March 2021 • Macworld 53iPhone 12: 6.1in
Flat Full HD+
Super Retina XDR
(2,532x1,170),
460ppi, 60Hz
Galaxy S21:
6.2in Flat FHD+
Infinity-O Display
(2,400x1,080),
421ppi, 120HzMarketing terms
and tenth-of-an-inch
aside, the only real
difference 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 low,
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 centre for its selfie camera.
The iPhone 12’s display is
excellent, and thanks to the speed
of system-on-chip, it feels extremely
fast. But the S21 takes it a step furtherwith its buttery-smooth scrolling that
feels effortless.My pick: Galaxy S21PROCESSOR, 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. I
haven’t tested the S21 yet, but it will
likely be extremely fast even if its
benchmarks don’t quite measure up
to Apple’s impressive results. When
it comes to memory, Samsung hasThe iPhone 12 sticks with the notch.March 2021 • Macworld 53iPhone 12: 6.1in
Flat Full HD+
Super Retina XDR
(2,532x1,170),
460ppi, 60Hz
Galaxy S21:
6.2in Flat FHD+
Infinity-O Display
(2,400x1,080),
421ppi, 120Hz
Marketing terms
and tenth-of-an-inch
aside, the only real
difference 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 low,
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 centre for its selfie camera.
The iPhone 12’s display is
excellent, and thanks to the speed
of system-on-chip, it feels extremely
fast. But the S21 takes it a step further
with its buttery-smooth scrolling that
feels effortless.My pick: Galaxy S21PROCESSOR, 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. I
haven’t tested the S21 yet, but it will
likely be extremely fast even if its
benchmarks don’t quite measure up
to Apple’s impressive results. When
it comes to memory, Samsung hasThe iPhone 12 sticks with the notch.