Screen size
equal specsGalaxy S21 5G6.2"
Galaxy S256.2"
Quick verdict
Galaxy S25 leads the measured specs 9-2.
Measured wins
Galaxy S21 5G
2
spec wins
Ties
12
equal specs
Galaxy S25
9
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
equal specsTechnology
Galaxy S21 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Galaxy S25
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands
Galaxy S21 5G
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
Galaxy S25
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
3G bands
Galaxy S21 5G
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
Galaxy S25
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands
Galaxy S21 5G
Resolution
Refresh rate
equal specsPeak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
Storage
equal specsMain camera
Front camera
Battery
equal specsWired charging
equal specsWeight
Thickness
IP rating
equal specsWi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
equal specs5G support
equal specsNFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
equal specs1, 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
Galaxy S25
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA unlocked
5G bands
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
Galaxy S25
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International, 1, 2, 5, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA unlocked
Speed
Galaxy S21 5G
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL)
Galaxy S25
HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G
Announced
Galaxy S21 5G
2021, January 14
Galaxy S25
2025, January 22
Status
Galaxy S21 5G
Available. Released 2021, January 29
Galaxy S25
Available. Released 2025, February 03
Dimensions
Galaxy S21 5G
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in)
Galaxy S25
146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm (5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 in)
Weight
Galaxy S21 5G
169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) (5.96 oz)
Galaxy S25
162 g (5.71 oz)
Build
Galaxy S21 5G
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame
Galaxy S25
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame
SIM
Galaxy S21 5G
· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
Galaxy S25
· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - INT· Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - USA· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM - CN
Other
Galaxy S21 5G
IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Galaxy S25
IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum 2 frame
Type
Galaxy S21 5G
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)
Galaxy S25
Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak)
Size
Galaxy S21 5G
6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Galaxy S25
6.2 inches, 94.4 cm2 (~91.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
Galaxy S21 5G
1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density)
Galaxy S25
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~416 ppi density)
Protection
Galaxy S21 5G
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Galaxy S25
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 5
OS
Galaxy S21 5G
Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
Galaxy S25
Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8
Chipset
Galaxy S21 5G
Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China
Galaxy S25
Qualcomm SM8750-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm)
CPU
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
Galaxy S25
Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M)
GPU
Galaxy S21 5G
Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China
Galaxy S25
Adreno 830 (1200 MHz)
Card slot
Galaxy S21 5G
No
Galaxy S25
No
Internal
Galaxy S21 5G
128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
Galaxy S25
128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM
Other
Galaxy S21 5G
UFS 3.1
Galaxy S25
UFS 4.0
Triple
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
Galaxy S25
50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video
Features
Galaxy S21 5G
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Galaxy S25
Best Face, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video
Galaxy S21 5G
8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Galaxy S25
8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Single
Galaxy S21 5G
10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
Galaxy S25
12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF
Features
Galaxy S21 5G
HDR
Galaxy S25
HDR, HDR10+
Video
Galaxy S21 5G
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Galaxy S25
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Loudspeaker
Galaxy S21 5G
Yes, with stereo speakers
Galaxy S25
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack
Galaxy S21 5G
No
Galaxy S25
No
Other
Galaxy S21 5G
High-bitrate audio support
Galaxy S25
High-bitrate audio support
WLAN
Galaxy S21 5G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Galaxy S25
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
Galaxy S21 5G
5.0, A2DP, LE
Galaxy S25
5.4, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Galaxy S21 5G
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Galaxy S25
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC
Galaxy S21 5G
Yes
Galaxy S25
Yes
Radio
Galaxy S21 5G
FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent)
Galaxy S25
No
USB
Galaxy S21 5G
USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
Galaxy S25
USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG
Sensors
Galaxy S21 5G
Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Galaxy S25
Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Other
Galaxy S21 5G
Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Galaxy S25
Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Type
Galaxy S21 5G
Li-Ion 4000 mAh
Galaxy S25
Li-Ion 4000 mAh
Charging
Galaxy S21 5G
25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless
Galaxy S25
25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) 4.5W reverse wireless
Colors
Galaxy S21 5G
Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink
Galaxy S25
Icy Blue, Mint, Navy, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold, Coral Red, Blue Black
Models
Galaxy S21 5G
SM-G991B, SM-G991B/DS, SM-G991U, SM-G991U1, SM-G991W, SM-G991N, SM-G9910, SM-G991Q, SCG09
Galaxy S25
SM-S931B, SM-S931B/DS, SM-S931U, SM-S931U1, SM-S931W, SM-S931N, SM-S9310, SM-S931E, SM-S931E/DS
SAR
Galaxy S21 5G
0.74 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body)
Galaxy S25
1.13 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body)
SAR EU
Galaxy S21 5G
0.46 W/kg (head) 1.51 W/kg (body)
Galaxy S25
1.29 W/kg (head) 1.36 W/kg (body)
Price
Galaxy S21 5G
$ 159.99 / C$ 271.75 / £ 146.90 / € 189.99
Galaxy S25
$ 799.99 / C$ 679.99 / £ 429.99 / € 589.90 / ₹ 74,999