Samsung Galaxy M21 vs Galaxy A12
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.4-inch Samsung Galaxy M21 (with Exynos 7 Octa 9611) that was released on March 17, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A12, which is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 and came out 8 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy M21
- 90% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (214K versus 112K)
- 49% higher pixel density (403 vs 270 PPI)
- Comes with 1000 mAh larger battery capacity: 6000 vs 5000 mAh
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 5 wireless networks
- Delivers 30% higher peak brightness (618 against 476 nits)
- Slow-motion recording at 240FPS
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR4X 1866 MHz
- Ability to record video in 4K resolution
- Super AMOLED display (versus competitor's PLS TFT)
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A12
- The phone is 8-months newer
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Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Super AMOLED | PLS TFT |
| Size | 6.4 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 403 ppi | 270 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 630 nits | 450 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 84.2% | 82.1% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - |
| RGB color space | 141.3% | 96.3% |
| PWM | 215 Hz | 337 Hz |
| Response time | 9 ms | 52 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | 864:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 159 mm (6.26 inches) | 164 mm (6.46 inches) |
| Width | 75.1 mm (2.96 inches) | 75.8 mm (2.98 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 188 g (6.63 oz) | 205 g (7.23 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Green | White, Black, Blue, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, in home button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611 | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| Max clock | 2300 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A73 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53 |
| Lithography process | 10 nanometers | 12 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G72 MP3 | IMG PowerVR GE8320 |
| GPU clock | 850 MHz | 680 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~259 GFLOPS | ~44.8 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 61605 | 35357 |
| GPU | 43597 | 13133 |
| Memory | 45704 | 28597 |
| UX | 62702 | 35628 |
| Total score | 214210 | 112982 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 44.1 °C | 44.1 °C |
| Stability | 73% | - |
| Graphics test | 4 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 816 | - |
Memory
| RAM size | 4, 6 GB | 3, 4, 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 128 GB | 32, 64, 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 12.0) | Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) |
| ROM | One Ui 4.1 | One UI Core 4.1 |
| OS size | 14.5 GB | 13 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 6000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charge power | 15 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (25% in 30 min) | Yes (20% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:35 hr | 3:03 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 16:07 hr |
| Watching video | - | 12:14 hr |
| Gaming | - | 06:09 hr |
| Standby | - | 153 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8000 x 6000 | 8000 x 6000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (720p) | No |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | 123° |
| Lenses | 3 (48 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP) | 4 (48 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 48 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2.0", Samsung S5KGM2 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 48 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 12 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4.0" (CMOS) |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Macro lens | - | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Depth lens | - 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 25 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
- 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Samples | - | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy A12 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 20 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, 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 | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| 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* | 12 | 7 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Budget |
| Announced | March 2020 | November 2020 |
| Release date | March 2020 | December 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.492 W/kg | 0.67 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.13 W/kg | 1.38 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
*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 M21 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 126