Screen size
Galaxy A26Winner: 6.7"+7.5%
Galaxy S21 5G6.2"
Quick verdict
Galaxy S21 5G leads the measured specs 9-7.
Measured wins
Galaxy A26
7
spec wins
Ties
6
equal specs
Galaxy S21 5G
9
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
Galaxy A26
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
Galaxy S21 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands
Galaxy A26
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Galaxy S21 5G
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
3G bands
Galaxy A26
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
Galaxy S21 5G
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands
Galaxy A26
Resolution
Refresh rate
equal specsPeak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
Storage
equal specsMain camera
Front camera
Battery
Wired charging
equal specsWeight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
equal specsNFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
Stereo speakers
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA
Galaxy S21 5G
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-G991U1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - SM-G991B
5G bands
Galaxy A26
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International, 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA
Galaxy S21 5G
2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G991U1, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G991B
Speed
Galaxy A26
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Galaxy S21 5G
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL)
Announced
Galaxy A26
2025, March 02
Galaxy S21 5G
2021, January 14
Status
Galaxy A26
Available. Released 2025, March 19
Galaxy S21 5G
Available. Released 2021, January 29
Dimensions
Galaxy A26
164 x 77.5 x 7.7 mm (6.46 x 3.05 x 0.30 in)
Galaxy S21 5G
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in)
Weight
Galaxy A26
200 g (7.05 oz)
Galaxy S21 5G
169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz)
Build
Galaxy A26
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), plastic frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+)
Galaxy S21 5G
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame
SIM
Galaxy A26
· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Galaxy S21 5G
· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
Other
Galaxy A26
IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min)
Galaxy S21 5G
IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Type
Galaxy A26
Super AMOLED, 120Hz
Galaxy S21 5G
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)
Size
Galaxy A26
6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~86.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Galaxy S21 5G
6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
Galaxy A26
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density)
Galaxy S21 5G
1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density)
Protection
Galaxy A26
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, Mohs level 5
Galaxy S21 5G
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
OS
Galaxy A26
Android 15, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 7
Galaxy S21 5G
Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
Chipset
Galaxy A26
Exynos 1380 (5 nm) - GlobalExynos 1280 (5 nm) - LATAM
Galaxy S21 5G
Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China
CPU
Galaxy A26
Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - LATAM
Galaxy S21 5G
Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China
GPU
Galaxy A26
Mali-G68 MP5 - GlobalMali-G68 - LATAM
Galaxy S21 5G
Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China
Card slot
Galaxy A26
microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Galaxy S21 5G
No
Internal
Galaxy A26
128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
Galaxy S21 5G
128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
Other
Galaxy A26
-
Galaxy S21 5G
UFS 3.1
Triple
Galaxy A26
50 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 2 MP (macro)
Galaxy S21 5G
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video
Features
Galaxy A26
LED flash, panorama, HDR
Galaxy S21 5G
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video
Galaxy A26
4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@480fps, gyro-EIS
Galaxy S21 5G
8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Single
Galaxy A26
13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.12µm
Galaxy S21 5G
10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
Video
Galaxy A26
1080p@30fps
Galaxy S21 5G
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Features
Galaxy A26
-
Galaxy S21 5G
HDR
Loudspeaker
Galaxy A26
Yes
Galaxy S21 5G
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack
Galaxy A26
No
Galaxy S21 5G
No
Other
Galaxy A26
-
Galaxy S21 5G
High-bitrate audio support
WLAN
Galaxy A26
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Galaxy S21 5G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
Galaxy A26
5.3, A2DP, LE
Galaxy S21 5G
5.0, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Galaxy A26
GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
Galaxy S21 5G
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC
Galaxy A26
Yes (market/region dependent)
Galaxy S21 5G
Yes
Radio
Galaxy A26
Unspecified
Galaxy S21 5G
FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent)
USB
Galaxy A26
USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
Galaxy S21 5G
USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
Sensors
Galaxy A26
Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass
Galaxy S21 5G
Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Other
Galaxy A26
Virtual proximity sensing
Galaxy S21 5G
Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Type
Galaxy A26
5000 mAh
Galaxy S21 5G
Li-Ion 4000 mAh
Charging
Galaxy A26
25W wired
Galaxy S21 5G
25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless
Colors
Galaxy A26
Black, White, Mint, Peach Pink
Galaxy S21 5G
Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink
Models
Galaxy A26
SM-A266E, SM-A266E/DS, SM-A266E/DSN, SM-A266B, SM-A266B/DS, SM-A266B/DSN, SM-A266U, SM-A266U1, SM-A266W
Galaxy S21 5G
SM-G991B, SM-G991B/DS, SM-G991U, SM-G991U1, SM-G991W, SM-G991N, SM-G9910, SM-G991Q, SCG09
SAR
Galaxy A26
0.75 W/kg (head) 1.09 W/kg (body)
Galaxy S21 5G
0.74 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body)
SAR EU
Galaxy A26
0.41 W/kg (head) 0.96 W/kg (body)
Galaxy S21 5G
0.46 W/kg (head) 1.51 W/kg (body)
Price
Galaxy A26
$ 299.99 / C$ 313.99 / £ 164.00 / € 195.00 / ₹ 24,999
Galaxy S21 5G
$ 159.99 / C$ 271.75 / £ 146.90 / € 189.99