Vivo V21 vs OnePlus Nord 2 5G
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.44-inch Vivo V21 (with MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G) that was released on April 27, 2021, against the OnePlus Nord 2 5G, which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G and came out 2 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 Vivo V21
- Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 512GB
- Delivers 21% higher peak brightness (768 against 635 nits)
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Reasons to consider the OnePlus Nord 2 5G
- 2.1x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (667K versus 312K)
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
- Comes with 500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 4000 mAh
- Stereo speakers
- More recent OS version: Android 12 versus 11
- Slow-motion recording at 240FPS
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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
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Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Size | 6.44 inches | 6.43 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2404 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 409 ppi | 410 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 500 nits | 450 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | 800 nits | 650 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 84.8% | 85.8% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 97.8% | 128.2% |
| PWM | 367 Hz | 119 Hz |
| Response time | 3.4 ms | 8 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 159.7 mm (6.29 inches) | 158.9 mm (6.26 inches) |
| Width | 73.9 mm (2.91 inches) | 73.2 mm (2.88 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.3 mm (0.29 inches) | 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 176 g (6.21 oz) | 189 g (6.67 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Blue | Gray, Blue, Green |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G | MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G |
| Max clock | 2400 MHz | 3000 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 6) | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.4 GHz: Cortex-A76 |
- 4 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.6 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 3 GHz: Cortex-A78 |
| L3 cache | - | 8 MB |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 6 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G57 MC3 | Mali-G77 MC9 |
| GPU clock | 850 MHz | 850 MHz |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 66183 | 186770 |
| GPU | 86630 | 232801 |
| Memory | 71312 | 114516 |
| UX | 84274 | 131863 |
| Total score | 312714 | 667086 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 37.9 °C | 50.7 °C |
| Stability | 99% | 66% |
| Graphics test | 9 FPS | 25 FPS |
| Graphics score | 1608 | 4182 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 4718 | 6705 |
| Video editing | 5700 | 5362 |
| Photo editing | 12769 | 14197 |
| Data manipulation | 6776 | 9198 |
| Writing score | 7919 | 10293 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 6, 8, 12 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128, 256 GB | 128, 256 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.2 | UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | No |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | - |
Software
| Operating system | Android 11 | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) |
| ROM | Funtouch OS 11.1 | OxygenOS 12 |
| OS size | - | 14 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4000 mAh | 4500 mAh |
| Charge power | 33 W | 65 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (63% in 30 min) | Yes (98% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:05 hr | 0:31 hr |
| Web browsing | 11:49 hr | 12:29 hr |
| Watching video | 14:07 hr | 13:49 hr |
| Gaming | 06:13 hr | 05:27 hr |
| Standby | 112 hr | 94 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 64 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 9248 x 6920 | 8700 x 5800 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 120 FPS (720p) | 240 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 120° | 119° |
| Lenses | 3 (64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP) | 3 (50 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.7 micron - Sensor: 1/1.97", Samsung ISOCELL GW3 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 24 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/1.56", Sony IMX766 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 16 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4.0" (CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.3 |
| Monochrome lens | - | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Macro lens | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
- |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Samples | Photo samples of Vivo V21 from DxOMark | Photo samples of OnePlus Nord 2 5G from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 44 megapixels | 32 megapixels |
| Image resolution | - | 6528 x 4896 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.5 |
| Pixel size | 0.7 microns | 0.8 microns |
| Sensor type | ISOCELL CMOS | Exmor-RS CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.65" | 1/2.8" |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) 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 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 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, A2DP | 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 | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC, SBAS |
| 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* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | Yes | No |
| LTE Cat* | 18 | 18 |
| 5G support | No | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | April 2021 | July 2021 |
| Release date | May 2021 | July 2021 |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
These smartphones have a lot in common, but we would recommend the OnePlus Nord 2 5G. It has a better performance, software, connectivity, and sound.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 92