Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Compare sizes, cameras, batteries, memory, and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right phone for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the phone that will best fit your needs.

Phone Specifications Comparison

Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number A2296 SM-G998B/DS
Form Factor Touch Touch
Height 138.4 mm 161.5 mm Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has greater height than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Width 67.3 mm 75.6 mm Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has greater width than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Depth 7.3 mm 8.9 mm Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) is narrower than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Weight 148 g 227 g Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) is lighter than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Body Colour White | Black | Red Phantom silver | Phantom black | Phantom navy | Phantom brown | Phantom titanium
Body Material Aluminium, glass -
Protection Dustproof, water-resistant, splash-resistant Dustproof, splashproof, water-resistant
Waterproof (Water-resistant) Yes Yes Both phones are waterproof.
IP rating IEC 60529 IP67 IP68
Repairability Index 6 (out of 10) -
SAR Value 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.98 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body), 0.714 W/kg (head), 2.56 W/kg (limb)
Connector Type Lightning USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM)
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM Dual-SIM
DISPLAY Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Display Type LCD display OLED display
Display Technology Retina HD display with IPS technology Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Screen Size (Display Size) 4.7" 6.8" Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has larger screen size than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 1334 x 750 pixels 3200 x 1440 pixels Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has better screen resolution than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Display Format - QHD+
Pixel Density 326 ppi 515 ppi Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has better pixel density than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Max Brightness 625 cd/m² -
Colour Depth - 16.7 million colours
Contrast Ratio 1400:1 -
HDR - Yes Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has HDR.
HDR Technology - HDR10+
Display Enhancement Technology Dolby Vision Eye Comfort Shield
Display Refresh Rate - 120 Hz
Display Features Display Zoom, Reachability (screen shifting), True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3), Dark mode, Haptic touch Edge Screen, AOD(Always On Display)
Display Protection (Screen Protector) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (scratch resistant glass)
PROCESSOR Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Processor Type (CPU) Apple A13 Bionic Samsung Exynos 2100
Clock Speed - 2.9 GHz
Processor Core Qty - 8-core
64-bit Architecture Yes - Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) has 64-bit architecture.
Graphics System (GPU) - Mali-G78 MP14
MEMORY Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
RAM - LPDDR5 SDRAM - 12 GB
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 64 GB 128 GB Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has more internal memory than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
User Memory - 101.7 GB
CAMERA Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 1 4
Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same camera resolution.
Lens Type - Ultra wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture F/1.8 F/2.2 Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) has better lens aperture than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Lens Construction 6-element -
Field of View (FoV) - 120 degree(s)
Pixel Size - 1.4 μm
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Both phones have optical image stabilization.
Focus Adjustment Automatic Automatic
Laser Auto Focus - Yes
Optical Zoom - 3x
Digital Zoom 5x 100x Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has better digital zoom than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Self-Timer Delay - Yes
Special Effects Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono Face retouch, Grid Line
HDR Mode Smart HDR Auto HDR mode
Camera Modes Burst mode, Panorama, Live Photos, Timelapse video, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos Panorama, Slow motion mode, Pro mode, HYPERLAPSE, Super Slow-mo, Flowers, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Beaches, Watersides, Snow, Backlit, Text, Food, Face, Baby, Person, Dog, Cat, People, Sunset, Sunrise, City, Waterfall, Scenery, Stage, Vehicles, Drinks, Animal, Shoes, Indoor, Clothes, Night view, Night, Motion Photo, Mountain, Single Take, Pro Video, Director's View
Light Source True Tone LED flash High CRI LED flash
Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 24 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, Super slow motion video 1280 x 720 (720p) at 960 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps, 7680 x 4320 (UHD 8K) at 24fps, Hyperlapse 4K video support at 30 fps, Super Steady 1080p video support at 60 fps
Camera Features (Functions) Sapphire crystal lens cover, Cinematic video stabilisation, Focus Pixels, Cinematic video stabilisation, Playback zoom, geotagging, Stereo Recording, Continuous autofocus video, 8MP still photos recording 4K video, Time‑lapse video with stabilisation, Slow Sync, Advanced red-eye correction, Optical image stabilization for video, Extended dynamic range for video, HEIF image capture, Digital zoom up to 3x for video, QuickTake video Playback zoom, blink detection, VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation), Tracking AF, Video location tags, Scene Optimiser, Flaw detection, Shot suggestions, blur detection, HDR10+ recording, Super steady, Quick Measure, Zoom-In Mic, Space Zoom, Take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video, Hybrid Optic Zoom 3x, Super Resolution Zoom up to 30x, Digital zoom up to 12x for video
SECOND CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (2nd Camera) - 108 Megapixel
Sensor Size (2nd Camera) - 1/1.33"
Lens Type (2nd Camera) - Wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) - F/1.8
Field of View (2nd Camera) - 83 degree(s)
Pixel Size (2nd Camera) - 0.8 μm
Camera Features (2nd Camera) - Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF), OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation)
THIRD CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (3rd Camera) - 10 Megapixel
Lens Type (3rd Camera) - Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (3rd Camera) - F/2.4
Field of View (3rd Camera) - 35 degree(s)
Pixel Size (3rd Camera) - 1.22 μm
Camera Features (3rd Camera) - Dual Pixel AF
FOURTH CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (4th Camera) - 10 Megapixel
Lens Type (4th Camera) - Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (4th Camera) - F/4.9
Field of View (4th Camera) - 10 degree(s)
Pixel Size (4th Camera) - 1.22 μm
Camera Features (4th Camera) - Dual Pixel AF
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 1 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 7 Megapixel 40 Megapixels Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation).
Lens Aperture (Front) F/2.2 F/2.2 Both phones have the same front camera lens aperture.
Field of View (Front) - 80 degree(s)
Pixel Size (Front) - 0.7 μm
Focus Adjustment - Automatic
Special Effects (Front) Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono -
HDR Mode (Front) Auto HDR mode -
Camera Modes (Front) Burst mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos -
Light Source (Front) Retina Flash -
Video Resolutions (Front) 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps -
Camera Features (Front) Auto image stabilisation, Cinematic video stabilisation, QuickTake video Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF)
BATTERY AND CHARGING Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) - 5000 mAh
Fast Charging Technology - Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Adaptive Fast Charging, Samsung Super Fast Charging, Power Delivery 3.0 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has fast charging technology.
Wireless Charging Yes Yes Both phones can be charged wirelessly.
Wireless Charging Standards Qi WPC, Qi, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
Talk Time - 2460 minutes
Run Time Details Playback (audio): up to 40 hrs
Playback (video): up to 13 hrs
Playback (streamed video): up to 8 hrs
Talk (4G): up to 2460 min
Active online usage (LTE): up to 18 hrs
Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 18 hrs
Playback (wireless video): up to 22 hrs
Playback (wireless audio): up to 81 hrs
Battery Technology Lithium Ion -
CELLULAR Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 5G Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has more advanced generation mobile network.
Operating System iOS 13 Android 11
Intelligent Assistant Siri Bixby
Payment Technology Apple Pay Samsung Pay
Navigation GPS, GLONASS GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
COMMUNICATIONS Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, LAA FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, 5G NR FR1
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM
3G UMTS Band - Band 1, Band 2, Band 4, Band 5, Band 8
3G UMTS Frequency - 2100, 1900, 1700, 850, 900
4G LTE Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 11, Band 12, Band 13, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 21, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 29, Band 30, Band 32, Band 34, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 42, Band 46, Band 48, Band 66 Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 32, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 66
4G LTE Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 1500, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1500 upper, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 700d, FDD 2300 WCS, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2000, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 3500, TDD 5150, TDD 3600, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3 FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3
5G NR Band - N1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n41, n66, n77, n78, n40
5G NR Frequency - FDD 2100, FDD 1800, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 800, FDD 700APT, TDD TD 2600, TDD TD 2500, FDD AWS-3, TDD TD 3700, TDD TD 3500, TDD 2300
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11ax IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.2
NFC Yes Yes Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments.
Messaging Services SMS, MMS -
MEDIA Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Supported Digital Audio Standards Audible, MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AC-3, AAC-LC, LPCM, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC, EAC3, HE-AAC v2 WAV, WMA, AAC, PCM, AMR, MP3, FLAC, XMF, OGG, MIDI, APE (Monkey's Audio), M4A, DSF, DSD, MXMF, OGA, 3GA, AWB, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, MID, DSD64, DSD128
Supported Digital Video Standards M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2 MKV, FLV, AVI, WMV, ASF, 3GP, M4V, WebM, 3G2, MP4
Sound Enhancements Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Digital sound Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Atmos sound technology, Surround sound, stereo speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Digital sound
Video Enhancements HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) -
FEATURES Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Phone Functions Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, 3-axis gyro sensor, digital compass, barometer Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, barometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor, geomagnetic sensor
Security Devices Fingerprint reader Fingerprint reader (under display), face recognition
Additional Phone Features FaceTime, AirPrint wireless printing, iCloud Photo Sharing, AirDrop function, MIMO technology, Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, CarPlay function, QuickType keyboard, HomeKit, Apple TV support (2nd or later), Fast Charging, AirPlay Mirroring, Third‑generation Neural Engine, Audio Sharing Air View, MIMO technology, Smart Select, Samsung KNOX, Smart View, Live message, Screen off memo, Bixby Vision, Dual Audio, Bixby Routines, Intelligent Performance Enhancer, AR Doodle, PENUP, Bixby key, Samsung Knox Vault, Private Share function, Enhanced Game Booster, Air Command
OTHERS Apple iPhone SE (2nd generation) Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Included Accessories Lightning to USB-C cable SIM card removal tool, USB-C to USB-C cable
Compliant Standards IEC 60529 IP67, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible)
Max Depth of Water Resistance 1 m 1.5 m
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C -
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C -
Humidity Range Operating 5 - 95% (non-condensing) -
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