Samsung Galaxy A21s vs A15 5G
36
out of 100
VS
47
out of 100
Here we compared two budget smartphones: the 6.5-inch Samsung Galaxy A21s (with Exynos 850) that was released on May 15, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus and came out 3 years and 8 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A21s
- Shows 10% longer battery life (25:00 vs 22:46 hours)
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
- 2x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (507K versus 258K)
- Higher display refresh rate β 90 Hz
- 47% higher pixel density (396 vs 270 PPI)
- Delivers 59% higher peak brightness (781 against 490 nits)
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
- More recent OS version: Android 16 versus 12
- Has 2x more RAM: 4GB versus 2GB
- Slow-motion recording at 120FPS
- The phone is 3 years and 8 months newer
- Super AMOLED display (versus competitor's PLS TFT)
- Supports higher wattage charging (25W versus 15W)
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 | PLS TFT | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 270 ppi | 396 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 540 nits | 800 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 82.9% | 84.4% |
| Display features | - | - DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 88.4% | 99% |
| PWM | 500 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Response time | 30.4 ms | 1 ms |
| Contrast | 1500:1 | β Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 163.6 mm (6.44 inches) | 160.1 mm (6.3 inches) |
| Width | 75.3 mm (2.96 inches) | 76.8 mm (3.02 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.4 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) | 200 g (7.05 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Red | Black, Blue, Yellow |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 850 | MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus |
| Max clock | 2000 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (8) | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - 8 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 | - 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A76 |
| L3 cache | - | 2 MB |
| Manufacturing | Samsung | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 8 nanometers | 6 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | No | Yes |
| Graphics | Mali-G52 MP6 | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| GPU shading units | 16 | 64 |
| GPU clock | 1001 MHz | 962 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~48 GFLOPS | ~123.1 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | - | 1263 |
| Single-core score | 300 | 675 |
| Multi-core score | 836 | 1957 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 100392 | 217616 |
| GPU | 18008 | 41857 |
| Memory | 86289 | 108852 |
| UX | 53375 | 139217 |
| Total score | 258064 | 507542 |
| Samples | [4 tests] | [6 tests] |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Stability | - | 97% |
| Graphics test | - | 1 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 132 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 4948 | 8902 |
| Video editing | 5163 | 4692 |
| Photo editing | 8993 | 15554 |
| Data manipulation | 3929 | 7068 |
| Writing score | 5825 | 10187 |
Recent User Tests
Samsung Galaxy A21s
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-09-18 -> HABIBO | AnTuTu 12 | 304257 |
| π 2026-05-16 (Abdul ahad) | AnTuTu 11 | 258064 |
| π 2026-03-29 -> quandzvl12 | AnTuTu 11 | 316736 |
| π 2025-10-08 (MinxK) | AnTuTu 11 | 231817 |
| π 2025-10-04 (zayedbinnahyan) | AnTuTu 11 | 218341 |
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-09-17 -> Bulbo | AnTuTu 12 | 608209 |
| π 2026-09-14 -> Bulbo | AnTuTu 12 | 608209 |
| π 2026-08-15 (Julian Ludwig) | Geekbench 6 GPU | 1245 |
| π 2026-08-15 (Julian Ludwig) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 675 / 1791 |
| π 2026-08-01 (Gota) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 675 / 1957 |
Memory
| RAM size | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | UFS 2.2 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) | Android 14 (Can be upgraded to Android 16) |
| ROM | One UI 4.1 | One UI 7.0 |
| OS size | 12 GB | 20 GB |
| OS updates | 2 years | 2 years |
| Security updates | 4 years | 3 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 15 W | 25 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 60 min) | Yes (51% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:10 hr | 1:23 hr |
| Web browsing | 09:45 hr | 10:02 hr |
| Watching video | 14:13 hr | 13:42 hr |
| Gaming | 05:34 hr | 07:43 hr |
| Standby | 128 hr | 97 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8000 x 6000 | 8160 x 6120 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | 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 | 120 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 123Β° | - |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 48 MP 2) Ultrawide: 8 MP 3) Macro: 2 MP 4) Depth: 2 MP |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Ultrawide: 5 MP 3) Macro: 2 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 48 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung S5KGM2 | Hynix Hi5022Q |
| Sensor size | 1/2.0" (β 0.5 inch) | 1/2.8" (β 0.36 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.8 micron | 0.64 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | 8 MP | 5 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | - | 17 mm |
| Sensor | - | SmartSense SC501CS |
| Sensor size | 1/4.0" (β 0.25 inch) | 1/5" (β 0.2 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 1.12 micron |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | 2 MP | 2 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.4 |
| Sensor | - | GalaxyCore GC02M1 |
| Stabilization | Digital | No |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4128 x 3096 | 4160 x 3120 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | - | 26 mm |
| Sensor | CMOS | GalaxyCore GC013A |
| Sensor size | 1/3.1" (β 0.32 inch) | 1/3.06" (β 0.33 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 1.12 micron |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | No |
| 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 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | LE |
| 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 | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Depends on the region |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 13 | - |
| 5G support | No | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Budget | Budget |
| Announced | May 2020 | December 2023 |
| Release date | June 2020 | December 2023 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $200 | $199 |
| Successor | - Samsung Galaxy A24 4G | - Samsung Galaxy A17 5G |
| SAR (head) | 0.23 W/kg | 0.8 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.38 W/kg | 1.46 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Hall-effect sensor - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | - | Not included |
*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 Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 35