Nokia XR21 vs Nokia XR20
48
out of 100
VS
42
out of 100
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.49-inch Nokia XR21 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 695) that was released on May 3, 2023, against the Nokia XR20, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 and came out 1 year and 11 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
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Key differences
Reasons to consider the Nokia XR21
- Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
- 15% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (567K versus 495K)
- Has 50% more RAM: 6GB versus 4GB
- Supports higher wattage charging (33W versus 18W)
- The phone is 1 year and 11 months newer
- Faster storage type - UFS 2.2 versus UFS 2.1
- More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 695
- 39% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 910 and 654 points
- Ready for eSIM technology
Reasons to consider the Nokia XR20
- Handles wireless charging up to 15W
- Delivers 23% higher peak brightness (595 against 483 nits)
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
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Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Size | 6.49 inches | 6.67 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 406 ppi | 395 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 550 nits | 550 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Gorilla Glass Victus | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 77% | 76.8% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 | - |
| RGB color space | 99.5% | 128.3% |
| PWM | 55100 Hz | 1163000 Hz |
| Response time | 33 ms | 26 ms |
| Contrast | 1118:1 | 1815:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 168 mm (6.61 inches) | 171.64 mm (6.76 inches) |
| Width | 78.58 mm (3.09 inches) | 81.5 mm (3.21 inches) |
| Thickness | 10.45 mm (0.41 inches) | 10.64 mm (0.42 inches) |
| Weight | 231 g (8.15 oz) | 248 g (8.75 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Green | Gray, Blue |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 |
| Max clock | 2200 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 6) | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 660 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Kryo 660 Gold (Cortex-A78) |
- 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 460 Silver - 2 cores at 2 GHz: Kryo 460 Gold |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | Samsung |
| Lithography process | 6 nanometers | 8 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Hexagon 686 | Hexagon 686 |
| Graphics | Adreno 619 | Adreno 619 |
| GPU shading units | 256 | 256 |
| GPU clock | 840 MHz | 650 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~430.1 GFLOPS | ~332.8 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
| Single-core score | 910 | 654 |
| Multi-core score | 2111 | 1767 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 230449 | 197825 |
| GPU | 73100 | 61523 |
| Memory | 99174 | 95867 |
| UX | 164367 | 139889 |
| Total score | 567090 | 495104 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | - | 98% |
| Graphics test | - | 1 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 292 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 7255 | 6077 |
| Video editing | 4094 | 4130 |
| Photo editing | 18832 | 14226 |
| Data manipulation | 7631 | 6730 |
| Writing score | 13940 | 9362 |
Memory
| RAM size | 6 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 1833 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 64 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.2 | UFS 2.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 1024 GB | Up to 512 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| OS size | 14 GB | 13 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4800 mAh | 4630 mAh |
| Max charge power | 33 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | Yes (15 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 50 min) | Yes (50% in 40 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:15 hr | 1:35 hr |
| Web browsing | 09:04 hr | 09:43 hr |
| Watching video | 13:48 hr | 13:34 hr |
| Gaming | 05:45 hr | 05:41 hr |
| Standby | 123 hr | 108 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 64 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 9000 x 7000 | 8000 x 6000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | Dual LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | - | No |
| Angle of widest lens | - | 123° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 64 MP 2) Ultrawide: 8 MP |
1) Standard: 48 MP 2) Ultrawide: 13 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 64 MP | 48 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Sensor size | 1/2" (≈ 0.5 inch) | 1/2.25" (≈ 0.44 inch) |
| Pixel size | - | 0.8 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | 8 MP | 13 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.4 |
| Sensor size | 1/4.0" (≈ 0.25 inch) | 1/3.0" (≈ 0.33 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 1.12 micron |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 16 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | - | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.0 |
| Sensor | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | - | 1/4.0" (≈ 0.25 inch) |
| Pixel size | - | 1.12 micron |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC |
| NFC* | Depends on the region | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | No |
| Hybrid slot | Yes | Yes |
| LTE Cat* | 18 | 15 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | No | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | - | No |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | May 2023 | June 2021 |
| Release date | June 2023 | August 2021 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $499 | $600 |
| Successor | - | - Nokia XR21 |
| SAR (head) | - | 1.13 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | - | 1.43 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 33 W | Yes, 18 W |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Nokia XR21 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 109