MARCH 2021 PCWorld 79of distributing the weight on the S21,
so it doesn’t feel as heavy as it weighs
in specs:
Galaxy S21: 151.7 x 71.2 x
7.9mm, 171 grams
iPhone 12: 146.7 x 71.5 x
7.4mm, 164 grams
Both phones come in a variety of
colors that basically boil down to
personal preference, but Samsung’s
unique design stands out here as
well. The camera array is treated as a
design element and is made to stand
out with a bold metal housing. It’s one of the
most unique designs Samsung has ever
made, and it makes the iPhone 12 look—well,
a little stale.
My pick: Galaxy S21.
DISPLAY
Now that Apple has gone OLED and
Samsung has gone Full HD, the iPhone 12
and Galaxy S21 have very similar displays:
Galaxy S21: 6.2-inch Flat FHD+
Infinity-O Display (2400x1080), 421ppi,
120Hz
iPhone 12: 6.1-inch Flat Full HD+ Super
Retina XDR (2532x1170), 460ppi, 60Hz
Marketing terms and tenth-of-an-inch
difference aside, the only real distinction
between the two displays is the refresh rate.
Samsung is once again using a 120Hz screen
on the S21, and this year it’s adaptive,
meaning it will switch dynamically from a high
refresh to a low one, depending on what
you’re doing, in order to save battery life.
You’re also choosing between a hole or a
notch. The iPhone 12 sticks with the rather
large notch at the top of the screen that
houses the TrueDepth camera and sensors for
Face ID, while Samsung has a small hole in the
center for its selfie camera.
The iPhone 12’s display is excellent, and,
thanks to the speed of system on a chip, it
feels extremely fast. But the S21 takes it a step
further with its buttery-smooth scrolling,
which feels effortless.
My pick: Galaxy S21.PROCESSOR, RAM,
STORAGE, AND BATTERY
As usual, both phones feature the very latest
in chip tech. The iPhone uses Apple’s own
A14 Bionic processor, while the S21 sticks
with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888. BothThe iPhone 12 sticks with the notch.