Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12 specs: Apple and Samsung’s flagship phones compared

This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and the hottest gadgets of the entirely virtual CES 2021.

Samsung’s trio of S21 phones are here — and the lineup starts at a cool $200 less than its predecessor. The Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra, unveiled in a virtual Unpacked event on Thursday, are all available to preorder as of 8 a.m. PT Thursday, and will ship on Jan. 29.

While the price cut is a welcome change, the smartphone industry is notoriously cut-throat, and (as always) you can bet the S21 will face stiff competition from the iPhone 12 series. So let’s see how the S21 stacks up against its long-time rival.  

In a nutshell: The $800 S21 appears to be a better deal for the features you get, on paper at least. Although the iPhone 12 line starts at $829 (£799, AU$1,349) you’ll have to pony up $879 (£849, AU$ 1,429) for the 128GB version, which is the same amount of storage you get for the entry-level S21.

The S21 also has an extra telephoto lens, and the highest-end S21 Ultra has support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus, which is sold separately.

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Our first look at the new Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus

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One thing you get in the iPhone 12 that’s absent on the S21, however, is MagSafe. That’s Apple’s proprietary magnetically enabled system that lets you charge your iPhone wirelessly and attach all kinds of accessories to the back of the device. The Pro models also have lidar, which is a depth sensor that’s useful for auto-focusing in low light for taking photos, videos and slow-motion footage, among other things. 

For more details on how the phones stack up against each other, check out our specs chart below.

Editors’ note: Removed information about expandable storage on the S21 series.