Samsung Galaxy M21s
#1611
Samsung Galaxy Note8
#891Category Breakdown
Samsung Galaxy M21s
Samsung Galaxy Note8
Performance
76.577.9
Camera
62.794.3
Display
76.283.3
Battery
37.786.7
Build
89.197.5
Connectivity
54.270.2
Audio
8.98.9
Overall
56.667.1
Summary
- The Samsung Galaxy M21s features a plastic build with a glass front, while the Galaxy Note8 has a more premium glass and aluminum construction.
- The M21s offers a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, whereas the Note8 has a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a higher resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels and HDR10 support.
- In terms of performance, the M21s is powered by the Exynos 9611 chipset, while the Note8 utilizes the more powerful Exynos 8895 or Snapdragon 835, depending on the region.
- The M21s has a versatile camera setup with a 64 MP main sensor, whereas the Note8 features a dual-camera system with a 12 MP wide and a 12 MP telephoto lens, providing optical zoom and better low-light performance.
- Battery capacity is significantly higher in the M21s at 6000 mAh compared to the Note8's 3300 mAh, although both support 15W charging.
- The M21s runs on Android 10 with One UI 2.5, while the Note8 originally launched with Android 7.1.1 but can be upgraded to Android 9.0.
Side-by-side Specification Comparison
Samsung Galaxy M21s
Samsung Galaxy Note8
General
Release Date
2020, November 06
2017
Announced
2020, November 06
2017, August 23
Description
N/A
Versions: N950F (Single SIM: Europe, Australia); N950FD (Global Dual SIM: Europe, LATAM, Brazil; Australia); N950U/U1 (USA); N950W (Canada); N9500 (China); N950N (South Korea)Also known as Samsung Galaxy Note8 Duos with Dual SIM card slots.
Display
Size
6.4"
6.3"
Type
Super AMOLED, 420 nits (peak)
Super AMOLED, HDR10
Resolution
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density)
1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~521 ppi density)
PPI
1080
1440
Refresh Rate
60Hz
60Hz
HDR Support
✗
✓
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Performance
Chipset
Exynos 9611 (10 nm)
Exynos 8895 (10 nm) - EMEAQualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 (10 nm) - USA & China
CPU
Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Mongoose M2 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) - EMEAOcta-core (4x2.35 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo) - USA & China
GPU
Mali-G72 MP3
Mali-G71 MP20 - EMEAAdreno 540 - USA & China
Memory
64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM
64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM
Expandable Storage
✗
✗
Card Slot
microSDXC (dedicated slot)
microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only
Camera
Main Camera
64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF8 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm5 MP, f/2.2, (depth)
12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
Main Camera Features
LED flash, panorama, HDR
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Front Camera
32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm
N/A
Front Camera Features
HDR
HDR
Video Recording
4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@240fps, stereo sound rec., HDR, gyro-EIS
Selfie Video
1080p@30fps
1440p@30fps
Optical Stabilization
✗
✓
Night Mode
✗
✗
Raw Photo Support
✗
✗
Battery
Capacity
6000 mAh
3300 mAh
Battery Details
Li-Po 6000 mAh
Li-Ion 3300 mAh, non-removable
Charging Details
15W wired
15W wired, QC2Wireless (Qi) (market dependent)
Fast Charging
✗
✗
Wireless Charging
✗
✓
Build & Safety
Dimensions
159.2 x 75.1 x 8.9 mm (6.27 x 2.96 x 0.35 in)
162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm (6.40 x 2.94 x 0.34 in)
Weight
191 g
195 g
Materials
Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, plastic frame
Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
Colors
Blue, Black
Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue, Star Pink
Foldable
✗
✗
SAR
0.38 W/kg (head)
0.61 W/kg (head) 0.56 W/kg (body)
Connectivity
SIM
Nano-SIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Nano-SIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Network
GSM / HSPA / LTE
GSM / HSPA / LTE
Network Speed
HSPA, LTE
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps
5G
✗
✗
4G
✓
✓
WiFi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
5.0, A2DP, LE
5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
NFC
✗
✓
USB
USB Type-C 2.0
USB Type-C 3.1
IR Blaster
✗
✗
Headphone Jack
✓
✓
Radio
✗
✗
Positioning
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Audio
Stereo Speakers
✗
✗
Loudspeaker
Yes
Yes
Audio Jack
Yes
Yes
Software & Security
Operating System
Android 10, One UI 2.5
Android 7.1.1 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie)
Fingerprint
✓
✓
Face Unlock
✗
✗
Sensors
Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2