon 888, Qualcomm’s greatest system-on-chip but, the iPhone 12 Professional’s A14 Bionic continues to steer in uncooked numbers. That’s solely a part of the story, although, and when it comes to real-life use, each telephones really feel fairly equal in most respects.
Gaming, for instance, feels wonderful on both machine. Whether or not it was some Name of Responsibility: Cell, Genshin Impression, or streaming PC video games through Steam Hyperlink, the S21 Plus and 12 Professional each labored exceptionally effectively. Past simply gaming, these telephones simply dealt with internet searching, operating a number of apps concurrently, and watching movies on YouTube, Plex and Crunchyroll.
In our lab exams, each handsets undergo the identical benchmarks in order that we will get an concept of how they carry out. In Geekbench 5, the Galaxy S21 Plus scored 3,300 for multi-core, whereas the iPhone 12 Professional received 3,669.
So far as graphics efficiency, for 3DMark’s Wild Life Limitless, the S21 Plus averaged 33.37 fps. The 12 Professional averaged 51 fps. And when transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in Adobe Premiere Rush, the S21 Plus accomplished the duty in a single minute. The iPhone 12 Professional did it in simply 27 seconds.
Winner: iPhone 12 Professional
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: 5G
Like with the Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12 face-off, we didn’t get an opportunity to place each the Galaxy S21 Plus and iPhone 12 Professional by a full suite of 5G testing. As an alternative, we used a Verizon SIM and a low-band space (mmWave isn’t simply accessible proper now).
Each telephones reported a full sign, sitting in the identical spot in the identical hand for our testing. We carried out 5 dry runs and 5 recorded exams with the Speedtest app and averaged the outcomes collectively. Contemplating how iPhone 12 Professional Max fared in opposition to the Galaxy S21 Extremely in that face-off, these outcomes shocked us.
The Galaxy S21 Plus’ common obtain velocity was a mere 4.3 Mbps, and the iPhone 12 Professional’s was 12 Mbps. It’s one other laughable instance of the state of 5G proper now, particularly the low band Verizon rollout (I stay within the higher Washington, D.C. space). The outcomes needs to be flipped because the iPhone makes use of the X55 modem from Qualcomm, whereas the S21 Plus makes use of the newer X60.
For now, we will not say which cellphone provides higher 5G efficiency, as we’ll should carry out extra testing.
Winner: Draw
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Battery life and charging
5G takes a reasonably large toll on batteries. The iPhone 12 is the primary sequence of iPhones from Apple to make use of the brand new know-how, so some rising pains are inevitable. Due to this, the iPhone 12 Professional didn’t final so long as you would possibly count on given how effectively its LTE-only predecessor did. That’s not the say the cellphone dies rapidly, however its 2,815 mAh battery drains noticeably sooner than the Galaxy S21 Plus’ 4,800 mAh energy pack.
Our battery check is identical for all telephones we overview. Every machine has its show set to 150 nits after which reloads webpages each 30 seconds on a mobile connection (5G on this case) till it dies. The Galaxy S21 Plus underwent two exams, one for its adaptive refresh price and the opposite for the 60Hz mode.
The Galaxy S21 Plus lasted 9 hours and 41 minutes on adaptive (which is the default mode out of the field) and 9 hours and 53 minutes on 60Hz. The iPhone 12 Professional managed 9 hours and 6 minutes. Each telephones are very shut right here, however the S21 Plus ekes out a victory.
For charging, neither telephones features a charging brick within the field. That is meant to save lots of on e-waste and to chop down on prices. You do nonetheless get a USB cable and you should purchase a charging brick individually. The Galaxy S21 Plus helps as much as 25W quick charging, whereas the iPhone 12 Professional helps as much as 20W. You should utilize wi-fi chargers for both cellphone, together with the brand new MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12 Professional.
Winner: Galaxy S21 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: Software program and particular options
Software program is how each telephones stand aside from one another. The Galaxy S21 Plus makes use of Android, particularly its One UI 3 pores and skin atop Android 11. The iPhone 12 Professional makes use of Apple’s iOS 14. These cell working methods do issues very in another way from one another, and so they enchantment to completely different folks.
Samsung not too long ago introduced a brand new coverage for machine assist, saying that it’ll assist a few of its gadgets for 3 main Android updates. That’s excellent news and an enormous enchancment over the Samsung of outdated. The updates will nonetheless lag behind Google’s official Android releases by a number of months generally, however no less than they’re certain to reach in some unspecified time in the future.
The iPhone 12 Professional doesn’t have this drawback. It will get updates the identical day as another supported iPhone. When Apple places out a brand new iOS model, like iOS 15, the iPhone 12 Professional will get it that very same day. It’s a mannequin that some Android customers envy, along with how lengthy Apple helps its telephones.
The Galaxy S21 Plus runs the newest model of Android, Android 11. With this cellphone, Samsung launched One UI 3.1, which introduced plenty of new options. Issues like Google Uncover built-in into the house display, Google Duo constructed into the inventory cellphone app, and an entire lot extra, it was an enormous replace that’s trickling all the way down to different Galaxy gadgets. Samsung likes to throw plenty of software program options at its telephones, and a few stick round.
We’ve already talked about iOS 14, however it modified plenty of issues about how you utilize iOS. It added widgets to the house display, an App Library for all your apps (akin to Android’s long-standing app drawer), and the power to set your individual default internet browser and e-mail shopper. The most recent iOS 14.5 will allow you to select your individual default music streaming app, too, amongst different issues.
Whereas one just isn’t higher than the opposite, the iPhone 12 Professional simply barely wins right here as a consequence of how briskly it receives updates. Samsung doesn’t sustain with Google’s releases,
Winner: iPhone 12 Professional
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Professional: General winner
| Galaxy S21 Plus | iPhone 12 Professional | |
| Value (10 factors) | 8 | 8 |
| Design (10 factors) | 8 | 9 |
| Show (15 factors) | 15 | 14 |
| Cameras (20 factors) | 18 | 19 |
| Efficiency (15 factors) | 11 | 15 |
| 5G (5 factors) | 3 | 3 |
| Battery and charging (15 factors) | 12 | 10 |
| Software program and particular options (10 factors) | 9 | 10 |
| General (100 factors) | 84 | 88 |
This can be a shut race, however the iPhone 12 Professional in the end comes out forward. Although the Galaxy S21 Plus put up an excellent struggle, the iPhone manages a victory on this face-off due to its higher efficiency and particularly its higher cameras.
The Galaxy S21 Plus has an even bigger show with sooner refresh price and longer battery life, so if these are extra vital to you, then Samsung is the best way to go right here. At $999, you are getting so much on your cash.
In the end, you may must ask your self whether or not you like Android or iOS. That is going to be the deciding issue for you, except you are platform-agnostic. In any other case, you may need to resolve whether or not you need a massive or smaller display.
