Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Xiaomi 11T Pro Specs Comparison

Xiaomi 11T Pro has one of the highest specs you will ever find on a sub-PHP 30K smartphone today. But, how does it compare with the S21?

Team Samsung Galaxy S21 or Xiaomi 11T Pro?

To recap, Xiaomi 11T Pro starts at PHP 27,990 while the Samsung Galaxy S21 is priced at PHP 49,990. Let's check the specs.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Xiaomi 11T Pro Specs Comparison

Device	Samsung Galaxy S21 5G	Xiaomi 11T Pro
Display	6.2-inch Flat Gorilla Glass Victus protected Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 pixels at 421 ppi	6.67-inch flat Gorilla Glass Victus protected AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, MEMC, HDR10+, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 395 ppi
CPU	2.9GHz 5nm EUV Exynos 2100 5G octa-core processor	2.84GHz 5nm Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor
GPU	Mali-G78 MP14	Adreno 660
RAM	8GB LPDDR5	8GB/12GB LPDDR5
ROM	128GB/256GB UFS 3.1	128GB/256GB UFS 3.1
Back Camera	12MP f/1.8 w/ OIS + 12MP ultra-wide-angle + 64MP telephoto w/ OIS + LED flash	108MP f/1.75 w/ PDAF + 8MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide-angle + 5MP f/2.4 3-7cm telemacro + dual-tone LED flash
Selfie Camera	10MP Wide sensor w/ Dual Pixel PDAF	16MP f/2.45
Battery	4,000mAh w/ 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging	5,000mAh w/ 120W HyperCharge
OS	Android 11 w/ One UI 3.1	Android 11 w/ MIUI 12.5
Connectivity	WiFi 6, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, UWB, MST, OTG, NFC, dual-band GPS, dual SIM (hybrid)	WiFi 6, 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, NFC, GPS (L1+L5), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo (E1+E5a), dual SIM
Sensors	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure, heart rate	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others	Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP68 water and dust resistance, USB-C, UHQ 32-bit/DSD audio support, AKG stereo speakers, Colors: Phantom Silver, Phantom Gray	Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IR Blaster, stereo speakers, Harman Kardon audio, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio Certification, X-axis linear vibration motor, Vapor chamber cooling system, USB-C, Colors: Meteorite Gray, Moonlight White, Celestial Blue
Dimensions	161.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm	164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8 mm
Weight	172 g	204 g
Price	PHP 44,990 8GB/128GB), PHP 49,990 (8GB/256GB)	PHP 27,990 (8GB/256GB), PHP 29,990 (12GB/256GB)

Xiaomi 11T Pro takes on Samsung Galaxy S21!

Build/Design - The Xiaomi 11T Pro sports a polycarbonate frame with metal inside, a glass-like back, and a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus-protected glass panel for the screen. There is no mention of any kind of water resistance though but there is a red rubber gasket in the SIM tray.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 sports a metal frame, a glass front, and a frosted glasstic back. It also has the new accented camera bump at the back with a quad-sensor setup. It has Gorilla Glass Victus protection as well as IP68 water and dust resistance. It is just weird seeing glasstic (plastic) on a PHP 50K phone.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 takes a bit of a lead here due to the IP68 protection. However, in terms of build, it is neck to neck.

Small vs big display

Display -  The Xiaomi 11T Pro features a huge 6.67-inch flat Gorilla Glass Victus protected AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, MEMC, HDR10+, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 395 ppi

The Samsung Galaxy S21 features a relatively smaller 6.2-inch Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protected Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 pixels at 421 ppi.

The Xiaomi 11T Pro takes the lead here as it comes out punching with better features as the 480Hz touch sampling rate, MEMC, and HDR10+ support. It also has a bigger screen. Samsung Galaxy S21 is still no slouch though.

Specs - For performance, Xiaomi 11T features the 5nm 2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor, Adreno 660 GPU, up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 sports the 5nm 2.9GHz EUV Exynos 2100 5G octa-core processor, Mali-G78 MP14 GPU, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging.

On paper, Xiaomi 11T Pro wins in CPU and GPU speed. But in real life, the difference of 0.1GHz in speed will be hard to gauge. Both are still top-notch and super-fast devices in their own rights.

For the RAM and storage, it is virtually a tie as the two devices feature the same amount and technology. But, Xiaomi 11T Pro has the option for up to 12GB of RAM.

Xiaomi 11T also has a bigger battery with 120W wired HyperCharge technology. Samsung Galaxy S21 features wireless and reverse wireless charging which the Xiaomi 11T does not have.

Triple-cam!

Cameras - The Xiaomi 11T Pro has a triple camera setup with 108MP f/1.75 w/ PDAF + 8MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide-angle + 5MP f/2.4 3-7cm telemacro + dual-tone LED flash.

S21 camera

The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a triple-camera setup at the back with a 64MP telephoto w/ OIS + 12MP f/1.8 wide main sensor w/ OIS + 12MP ultra-wide+ LED flash. It also has a 10MP wide sensor with Dual Pixel AF for selfies.

In the megapixel battle, Xiaomi 11T Pro wins with a 108MP main sensor. However, the Galaxy S21 has a dedicated telephoto lens at 64MP with OIS. OIS is a big advantage for Samsung Galaxy S21 here.

The Xiaomi 11T also takes the lead in selfies with a 16MP sensor compared to Samsung's 10MP sensor. However, the latter has Dual Pixel PDAF while the former doesn't.

Other features - The Xiaomi 11T features WiFi 6, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, OTG, NFC, dual-band GPS, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res audio, IR Blaster, X-Axis Linear Vibration motor, Vapor Chamber Cooling System, and USB-C.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 has WiFi 6, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, UWB, MST, OTG, dual-band GPS, NFC, Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP68 water and dust resistance, USB-C, UHQ 32-bit/DSD Audio support, and AKG stereo speakers.

Xiaomi 11T Pro advantages - Better display, faster CPU and GPU, bigger battery with faster charging, bigger main camera, more extensive connectivity features, more affordable

Samsung Galaxy S21 - Faster memory, wireless and reverse wireless charging, 64MP dedicated telephoto, OIS, IP68 water and dust resistance

Our thoughts

For those looking for a smaller device, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is a great pick. It is a flagship device with flagship features to boot. It has some things that the Xiaomi 11T Pro doesn't that could be a dealbreaker to some like OIS, IP68 rating, and wireless charging.

Xiaomi 11T Pro is still the more affordable device though. It packs more value overall. It has a better display, faster CPU and GPU, bigger battery, faster charging, and a bigger main camera.

What do you guys think?