In depth comparison and review of Apple iPhone SE and Samsung Galaxy S21 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.
| DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Product Type | Smartphone | Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer Model Number | A1723 | SM-G991U1 | |
| Form Factor | Touch | Touch | |
| Height | 123.8 mm | 151.7 mm | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has greater height than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Width | 58.6 mm | 71.2 mm | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has greater width than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Depth | 7.6 mm | 7.9 mm | Apple iPhone SE is narrower than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Weight | 113 g | 171 g | Apple iPhone SE is lighter than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Body Colour | Rose gold | Silver | Gold | Space grey | Phantom grey | Phantom white | |
| Body Material | Stainless steel, glass, satin aluminium | - | |
| Protection | - | Dustproof, splashproof, water-resistant | |
| Waterproof (Water-resistant) | - | Yes | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is waterproof. |
| IP rating | - | IP68 | |
| SAR Value | 1.17 W/kg (body), 1.17 W/kg (head) | 1.58 W/kg (simultaneous), 1.11 W/kg (wireless router), 1.08 W/kg (body), 0.74 W/kg (head) | |
| Connector Type | Headset jack - mini-phone 3.5mm Lightning |
USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C | |
| SIM Card Type (Size) | Nano SIM | Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM) | |
| SIM Card Qty | Single-SIM | Dual-SIM |
| DISPLAY | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Display Type | LCD display | OLED display | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Technology | Retina Display with IPS technology | Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X | |
| Screen Size (Display Size) | 4" | 6.2" | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has larger screen size than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) | 1136 x 640 pixels | 2400 x 1080 pixels | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better screen resolution than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Display Format | - | Full HD+ | |
| Pixel Density | 326 ppi | 421 ppi | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better pixel density than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Max Brightness | 500 cd/m² | - | |
| Colour Depth | - | 16.7 million colours | |
| Contrast Ratio | 800:1 | - | |
| HDR | - | Yes | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has HDR. |
| HDR Technology | - | HDR10+ | |
| Display Enhancement Technology | - | Eye Comfort Shield | |
| Display Refresh Rate | - | 120 Hz | |
| Display Features | - | AOD(Always On Display), Video Wallpaper | |
| Display Protection (Screen Protector) | Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (scratch resistant glass) |
| PROCESSOR | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Processor Type (CPU) | Apple A9 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock Speed | - | 2.84 GHz | |
| Processor Core Qty | - | 8-core | |
| 64-bit Architecture | Yes | - | Apple iPhone SE has 64-bit architecture. |
| MEMORY | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| RAM | - | LPDDR5 SDRAM - 8 GB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) | 16 GB | 128 GB | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has more internal memory than Apple iPhone SE. |
| User Memory | - | 101.2 GB |
| CAMERA | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| MAIN CAMERA |
|---|
| Number of Main Cameras | 1 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Resolution | 12 Megapixel | 12 Megapixel | Both phones have the same camera resolution. |
| Sensor Size | - | 1/1.76" | |
| Sensor Type | BSI | - | |
| Lens Type | - | Wide-angle lens | |
| Lens Aperture | F/2.2 | F/1.8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better lens aperture than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Lens Construction | 5-element | - | |
| Field of View (FoV) | - | 79 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size | - | 1.8 μm | |
| Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | - | Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has optical stabilisation. |
| Focus Adjustment | Automatic | Automatic | |
| Laser Auto Focus | - | Yes | |
| Optical Zoom | - | 3x | |
| Digital Zoom | 3x | 30x | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better digital zoom than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Self-Timer Delay | - | Yes | |
| Special Effects | - | Face retouch, Grid Line | |
| HDR Mode | Auto HDR mode | Auto HDR mode | |
| Camera Modes | Burst mode, Panorama, Time-lapse mode, Timer mode | 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, Portrait, Night, Motion Photo, Mountain, Single Take, Pro Video, Portrait video, Director's View | |
| Face Recognition (Face ID) | Face detection | - | Apple iPhone SE has face detection. |
| Light Source | LED light | 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, Slo-mo video 1280 x 720 (720p) at 240 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 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 (8K) at 24 fps, 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, Live Photo, Playback zoom, Hybrid IR filter, Improved noise reduction, Exposure control | Playback zoom, Motion photo, blink detection, QR-code scanner, VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation), Tracking AF, Video location tags, Scene Optimiser, Lens smudge, Flaw detection, Shot suggestions, blur detection, HDR10+ recording, Super steady, Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, Quick Measure, Zoom-In Mic, HEIF image capture, 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, AR Doodle, HEVC (High Efficiency Video coding) support, Microphone Control (Pro Video only) |
| SECOND CAMERA |
|---|
| Sensor Resolution (2nd Camera) | - | 12 Megapixel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lens Type (2nd Camera) | - | Ultra wide-angle lens | |
| Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) | - | F/2.2 | |
| Field of View (2nd Camera) | - | 120 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size (2nd Camera) | - | 1.4 μm |
| THIRD CAMERA |
|---|
| Sensor Resolution (3rd Camera) | - | 64 Megapixel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Size (3rd Camera) | - | 1/1.72" | |
| Lens Type (3rd Camera) | - | Telephoto lens | |
| Lens Aperture (3rd Camera) | - | F/2.0 | |
| Field of View (3rd Camera) | - | 76 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size (3rd Camera) | - | 0.8 μm | |
| Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | - | Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has optical stabilisation of the third camera. |
| FRONT CAMERA |
|---|
| Number of Front Cameras | 1 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Resolution (Front) | 1.2 Megapixel | 10 Megapixel | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Sensor Type (Front) | BSI | - | |
| Lens Aperture (Front) | F/2.4 | F/2.2 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better front lens aperture than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Field of View (Front) | - | 80 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size (Front) | - | 1.22 μm | |
| Focus Adjustment | - | Automatic | |
| HDR Mode (Front) | Auto HDR mode | - | |
| Camera Modes (Front) | Burst mode, Timer mode | - | |
| Face Recognition (Face ID) | Face detection | - | Apple iPhone SE has face detection. |
| Light Source (Front) | Retina Flash | - | |
| Video Resolutions (Front) | 1280 x 720 (720p) | - | |
| Camera Features (Front) | FaceTime HD camera, Exposure control | Dual Pixel AF |
| BATTERY AND CHARGING | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Battery Capacity (Battery Size) | - | 4000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Charging Technology | - | Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Adaptive Fast Charging, Power Delivery 3.0 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has fast charging technology. |
| Wireless Charging | - | Yes | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G can be charged wirelessly. |
| Wireless Charging Standards | - | WPC, Qi, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | |
| Standby Time | 240 hours | - | |
| Talk Time | 840 minutes | 1800 minutes | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has longer battery life when making calls than Apple iPhone SE. |
| Run Time Details | Talk (3G): up to 840 min Standby: up to 240 hrs Active online usage (3G): up to 12 hrs Active online usage (LTE): up to 13 hrs Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 13 hrs Playback (video): up to 13 hrs Playback (audio): up to 50 hrs |
Talk (LTE): up to 1800 min Active online usage (LTE): up to 14 hrs Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 15 hrs Playback (wireless video): up to 19 hrs Playback (wireless audio): up to 72 hrs |
|
| Battery Technology | Lithium Ion | - |
| CELLULAR | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Technology | CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS) / TD-SCDMA | CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Broadband Generation | 4G | 5G | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has more advanced generation mobile network. |
| Operating System | iOS | Android 11 | |
| Intelligent Assistant | Siri | Bixby | |
| Payment Technology | Apple Pay | Samsung Pay | |
| Navigation | A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| COMMUNICATIONS | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Data Transmission | GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, VoLTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi | FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, 5G NR FR1, 5G NR FR2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2G Band | 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM, 800 CDMA2000 1X, 1900 CDMA2000 1X, 2100 CDMA2000 1X (AWS) | 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM, 800 CDMA2000 1X, 1900 CDMA2000 1X | |
| 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 12, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41 | Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 14, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 30, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 46, Band 48, Band 66, Band 71 | |
| 4G LTE Frequency | FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500 | FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700 PS, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 2300 WCS, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 5150, TDD 3600, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3, FDD 600 | |
| 5G NR Band | - | N41, n71, n260, n261 | |
| 5G NR Frequency | - | TDD TD 2500, FDD 600, TDD 39GHz, TDD 28GHz | |
| Wireless Interface | IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments. |
| Messaging Services | SMS, MMS | - |
| MEDIA | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Supported Digital Audio Standards | WAV, AAC, AIFF, PCM, Audible, MP3, Apple Lossless, AAC-LC, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC | WAV, AAC, PCM, AMR, MP3, FLAC, XMF, OGG, MIDI, APE (Monkey's Audio), M4A, DSF, MXMF, OGA, 3GA, AWB, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, MID, DSD64, DSD128 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported Digital Video Standards | AVI, MOV, M-JPEG, MPEG-4, H.264, M4V | MKV, FLV, AVI, 3GP, M4V, WebM, 3G2, MP4 | |
| Sound Enhancements | - | Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Atmos sound technology, Surround sound, stereo speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Digital sound |
| FEATURES | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 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 | 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 | Multitasking, FaceTime, AirPlay wireless streaming, AirPrint wireless printing, iCloud Photo Sharing, AirDrop function, Apple TV support (2nd, 3rd), Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, CarPlay function, Family Sharing feature, QuickType keyboard, iCloud Keychain, Spotlight Search, Notification Center, M9 motion coprocessor | MIMO technology, Screen Write, notification flashlight, Smart Select, Fast Charging, Samsung KNOX, Smart View, Live message, Screen off memo, Samsung DeX support, Bixby Vision, TalkBack, Dual Audio, Bixby Routines, Intelligent Performance Enhancer, Bixby key, Bluetooth Scalable Codec, Samsung Knox Vault, Private Share function, Enhanced Game Booster, Air Command |
| OTHERS | Apple iPhone SE | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Included Accessories | Headset, USB cable, power adapter | SIM card removal tool, USB-C to USB-C cable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliant Standards | HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) | VDE, IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible), SGS Eye Care Display Certification | |
| Max Depth of Water Resistance | - | 1.5 m | |
| Max Operating Temperature | 35 °C | - | |
| Min Operating Temperature | 0 °C | - | |
| Humidity Range Operating | 5 - 95% (non-condensing) | - |
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