In depth comparison and review of Apple iPhone XS Max 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 XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Product Type | Smartphone | Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer Model Number | A2101 | SM-G991U1 | |
| Form Factor | Touch | Touch | |
| Height | 157.5 mm | 151.7 mm | Apple iPhone XS Max has greater height than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. |
| Width | 77.4 mm | 71.2 mm | Apple iPhone XS Max has greater width than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. |
| Depth | 7.7 mm | 7.9 mm | Apple iPhone XS Max is narrower than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Weight | 208 g | 171 g | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is lighter than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Body Colour | Space grey | Silver | Gold | Phantom grey | Phantom white | |
| Body Material | Glass, surgical‑grade stainless steel | - | |
| Protection | Dustproof, splashproof, waterproof | Dustproof, splashproof, water-resistant | |
| Waterproof (Water-resistant) | Yes | Yes | Both phones are waterproof. |
| IP rating | IEC 60529 IP68 | IP68 | |
| Repairability Index | 6.9 (out of 10) | - | |
| SAR Value | 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.99 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 | 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 XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Display Type | OLED display | OLED display | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display Technology | Super Retina HD | Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X | |
| Screen Size (Display Size) | 6.5" | 6.2" | Apple iPhone XS Max has larger screen size than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. |
| Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) | 2688 x 1242 pixels | 2400 x 1080 pixels | Apple iPhone XS Max has better screen resolution than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. |
| Display Format | - | Full HD+ | |
| Pixel Density | 458 ppi | 421 ppi | Apple iPhone XS Max has better pixel density than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. |
| Max Brightness | 625 cd/m² | - | |
| Colour Depth | - | 16.7 million colours | |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000000:1 | - | |
| HDR | Yes | Yes | Both phones have HDR. |
| HDR Technology | HDR10 | HDR10+ | |
| Display Enhancement Technology | Dolby Vision | Eye Comfort Shield | |
| Display Refresh Rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz | Both phones have the same refresh rate. |
| Display Features | True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3) | AOD(Always On Display), Video Wallpaper | |
| Display Protection (Screen Protector) | Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (scratch resistant glass) |
| PROCESSOR | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Processor Type (CPU) | Apple A12 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock Speed | - | 2.84 GHz | |
| Processor Core Qty | 6-core | 8-core | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has higher processor core quantity than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| 64-bit Architecture | Yes | - | Apple iPhone XS Max has 64-bit architecture. |
| MEMORY | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| RAM | - | LPDDR5 SDRAM - 8 GB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) | 64 GB | 128 GB | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has more internal memory than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| User Memory | - | 101.2 GB |
| CAMERA | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| MAIN CAMERA |
|---|
| Number of Main Cameras | 2 | 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 | Wide-angle lens | |
| Lens Aperture | F/1.8 | F/1.8 | Both phones have the same camera lens aperture. |
| Lens Construction | 6-element | - | |
| Field of View (FoV) | - | 79 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size | - | 1.8 μm | |
| Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) | Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) | Both phones have optical image stabilization. |
| Focus Adjustment | Automatic | Automatic | |
| Laser Auto Focus | - | Yes | |
| Optical Zoom | 2x | 3x | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better optical zoom than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Digital Zoom | 10x | 30x | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better digital zoom than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Self-Timer Delay | - | Yes | |
| Special Effects | Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono | Face retouch, Grid Line | |
| HDR Mode | Smart HDR | Auto HDR mode | |
| Camera Modes | Burst mode, Panorama, Timer mode, low-light shots, tap to focus, Live Photos, 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, Portrait, Night, Motion Photo, Mountain, Single Take, Pro Video, Portrait video, Director's View | |
| Face Recognition (Face ID) | Body and face detection | - | Apple iPhone XS Max has face detection. |
| Light Source | True Tone quad 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 (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, Playback zoom, Hybrid IR filter, Exposure control, geotagging, LTM (Local Tone Mapping), 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 | 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 | 12 Megapixel | Both phones have the same second camera resolution. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lens Type (2nd Camera) | Telephoto lens | Ultra wide-angle lens | |
| Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) | F/2.4 | F/2.2 | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better second camera lens aperture than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Field of View (2nd Camera) | - | 120 degree(s) | |
| Pixel Size (2nd Camera) | - | 1.4 μm | |
| Camera Functions (2nd Camera) | Capture depth information | - |
| 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 | 2 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Resolution (Front) | 7 Megapixel | 10 Megapixel | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Sensor Type (Front) | BSI | - | |
| 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) | - | 1.22 μm | |
| Focus Adjustment | - | Automatic | |
| Special Effects (Front) | Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono | - | |
| HDR Mode (Front) | Smart HDR | - | |
| Camera Modes (Front) | Burst mode, Timer mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting | - | |
| Face Recognition (Face ID) | Body and face detection, face recognition | - | Apple iPhone XS Max has face detection. |
| Light Source (Front) | Retina Flash | - | |
| Video Resolutions (Front) | 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps | - | |
| Camera Features (Front) | FaceTime HD camera, Exposure control, Auto image stabilisation, Animoji, Memoji, TrueDepth camera, Extended dynamic range for video, Cinematic video stabilisation | Dual Pixel AF |
| SECOND FRONT CAMERA |
|---|
| Camera Functions (2nd Front) | Infrared camera for Face ID | - | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera Features (2nd Front) | Flood Illuminator, Dot Projector | - |
| BATTERY AND CHARGING | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Battery Capacity (Battery Size) | - | 4000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Charging Technology | Apple fast charging technology | Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Adaptive Fast Charging, Power Delivery 3.0 | Both phones have 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 | 1500 minutes | 1800 minutes | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has longer battery life when making calls than Apple iPhone XS Max. |
| Run Time Details | Talk: up to 1500 min Active online usage: up to 13 hrs Playback (wireless video): up to 15 hrs Playback (wireless audio): up to 65 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 XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Technology | WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM | CDMA2000 1X / GSM / WCDMA (UMTS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Broadband Generation | 4G | 5G | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has more advanced generation mobile network. |
| Operating System | iOS 12 | Android 11 | |
| Intelligent Assistant | Siri | Bixby | |
| Payment Technology | Apple Pay | Samsung Pay | |
| Navigation | A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| COMMUNICATIONS | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Data Transmission | GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, LTE Advanced, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, Gigabit LTE | FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, 5G NR FR1, 5G NR FR2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2G Band | 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM | 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 13, Band 14, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 29, Band 30, Band 32, Band 34, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 46, Band 66 | 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 700c, FDD 700 PS, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, 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 5150, 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 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 802.11ac | IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments. |
| Messaging Services | SMS, MMS | - |
| MEDIA | Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 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, 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 | M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2, HEIF | MKV, FLV, AVI, 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 |
| FEATURES | Apple iPhone XS Max | 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, barometer | Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, barometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor, geomagnetic sensor | |
| Security Devices | Face recognition | Fingerprint reader (under display), face recognition | |
| Security Technology | Face ID | - | |
| Additional Phone Features | TTY compatible, FaceTime, MIMO technology, Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, QuickType keyboard, Apple TV support (2nd or later), Neural Engine, AirPlay Mirroring | 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 XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G |
|---|
| Included Accessories | Power adapter, Apple EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB cable | SIM card removal tool, USB-C to USB-C cable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliant Standards | IEC 60529 IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) | VDE, IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible), SGS Eye Care Display Certification | |
| Max Depth of Water Resistance | 2 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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