Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is one of the most compact high-end Android smartphones in the market at the moment. In this article, we’ll compare it with its predecessor. No, I’m not talking about the Galaxy S22, as we already did that comparison. This time around, we’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21. Many of you are probably considering upgrading at this point, and if you’re aiming at a more compact flagship, there are not that many choices out there

These two phones may look somewhat similar, but there’s more here than meets the eye. They also have quite a few differences in the spec department, so we’ll get over that too. Speaking of which, we’ll first list their specifications, and will take things from there. We’ll compare the two phones across a number of other categories, including design, display, performance, battery, cameras, and audio.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Design

These two devices do look somewhat similar. They both have flat displays, a centered display camera hole, and thin displays. The curvature in the corners is also quite similar. You will easily tell the two apart when you flip them, however. The Galaxy S21 has a dedicated camera island, while the Galaxy S23 does not. Each of the three cameras on the Galaxy S23 protrude directly from the backplate.

The Galaxy S23 is made out of aluminum and glass, while the Galaxy S21 combines aluminum with plastic. Yes, that’s a plastic backplate on the back of the Galaxy S21, though you wouldn’t necessarily know it just by holding the phone. The Galaxy S23 is shorter, narrower, and slightly thinner. That’s mostly because it has a slightly smaller display. It’s also a gram or two lighter, but that’s not a difference you’ll be able to notice.

Both devices are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Both of them feel really nice in the hand, though they are quite slippery. They do feel like premium products, even the Galaxy S21 with a plastic backplate, as you’re unable to tell the difference, really. That plastic will scratch more easily, though, of course. Therefore, the Galaxy S23 is, technically, a more premium product of the two.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Display

The Samsung Galaxy S23 includes a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. This display is flat, and it supports a 120Hz refresh rate. It also has HDR10+ content support, and gets up to 1,750 nist of peak brightness. We’re looking at a 19.5:9 display aspect ratio, while the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is in charge of protecting the panel itself.

The Galaxy S21, on the other hand, has a 6.2-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also has support for HDR10+ content. You may wonder what’s different in comparison with the Galaxy S23. Well, the brightness aspect. This panel gets up to 1,300 nits, nowhere near the Galaxy S23’s display. And while this display is also flat, it has a different aspect ratio of 20:9. This display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.

Truth be said, both of these displays are great. They’re vivid, more than sharp enough, and have great viewing angles. The touch response is also quite good, so there’s really not much to complain about. The Galaxy S23 is definitely the better choice if you’re planning to use the device plenty while you’re outdoors, especially in direct sunlight. The difference in brightness is quite noticeable.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC. It also includes 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The Galaxy S21, on the other hand, is fueled by the Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100, depending on the market. It includes 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Galaxy S23 definitely has the edge when it comes to performance.

The fact the Galaxy S23 comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy in all markets is a great move by Samsung. Exynos models have been inferior to their Snapdragon counterparts over the years. The Galaxy S23 is technically a much more powerful phone, based on the performance-related specs. That much is obvious. Is that something you’ll notice in day-to-day performance?

Well, let’s just say that the Galaxy S21 still performs really well, but when you pit it directly against the Galaxy S23, you’ll notice the added fluidity. A much more noticeable difference can be spotted while gaming, as the Galaxy S23 can chew through anything, basically, with style. The Galaxy S21 is a bit easier to bog down with the most demanding titles. The Galaxy S23 also has better power consumption, especially when compared with the Exynos Galaxy S21 model.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Battery

There is a 3,900mAh battery inside the Galaxy S23, while the Galaxy S21 includes a 4,000mAh unit. Back when we tested the Galaxy S21 battery life, we were able to cross the 6-hours screen-on-time mark and still have about 15% of battery life. Well, on most days, at least. The Galaxy S23 offers comparable results. You should not have a problem getting over the 6-hour screen-on-time mark on either phone, presuming you’re not a gamer.

Your mileage may, of course, differ. You’ll be using different apps, in different situations, and have different signal strengths. Still, the battery life on these two phones is nowhere near as bad as is on the Galaxy S22. That device really didn’t provide much in terms of battery life. Most of you will be happy with what these two have to offer. If you already use the Galaxy S21, upgrading to the Galaxy S23 should bring you similar results.

When the charging is concerned, they’re the exact same. They both support 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. You won’t get a charger with either phone, actually. Samsung doesn’t include it in the box, so you’ll have to get one separately in order to take advantage of the full charging speed.

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Samsung Galaxy S21: Cameras

The Galaxy S23 is equipped with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The Galaxy S21, on the flip side, has a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera (1.1x optical zoom). It is to be expected for the Galaxy S23 to offer better results, and it does, quite noticeably.

The Galaxy S23 provides better results in pretty much every way. The least visible change is in the ultrawide camera, but that doesn’t mean the Galaxy S23 isn’t better in that regard too. The Galaxy S23 can take sharper images, which are also balanced better, not to mention it does better with HDR too. In low light, the results come out both sharper, and better exposed in general.

The telephoto camera is miles better, as the Galaxy S21’s doesn’t offer anything close to a 3x optical zoom. The ultrawide camera provides better colors for images, and sharper results overall. On top of that, the photos look less artificial. That being said, the Galaxy S21 still provides good results, but noticeably worse in comparison with its much younger cousin. Something similar can be said for video recording, but the difference is not that big.

Audio

Both the Galaxy S23 and S21 feature a set of stereo speakers. Those speakers are optimized by AKG, and they’re good in both cases. We did notice more details from the Galaxy S23, and also a wider soundstage in general. Both sets of speakers are loud enough.

There is no audio jack on either of these two phones. You will have to use their Type-C ports, if you’d like to connect your headphones via a wire. Alternatively, the Galaxy S23 offers Bluetooth 5.3 support, while the Galaxy S21 comes with Bluetooth 5.0.