Motorola Moto G9 Play vs. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Motorola Moto G9 Play 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.

Phone Specifications Comparison

Motorola Moto G9 Play vs. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number XT2083-3 SM-G996B/DS
Form Factor Touch Touch
Height 156 mm 161.5 mm Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has greater height than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Width 76 mm 75.6 mm Motorola Moto G9 Play has greater width than Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G.
Depth 10 mm 7.8 mm Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G is narrower than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Weight 197 g 200 g Motorola Moto G9 Play is lighter than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Body Colour Forest green | Sapphire blue Phantom black | Phantom silver | Phantom violet | Phantom gold | Phantom red
Body Material Plastic -
Protection Splash-resistant Dustproof, splashproof, water-resistant
Waterproof (Water-resistant) - Yes Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G is waterproof.
IP rating - IP68
SAR Value 1.37 W/kg (body), 0.63 W/kg (head), 3.02 W/kg (limb) 1.335 W/kg (body), 0.541 W/kg (head), 2.23 W/kg (limb)
Connector Type USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
Headset jack - mini-phone 3.5mm
USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM)
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM Dual-SIM
SIM Card Configuration Details Nano SIM + nano SIM/microSD -
DISPLAY Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Display Type LCD display OLED display
Display Technology IPS Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Screen Size (Display Size) 6.5" 6.7" Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has larger screen size than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 1600 x 720 pixels 2400 x 1080 pixels Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better screen resolution than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Display Format Full HD+ Full HD+
Pixel Density 269 ppi 394 ppi Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better pixel density than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Aspect Ratio 20:9 -
Colour Depth - 16.7 million colours
HDR - Yes Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has HDR.
HDR Technology - HDR10+
Display Enhancement Technology - Eye Comfort Shield
Display Refresh Rate - 120 Hz
Display Features Max Vision display AOD(Always On Display)
Display Protection (Screen Protector) - Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (scratch resistant glass)
PROCESSOR Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Processor Type (CPU) Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Samsung Exynos 2100
Clock Speed 2 GHz 2.9 GHz Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has higher clock speed than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Processor Core Qty 8-core 8-core Both phones have the same number of phone cores.
64-bit Architecture Yes - Motorola Moto G9 Play has 64-bit architecture.
Graphics System (GPU) Qualcomm ADRENO 610 Mali-G78 MP14
MEMORY Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
RAM 4 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM - 8 GB Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has more RAM than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 64 GB 128 GB Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has more internal memory than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
User Memory - 102.2 GB
Supported Flash Memory Cards (Expandable Memory) microSDHC, microSDXC - up to 512 GB -
CAMERA Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 3 3
Sensor Resolution 48 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Motorola Moto G9 Play has better camera resolution than Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G.
Lens Type - Ultra wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture F/1.7 F/2.2 Motorola Moto G9 Play has better lens aperture than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Field of View (FoV) - 120 degree(s)
Pixel Size 1.6 μm 1.4 μm Motorola Moto G9 Play has larger camera pixel size than Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G.
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) - Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has optical stabilisation.
Focus Adjustment Automatic Automatic
Optical Zoom - 3x
Digital Zoom - 30x
Self-Timer Delay Yes Yes
Special Effects HDR, Colour replace, Spot Colour Face retouch, Grid Line
HDR Mode - Auto HDR mode
Camera Modes Slow motion video, Panorama, manual mode, Best Shot, Gesture Shot, HYPERLAPSE, portrait mode, Timelapse video, Active photos, Portrait Lighting, Cinemagraph, Macro video 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
Face Recognition (Face ID) Auto smile capture - Motorola Moto G9 Play has face detection.
Light Source 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 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) RAW image capture, EIS video stabilisation, Cutout, 12MP output using quad pixel technology, High-res zoom, smart composition, shot optimisation 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) 2 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better second camera resolution than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Sensor Size (2nd Camera) - 1/1.76"
Lens Type (2nd Camera) - Wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) F/2.4 F/1.8 Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better second camera lens aperture than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Field of View (2nd Camera) - 79 degree(s)
Pixel Size (2nd Camera) 1.75 μm 1.8 μm Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has larger second camera pixel size than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Camera Functions (2nd Camera) Depth camera -
Camera Features (2nd Camera) - OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), Super Speed Dual Pixel AF
THIRD CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (3rd Camera) 2 Megapixel 64 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has higher resolution third camera than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Sensor Size (3rd Camera) - 1/1.72"
Lens Type (3rd Camera) - Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (3rd Camera) F/2.4 F/2.0 Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better third camera lens aperture than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Field of View (3rd Camera) - 76 degree(s)
Pixel Size (3rd Camera) 1.75 μm 0.8 μm Motorola Moto G9 Play has larger third camera pixel size than Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G.
Camera Functions (3rd Camera) Macro camera -
Camera Features (3rd Camera) - Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF)
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 1 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 8 Megapixel 10 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has better front camera resolution than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
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) 1.12 μm 1.22 μm Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has larger front camera pixel size than Motorola Moto G9 Play.
Focus Adjustment - Automatic
Special Effects (Front) HDR, Spot Colour -
Camera Modes (Front) Timer mode, BurstShot, manual mode, HYPERLAPSE, RAW mode, Auto Smile Shot, Watermark mode, portrait mode, Mirrored photo, Timelapse video, Active photos, Cinemagraph, Gesture selfie, Group selfie -
Face Recognition (Face ID) Auto smile capture - Motorola Moto G9 Play has face detection.
Video Resolutions (Front) 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps -
Camera Features (Front) Self-timer, RAW photo Dual Pixel AF
BATTERY AND CHARGING Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) 5000 mAh 4800 mAh Motorola Moto G9 Play has larger battery capacity than Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G.
Fast Charging Technology TurboPower technology Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Adaptive Fast Charging, Samsung Super Fast Charging, Power Delivery 3.0 Both phones have 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
Talk Time - 2400 minutes
Run Time Details Mixed usage: up to 48 hrs Talk (4G): up to 2400 min
Active online usage (LTE): up to 15 hrs
Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 17 hrs
Playback (wireless video): up to 22 hrs
Playback (wireless audio): up to 75 hrs
CELLULAR Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 5G Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G has more advanced generation mobile network.
Operating System Android 10 Android 11
Intelligent Assistant Google Assistant Bixby
Payment Technology - Samsung Pay
Navigation GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
COMMUNICATIONS Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, 5G NR FR1
2G Band - 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 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 26, Band 28, Band 38, Band 40, Band 41 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 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, TDD 2600, 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 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 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 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 Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Supported Digital Audio Standards - 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 - MKV, FLV, AVI, WMV, ASF, 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 Motorola Moto G9 Play 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, gyro sensor, SAR sensor 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 Dual microphones, Android Sensor Hub, Moto Actions, Quick gestures, Google Lens 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
OTHERS Motorola Moto G9 Play Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
Included Accessories Protective cover, SIM card removal tool, USB-C cable, power adapter (20W) SIM card removal tool, USB-C to USB-C cable
Compliant Standards - IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible)
Max Depth of Water Resistance - 1.5 m
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