The Galaxy S21 Plus has a lot going for it, including a large, beautiful display and excellent performance. The iPhone 12 Pro is its direct rival. Which phone is better depends on your preferences and preference for iOS or Android.
Both phones are excellent devices. The Galaxy S21 Plus phone is larger than the iPhone 12 Pro. The larger and more durable Galaxy S21 Ultra is available, but it does not compete with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Pro comparison will help you see how they compare.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs iPhone 12 Pro: Design
The Galaxy S21 Plus as well as the iPhone 12 Pro are notable examples of engineering. They pack powerful hardware into stunning bodies. Both have a glass back. However, the S21 Plus has an extremely matte finish that feels very similar to the polycarbonate Galaxy S21. The blue iPhone 12 Pro’s soft-touch coating feels smooth and grippy. Because of its small size, I don’t have any concerns about dropping the phone.
The Galaxy S21 Plus houses the triple camera module in a contour that blends effortlessly with the phone’s frame. The iPhone 12 Pro is very similar to the 11 Pro but has curved edges. However, the 12 Pro’s frame is much more squared-off, making it less ergonomic and comfortable to hold.
The Galaxy S21 Plus, at 6.36 inches x 2.98x 0.31 inches x 7.05 ounces, is larger than you would expect. The iPhone 12 Pro measures 5.78×2.82x 0.29inches and 6.66 ounces. The IP68 rating of both phones is identical. However, the iPhone can survive 30 minutes at deeper depths (6 m) than the S21 Plus (11.5 m).
Phantom Violet, Phantom Black and Phantom Silver are available for the Galaxy S21 Plus. As for exclusives on Samsung.com, Phantom Gold and Phantom Red are also offered. The iPhone 12 Pro comes in Graphite and Silver as well as Gold and Pacific Blue.
Both phones are excellently designed, but we must prefer the iPhone 12 Pro due to its superior water resistance rating.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Display
Both the Galaxy S21 Plus (and iPhone 12 Pro) use OLED displays. It would be not easy to distinguish them in most situations. The S21 Plus features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen measuring 2400×1080 pixels. It has a variable refresh rate of 48Hz -120Hz. The screen refreshes quicker, which results in a faster operating system. This means smoother scrolling and higher frame rates for games with high refresh rate displays.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a 6.1 inch Super Retina OLED display measuring 2532 x 170 Super Retina HDR. It is locked at 60Hz. Although iOS is already very smooth when scrolling and animating, it can still be slower than Android, which can display up to 120 frames per second. The display on the 12 Pro is stunning and breathtaking.
We ran lab tests on these phones to determine their accuracy in colour reproduction and color accuracy. The Galaxy S21 Plus managed to reproduce 103.8% in the sRGB and 73.9% of the DCI–P3 gamut in Natural mode. The S21 Plus achieved a Delta E colour accuracy score of 0.18 (where 0 means perfect).
The iPhone 12 Pro achieved 115.6% of sRGB and 81.9% DCI-P3. The iPhone 12 Pro’s Delta-E score was 0.28. This is a lot slower than the Galaxy S21 Plus’. The S21 Plus manages 747 nits while the 12 Pro gets 743 nits.
They are both excellent in every way, whether you’re using them for casual or technical measurements. We can only choose one winner in this category, and that is the Galaxy S21 Plus due to its faster refresh rate.
Galaxy S21 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Cameras
The triple-camera lens configurations of both phones are remarkably similar. The Galaxy S21 Plus features a 12MP primary wide-angle shooter with a 12MP Ultrawide and 64MP 3x Telephoto. The iPhone 12 Pro has a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP superwide camera. However, the telephoto lens of the iPhone 12 Pro is powered by a 12MP sensor.
The iPhone 12 Pro and the S21 Plus produce stunning images in practice. However, they use different post-processing techniques. Samsung tends to produce brighter images and smoother faces while the iPhone is more real-life (similar to the Pixels). Software is the key to both devices’ magic.
The iPhone 12 Pro with A14 Bionic boasts Apple’s most advanced computational photography. The iPhone 12 Pro with the A14 Bionic has the best Night Mode, excellent zoom performance, and outstanding post-processing. Samsung’s most recent features, such as the Space Zoom, zoom lock and Director’s View, are all included in the Galaxy S21 Plus. These are the comparisons between these phones.
This photo shows the differences in the pool association near my home. The image was oversaturated by the S21 Plus, which made the tall trees in the background and the bush in the foreground look more lush. The iPhone shot doesn’t show the same bush, so you can see how bright everything is.
The iPhone’s image is better than mine here. The shadow in the foreground looks deeper and the umbrella is darker. Also, the photo doesn’t have that soft-brushed effect like the S21 Plus.
You can see the same pattern in this outdoor photo. The Galaxy S21 Plus increases the exposure, making it brighter and softening the entire image. It seems a little surreal. The iPhone 12 Pro captures the scene more accurately. The shadows are darker, the depth is more apparent, and the overall picture looks less drab because it’s winter. Here, I must give credit to the iPhone.
I moved inside and challenged each phone to take a good photo of my RGB keyboard. The colours radiate hypnotically from the centre. The S21 Plus’ tendency to increase the exposure is a problem. The keyboard appears a little blurry and blown out. It isn’t easy to read the white keycaps. The iPhone’s photo shows more vibrant colours, a lower exposure, and clearer keycap legends.
What is essential in these portrait shots are the way these phones approached the image I took back up against my front yard. The S21 Plus photo is cool but too smooth and feels strange to me. The portrait of the iPhone is not much better. The 12 Pro heated everything up as the sunsets. Although my face is usually very reddish, the iPhone slightly exaggerates it.
The reddish-brown colour of my beard, on the other hand is more fitting and true to life. Both phones failed to capture my face accurately so it’s difficult to say which phone is better. Both phones used a similar blur radius to create the bokeh effect. This is the draw.
This selfie comparison leaves me confused as to which one I prefer. The Galaxy S21 Plus photo is softer, and the background is less harsh. It is still possible to see details in my face, as well as the stray hair strands that got out of my ponytail. However, the iPhone’s selfie is sharper, even though the background is about to blow out. My hoodie’s fibers look a little clearer. This is why I am calling it a draw. I could pick any image and be content.
The results of trying out different night modes look quite familiar. The number plate is clear in both photos, but the iPhone’s photo is more bright. The bricks and light fixture are clearly visible, but the iPhone’s shot is more colourful. Also, the light coming from the window is softening and more inviting. The Galaxy S21 Plus does a great night mode, but the iPhone 12 Pro does better.
Finally, I set both phones to maximum zoom to see if the pink stool could be seen at the end. Although both photos are extremely blurry and not usable in any context, you can see the difference between the 30x zoom on the Galaxy S21 Plus and the 10x of the iPhone 12 Pro. It’s no contest.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Performance
The iPhone 12 Pro is the best smartphone when it comes to performance. The Galaxy S21 Plus has a Snapdragon888, Qualcomm’s most potent system-on-chip, but the iPhone 12 Pro’s Apple A14 Bionic still leads in raw numbers. However, this is only a small part of the story. Both phones feel almost equal in real-life usage.
Gaming is a great example. The S21 Plus, 12 Pro, and Genshin Impact games, as well as streaming PC games via Steam Link, performed exceptionally well. These phones are great for web browsing, multitasking, and viewing videos on YouTube, Plex, and Crunchyroll.
Both handsets are tested in the lab using the same benchmarks to get an idea of their performance. Geekbench 5 scored the Galaxy S21 Plus 3,300 points for multi-core while the iPhone 12 Pro scored 3,669.
3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited measured the S21 Plus at 33.37 fps. The 12 Pro averaged 51 frames per second. The S21 Plus was able to transcode a 4K video to 1080p using Adobe Premiere Rush in just one minute. It took the iPhone 12 Pro just 27 seconds.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 Pro: 5G
We didn’t have the opportunity to test both the Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 in a full suite 5G testing, as we did with the Galaxy S21 Plus vs. iPhone 12 battle. We used a Verizon SIM instead and a low band area (mmWave isn’t readily accessible right now).
Both phones received a signal and both were able to communicate with each other while they were in the exact same place. We ran 5 dry runs, 5 recorded tests using Speedtest and then averaged the results. These results were surprising considering how the iPhone 12 Pro Max performed against the Galaxy S21 Ultra during that face-off.
The average Galaxy S21 Plus download speed was only 4.3 Mbps. While the iPhone 12 Pro’s average was 12 Mbps. This is yet another absurd example of 5G’s current state, especially with the Verizon low-band rollout (I reside in greater Washington, D.C.). It’s worth reversing the results as the iPhone uses an X55 modem by Qualcomm and the S21 Plus uses a newer X60.
We can’t yet say which phone has better 5G performance. However, more testing will be done.
Winner: Draw
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and iPhone 12 Pro: Battery life, charging
The batteries of 5G take a significant toll. Apple’s first iPhone 12 series uses the new technology. There will be some learning curves. The iPhone 12 Pro’s LTE-only predecessor performed better than its LTE-only successor, so it didn’t last nearly as long. Although the phone doesn’t die quickly, its 2,815-mAH battery drains faster than the Galaxy S21 Plus 4,800 maH power pack.
All phones that we review pass our battery test are the same. The display is set at 150 nits, and the device then reloads webpages each 30 seconds using a cellular connection (5G). This process continues until the device dies. Two tests were conducted on the Galaxy S21 Plus, one to test its adaptive refresh rate and one to test the 60Hz mode.
The Galaxy S21 Plus lasts 9 hours, 41 minutes in adaptive mode (the default out-of-box mode) and 9 hours, 53 minutes on 60Hz. The iPhone 12 Pro lasted 9 hours and 6 mins. The S21 Plus wins, although both phones are close.
The boxes do not contain a charging brick for charging. This is to reduce e-waste as well as to lower costs. A USB cable is still included, and you can also purchase a separate charging brick. The Galaxy S21 Plus supports fast-charging up to 25W, while the iPhone 12 Pro can charge up to 20W. Wireless chargers can be used for both phones, including the MagSafe charger for iPhone 12 Pro.
Galaxy S21 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Vs iPhone 12 Pro: Software & special features
Software is what makes the phones different from one another. The Galaxy S21 Plus runs Android, with its One UI 3 skin on top of Android 11. Apple’s iOS 14 is used by the iPhone 12 Pro. These mobile operating systems are very different from one another and appeal to different people.
Samsung has recently announced a new policy regarding device support. It will now support specific Samsung devices for the three major Android updates. This is a significant improvement on the Samsung in years past. Although the updates may still be a few months behind official Android releases in many cases, they will eventually arrive.
This problem is not present on the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro receives updates on the same day that any other supported iPhone. The iPhone 12 Pro will receive the latest iOS version as soon as it is released, such as iOS 15. This model is a great choice for Android users, and it’s also a testament to the long-term support Apple provides for its phones.
Android 11 is the latest version of the Galaxy S21 Plus. Samsung’s One UI 3.1 was introduced with this phone. It brings many new features to the table. Google Duo integrated into the stock phone app and Google Discover integrated into your home screen. This was a major update that is now available on other Galaxy phones. Samsung loves to add a lot of software features to its phones. Some stay.
iOS 14 has been discussed before, but it made a significant impact on how iOS is used. You can now choose your default music streaming app with iOS 14.5, among other features.
Although neither is better than the other, iPhone 12 Pro barely wins this category due to the speed at which it receives updates. Samsung isn’t keeping up with Google’s updates.
Winner: iPhone 12 Pro
CONCLUSION
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus boasts a larger display, faster refresh rate, and longer battery life.
You will need to decide whether you prefer iOS or Android. If you are platform-agnostic, this will be your deciding factor. Otherwise, you will need to determine if you want a bigger or smaller screen.
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