OnePlus OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

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OnePlus 9 compared with Galaxy S21

	OnePlusOnePlus 9	SamsungGalaxy S21
Overview
Released
Released	March 2021	January 2021
Display
Screen size
Screen size	6.55″	6.2″
Resolution
Resolution	2400 × 1080	2400 × 1080
Sharpness
Sharpness	402 pixels per inch	424 pixels per inch (better)
Panel
Panel	OLED	OLED
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Peak brightness
Peak brightness	1,100 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Flat Fluid AMOLED; 20:9 aspect ratio	Flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (2,400 × 1,080), HDR10+ certified; adaptive 120 Hz (48–120 Hz); 6.2 inches as a full rectangle, 6.1 inches with rounded corners
Pixel density
Pixel density	402 ppi	421 ppi
Brightness detail
Brightness detail	Up to 1,100 nits; two ambient light sensors and 8,192 automatic brightness levels, stated in the maker's launch release	1,300 nits peak
Always-on display
Always-on display	Always-on display with OxygenOS 11, described by TechAdvisor	–
Screen protection
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass; generation not specified in the maker's sheet	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus front
Display features
Display features	120 Hz; HDR10+; sRGB and Display P3; Comfort Tone, Reading Mode, Night Mode, Vibrant Color Effect and Ultra-high Video Resolution	Eye Comfort Shield
Performance
Chip
Chip	Snapdragon 888	Exynos 2100
Memory
Memory	8 GB – 12 GB (better)	8 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB, 256 GB	128 GB, 256 GB
CPU
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with Snapdragon X60 5G modem	5 nm, 64-bit octa-core, 2.9 GHz + 2.8 GHz + 2.2 GHz; 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM
GPU
GPU	Adreno 660	–
Storage type
Storage type	LPDDR5 RAM; UFS 3.1 two-lane storage; UK 8/128 GB and 12/256 GB pairings confirmed by TechAdvisor	128 or 256 GB; no microSD slot
Cooling
Cooling	OnePlus Cool Play with thicker graphite layers and a larger vapour chamber	–
Cameras
Main camera
Main camera	48 MP (better)	12 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	50 MP	12 MP
Telephoto camera
Telephoto camera	None	64 MP
Optical zoom
Optical zoom	None	1.1× (better)
Front camera
Front camera	16 MP (better)	10 MP
Main camera
Main camera	Sony IMX689, 48 MP, 1/1.43-inch sensor, f/1.8, 23 mm equivalent, seven-element lens and 1.12 µm pixels; maker's sheet does not publish OIS and the reviews confirm its absence	12 MP wide-angle, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, 1.8 µm, 79°
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	Sony IMX766, 50 MP, 1/1.56-inch sensor, f/2.2, 14 mm equivalent, seven-element freeform lens	12 MP fixed focus, F2.2, 1.4 µm, 120°
Telephoto camera
Telephoto camera	–	64 MP, phase detection AF, OIS, F2.0, 0.8 µm, 76°; 1.1x optical zoom (MobileSyrup)
Front camera
Front camera	Sony IMX471, 16 MP, f/2.4, 1.0 µm pixels, fixed focus and EIS	10 MP Dual Pixel AF, F2.2, 1.22 µm, 80°
Zoom
Zoom	Digital zoom; no dedicated telephoto camera	3x Hybrid Optic Zoom; 30x Space Zoom
Video recording
Video recording	8K at 30 fps; 4K and 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; slow motion at 1080p 240 fps or 720p 480 fps; time-lapse at 1080p or 4K 30 fps; video editor	8K at 24 fps; 4K at 60 fps
Front video
Front video	1080p at 30 fps; time-lapse	–
Camera features
Camera features	Hasselblad Camera for Mobile and Natural Color Calibration; additional 2 MP monochrome camera, all-pixel omnidirectional phase and contrast autofocus, dual LED flash, Nightscape, Super Macro, UltraShot HDR, Smart Scene Recognition, Portrait, Pro with 12-bit RAW, Panorama, Tilt-shift, focus peaking, pet focus, filters, Super Stable, Video Nightscape, Video HDR, video portrait, focus tracking and Hyperlapse	–
Battery and charging
Battery
Battery	4,500 mAh (better)	4,000 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)
Video playback (maker's claim)	–	Up to 20 hours
Wired charging
Wired charging	Up to 65 W (better)	Up to 25 W
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Up to 15 W	Up to 15 W
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Non-removable dual-cell battery; two 2,250 mAh cells equivalent to 4,500 mAh typical	4,000 mAh typical, 3,880 mAh rated; wireless video playback up to 20 hours; internet use up to 14 hours (LTE) or 15 hours (Wi-Fi); talk time up to 33 hours (4G)
Wired charging
Wired charging	Warp Charge 65T, 10 V/6.5 A; maker reports 1–100% in 29 minutes under laboratory conditions; included adapter supports USB Power Delivery up to 45 W for other compatible devices	USB PD 3.0 (PPS) fast charging, AFC and QC2.0 compatible; up to 25 W
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	15 W Qi wireless charging on the European model; regional variants differ	Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 (WPC); up to 15 W
Charges other devices
Charges other devices	Reverse wireless charging, described by Android Central; maker wattage not verified	Wireless PowerShare
Design
Type
Type	Standard	Standard
Weight
Weight	192 g	169 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	8.7 mm	7.9 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	160 × 74.2 mm	151.7 × 71.2 mm
Water and dust resistance
Water and dust resistance	–	IP68
Materials
Materials	Glass back and plastic frame, described by TechRadar	Metal frame with Contour Cut camera housing; Deluxe Frosted Haze matte finish
Colours
Colours	Arctic Sky, Astral Black and Winter Mist; UK Winter Mist is tied to 12/256 GB according to TechAdvisor	Phantom Violet, Phantom Grey, Phantom Pink, Phantom White
Buttons
Buttons	Alert Slider; gestures and on-screen navigation supported	–
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	No published IP rating for the UK unlocked model; the separate US T-Mobile certification is not applied	IP68, up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes; not advised for beach or pool use
Biometrics
Biometrics	In-display fingerprint sensor and camera-based face unlock	Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor, face recognition
Sensors
Sensors	Fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, electronic compass, gyroscope, ambient light, proximity, sensor core and flicker detection	Ultrasonic fingerprint, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall, proximity, ambient light
Speakers
Speakers	Dual stereo speakers; Dolby Atmos	Stereo speakers; UHQ 32-bit and DSD64/128 playback
Microphones
Microphones	Noise cancellation support	–
Software
Operating system
Operating system	Android	Android
Software at launch
Software at launch	OxygenOS based on Android 11	Android 11
Software updates
Software updates	Three Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates from launch, reported by TechAdvisor; this is the original commitment, not a claim of continuing support	–
In the box
In the box	Phone, Warp Charge 65 adapter, USB-C to USB-C cable, quick start guide, welcome letter, safety and warranty information, logo sticker, case, screen protector and SIM ejector	–
Connectivity
Mobile network
Mobile network	Snapdragon X60; 4×4 MIMO, up to LTE Cat 20 download and Cat 18 upload, 2 Gbit/s and 200 Mbit/s subject to carrier; UK 5G NSA n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/n78 and SA n1/n3/n7/n28/n41/n78	5G (NSA, SA), Sub6
SIM
SIM	Dual nano-SIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax; 2×2 MIMO on 2.4 and 5 GHz	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.2; aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and AAC	Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
NFC	Yes	Yes
USB
USB	USB-C, USB 3.1 Gen 1; standard USB-C earphones supported; included cable supports USB 2.0	USB Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1; DisplayPort output up to 4K at 60 fps
Positioning
Positioning	Dual-band GPS L1/L5 and Galileo E1/E5a; GLONASS, BeiDou and A-GPS	GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou