Apple iPhone 14 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Which phone is better? - XDA Developers

Our iPhone 14 vs Galaxy S21 FE examination pits Apple’s modular flagship against Samsung’s affordable flagship offering. The iPhone 14 is the astir affordable exemplary successful the caller iPhone 14 series, but it’s besides the astir boring telephone successful the lineup arsenic it brings fewer improvements implicit its predecessor. It delivers a tried and tested hardware bundle successful a bundle that’s good excessively familiar. The Galaxy S21 FE, connected the different hand, is fundamentally a lite mentation of the Galaxy S21, offering galore of the champion features of the premium exemplary astatine an affordable terms tag. But which 1 is simply a amended value? We find retired successful this article.

Apple iPhone 14 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Specifications

Design & Display

The iPhone 14’s plan has hardly changed from its predecessor. Other than the caller colour shades, it looks identical to the iPhone 13. That’s not a atrocious thing, arsenic the iPhone 14 was a great-looking telephone and everything we liked astir it carries implicit to the caller model. It has level aluminum sides, a solid back, and Ceramic Shield connected the front.

The Galaxy S21 FE shares plan similarities with the Galaxy S21, featuring a integrative back, a metallic frame, and the Contour Cut camera module that houses 3 camera lenses. The Galaxy S21 FE is admittedly little premium than the iPhone 14, but it doesn’t look oregon consciousness inexpensive by immoderate means.

Moving to the display, the iPhone 14 sports a 6.1-inch OLED sheet with 1170 x 2532 pixels, Dolby Vision contented support, and up to 1200 nits highest brightness. The Galaxy S21 FE has a bigger 6.4-inch AMOLED show with 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. Both are high-quality displays, offering affluent colors, heavy black, and bully sunlight legibility. For contented consumption, the Galaxy S21 FE looks to beryllium a amended prime arsenic it has a larger surface and little distracting hole-punch notch, offering a much immersive viewing experience.

Camera

The Galaxy S21 FE features a triple camera strategy borrowed from the Galaxy S22. The setup consists of a 12MP f/1.8 main shooter, an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter. The iPhone 14, connected the different hand, packs a acquainted dual-camera setup, featuring a 12MP f/1.5 main camera and a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide shooter.

Both phones seizure fantabulous images successful wide daylight, but erstwhile it comes to low-light and nighttime photography, the iPhone 14 has an edge. Thanks to the larger pixel size, faster aperture, and Apple’s caller Photonic Engine, the main camera of the iPhone 14 is capable to present crisp images with true-to-life colors adjacent successful challenging lights.

The Galaxy S21 FE has a much versatile camera strategy arsenic it has an further zoom lens which the iPhone 14 doesn’t have. The iPhone 14 does connection 5x integer zoom via the main camera though it’s nary lucifer to the S21 FE’s dedicated zoom lens.

Another country wherever the iPhone 14 dominates is the video department. Video show connected the iPhone has ever been among the champion successful its class, and the iPhone 14 is nary different. The Cinematic Mode that debuted connected the iPhone 13 has been upgraded, portion there’s a caller Action Mode that provides gimbal-like stabilization for aggravated motion.

iPhone 14 camera samples

Galaxy S21 FE camera samples

Performance, Battery, and Software

The iPhone 14 is powered by the A15 Bionic chipset. While this is the aforesaid chipset arsenic the iPhone 13, it packs a somewhat faster GPU. The Galaxy S21 FE is disposable successful 2 variants: the Snapdragon 888 variant for the US marketplace and the Exynos 2100 variant for different markets.

In presumption of earthy power, the iPhone 14 is evidently superior — successful fact, its A15 Bionic spot beats adjacent the much caller Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. But that’s not to accidental the Galaxy S21 is simply a dilatory phone, acold from it. The Galaxy S21 FE should consciousness snappier and much fluid compared to the iPhone 14 acknowledgment to its 120Hz precocious refresh complaint display. For gaming, the iPhone 14 is simply a amended prime arsenic it packs a much almighty 5-core GPU and improved thermal design. The Galaxy S21 FE tin besides bash gaming conscionable fine, but you mightiness announcement dropped frames and sluggishness portion playing demanding games similar Genshin Impact.

The Galaxy S21 FE packs a ample 4,500mAh battery, a measurement up from the Galaxy S21’s 4,000mAh cell. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 has a 3,279mAh battery. The Galaxy S21 FE whitethorn person a larger artillery connected paper, but some phones are akin successful presumption of endurance. Both phones volition easy get you done a afloat time of usage without immoderate issues. As for charging, the Galaxy S21 FE offers 25W accelerated wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14, connected the different hand, supports 20W wired charging, 15W MagSafe magnetic charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Whether you spell with the iPhone 14 oregon Galaxy S21 FE, you’ll not get a charger wrong the box. Your existing charger should enactment conscionable good if not, you’ll person to ammunition retired wealth for a compatible fast charger. Note that the iPhone 14 uses Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector portion the Galaxy S21 FE uses the cosmopolitan USB-C port.

The bundle acquisition is different important favoritism betwixt the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S21 FE. With the iPhone 14, you’ll get iOS 16, the latest mentation of Apple’s mobile operating system. The Galaxy S21 FE runs Android 12, with an update to Android 13 planned aboriginal successful the year. Both phones connection agelong bundle support. Samsung promises 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of information updates. Unlike Samsung, Apple doesn’t publically disclose its bundle commitment, but going by the past record, we tin expect astatine slightest 5 years of iOS updates for the iPhone 14.

As for biometrics, the Galaxy S21 FE has an in-display fingerprint scanner, portion the iPhone 14 uses Face ID. One absorbing diagnostic that you’ll lone find connected the iPhone 14 is basal outer connectivity, which lets you get successful interaction with exigency services erstwhile you find yourself stuck astatine a distant spot without cellular oregon net connectivity.

iPhone 14 vs Galaxy S21 FE: Conclusion

If you don’t privation to walk upwards of $1000, the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S21 FE are fantabulous options. The Galaxy S21 FE has a bigger, higher refresh complaint display, a much versatile camera system, and a larger battery. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 has a much premium build, much earthy power, and amended gaming performance. The iPhone 14’s camera strategy whitethorn not beryllium arsenic versatile arsenic the Galaxy S21 FE, but it’s acold much accordant and reliable. In addition, the iPhone 14 besides delivers top-notch video performance, has basal outer connectivity, and offers longer bundle support.

The iPhone 14 starts astatine $799, but you tin instrumentality vantage of deals and discounts for immoderate large savings. The Galaxy S21 FE was launched astatine $700, but you tin find it for $600 oregon little connected Amazon and Best Buy. While the telephone is simply a spot costly connected Samsung’s authoritative website ($650), you tin get up to $635 instant recognition with Samsung’s enhanced trade-in program.