Google Pixel 3a XL vs Samsung Galaxy S21 5G

Google Pixel 3a XL

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G

Network
2G network

GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, CDMA 800, 1900, 10(800)

GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900; CDMA 800, 1900 & TD-SCDMA
3G network

HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100; CDMA2000 1xEV-DO

HSDPA 850, 900, 1700(AWS), 1900, 2100; CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G network

LTE frequency band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 28(700), 29(700), 32(1500), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100), 71(600)

LTE frequency band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71
5G network

-

5G band SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave
HSDPA speed

42 Mbps

42.2 Mbps
HSUPA speed

5.76 Mbps

5.76 Mbps
EV-DO speed

3.1 Mbps download, 1.8 Mbps upload

-
LTE speed

LTE Cat 11, 600 Mbps download, 75 Mbps upload

LTE-A (CA), 2000 Mbps download, 200 Mbps upload
GPRS

Yes

Yes
EDGE

Yes

Yes

Design
Build

Polycarbonate

Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame
SIM

Single SIM (Nano-SIM)

Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM, dual stand-by)
Height

160 mm

151.7 mm
Width

76.2 mm

71.2 mm
Thickness

7.6 mm

7.9 mm
Weight

167 g

169 (Sub6) / 171 (mmWave) g
Payment

-

Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
Waterproof

-

IP68 (1.5m and 30 mins)
Dust proof

-

IP68
Colors

Black, White, Purple

Gray, Pink, Violet, White

Display
Display type

OLED capacitive touchscreen

Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Physical size

6 inches

6.2 inches
Resolution

1080 x 2160 pixels

1080 x 2400 pixels
Pixel density

402 ppi

421 ppi
Display colors

16777216

16777216
Protection

Scratch resistant, Dragontrail glass

Scratch resistant, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Multitouch

Yes

-
Display features

Always-on display

120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak), Infinity-O display, Always-On display

Main camera
Camera type

Single

Triple
Main camera

12 MP, f/1.8 , 28 mm, 1/2.55" , 1.4 µm

12 MP, f/1.8 , 26 mm, 1/1.76" , 1.8 µm, (wide)
(telephoto) , 64 MP, f/2.0 , 29 mm, 1/1.72" , 0.8 µm, 1.1x optical zoom , 3x hybrid zoom
120˚ , (ultrawide) , 12 MP, f/2.2 , 13 mm, 1/2.55" , 1.4 µm
Primary camera resolution

4032 x 3024 pixels

4032 x 3024 pixels
Primary camera video

2160p@30fps, 1080p@120fps, 720p@240fps

8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Primary camera flash

dual LED flash

LED flash
Camera features

Autofocus, continuous shooting, digital zoom, digital image stabilization, optical image stabilization, geotagging, panorama, HDR, touch focus, face detection, white balance settings, ISO settings, exposure compensation, self-timer, scene-mode, RAW, phase detection with Dual Pixel

Autofocus, continuous shooting, digital zoom, optical zoom, optical image stabilization, geotagging, panorama, HDR, touch focus, face detection, white balance settings, ISO settings, exposure compensation, self-timer, scene-mode, phase detection autofocus
DxOMark photo

-

123
DxOMark zoom

-

77
DxOMark video

-

93
DxOMark camera score

-

116

Selfie camera
Flash

LED flash

-
Selfie camera

8 MP, f/2.0 , 24 mm, 1/3.2" , 1.12 µm

10 MP, f/2.2 , 26 mm, 1/3.24" , 1.22 µm, (wide) , 80˚
Selfie camera resolution

3264 x 2448 pixels

3648 x 2736 pixels
Selfie camera features

-

Autofocus, HDR, phase detection autofocus
Selfie camera video

1080p@30fps

4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
DxOMark photo

-

100
DxOMark video

-

95
DxOMark camera score

-

98

Connectivity
WLAN

Wi-Fi 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11n 5Ghz, 802.11ac

Wi-Fi 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11n 5GHz, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 6E
WLAN WiFi Hotspot

Yes

Yes
WLAN WiFi Direct

Yes

Yes
WLAN WiFi Dual Band

Yes

Yes
USB

Type-C reversible connector

Type-C 3.2
USB On-The-Go

Yes

Yes
Bluetooth

v5.0

v5.0
Bluetooth A2DP

Yes

Yes
bluetooth LE

Yes

Yes
NFC

Yes

Yes
GPS

Yes, with A-GPS

Yes, with A-GPS
GLONASS

Yes

Yes
GALILEO

Yes

Yes
Beidou

Yes

-
BDS

-

Yes

Features
Sensors

Accelerometer, barometer, compass, fingerprint, gyroscope, proximity, light

Accelerometer, barometer, compass, fingerprint, gyroscope, proximity