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Galaxy S10
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Galaxy S21
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What we think

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The PerfectRec phone team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize a higher refresh rate for smoother navigation and scrolling, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is superior with its 120Hz display, but this might affect its battery life more than the Galaxy S10's standard 60Hz display. The Galaxy S21 also has an advanced processor and more RAM, which means better performance overall. For photography enthusiasts, the S21's camera system offers significantly better photo and video quality, with enhancements like a 64MP telephoto camera. However, the Galaxy S10 includes a headphone jack and a high-quality OLED display with a sharper resolution, which might be more appealing if those are priorities. Both phones have similar quality builds, with the S10 featuring a glass back and the S21 a plastic one, which might affect the phone's feel and durability. Lastly, if cost is a crucial factor, you might lean towards the less expensive S10, accepting that it has older technology. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S10
  • The Samsung Galaxy S10 has no clear advantages over the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Good for taking photos
  • Fair for recording videos

Key differences

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Overall Camera Quality

5.4
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S21
7.2
The Samsung Galaxy S21 has good overall camera quality, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 has poor overall camera quality.

Photo Quality

5.4
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S21
7.0
The Samsung Galaxy S21 takes good photos, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 takes poor photos.

Video Quality

5.5
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S21
6.6
The Samsung Galaxy S21 takes only fair videos, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 takes poor videos.

Battery

5.6 Hours
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S21
6.7 Hours
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has 5.6 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S21 has 6.7 hours of battery life.
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Key similarities

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Screen Size

The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a screen size of 6.1 inches and the Samsung Galaxy S21 is 6.2 inches.

Cost

$145
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S21
$145
Product imageProduct image

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a price of $145 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 costs $145.

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How the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 compare to other phones

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Spec Comparison

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Samsung Galaxy S10Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S10Samsung Galaxy S21

GENERAL

Price
$145
$145
Brand
SamsungSamsung
Operating System
AndroidAndroid
Release Date
March 8, 2019January 29, 2021

SCREEN

Screen Size
6.1"6.2"
Resolution
3040 x 14402400 x 1080
Variable refresh rate
YesNo
Pixels Per Inch
550421
Display Type
OLEDOLED

INTERNAL

Processor
SD855SD888
Internal Storage
128 GB128 GB
RAM
6 GB8 GB

CAMERA

Overall Camera Quality Score
5.5/107.2/10
Photos Score
5.4/107/10
Videos Score
5.5/106.6/10
Rear Cameras
Main, Ultrawide, TelephotoMain, Ultrawide, Telephoto
Main Camera
12 megapixels + OIS12 megapixels + OIS

BATTERY

Battery Life
5.6 Hours6.7 Hours
Battery Capacity
3400 mAh4000 mAh
Wireless Charging
YesYes
Wireless charging Speed
15 W15 W
Reverse wireless charging
Yes (4.5 watts)Yes (4.5 watts)

PHYSICAL

Size
5.9" x 2.77"5.97" x 2.8"
Weight
5.54 oz5.96 oz
Back Material
GlassPlastic
Stereo Speakers
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

Dual SIM
NoYes
Bluetooth Version
5.05.0
A2DP
YesYes
WiFi Version
66
NFC
YesYes
US 5G Bands
N/A(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78

OTHER FEATURES

Biometric unlock
Face unlock, Fingerprint sensor: Under DisplayFace unlock, Fingerprint sensor: Under Display
Unlockable Bootloader
NoNo
Color
Prism Black, Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Blue, Flamingo Pink, Cardinal RedPhantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink
Stock Android
NoNo
SD Card
YesNo

Shopping

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Samsung Galaxy S10

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Dig into reviews and images

Tom's Guide

Caitlin McGarry | October 2022
"The Galaxy S10 offers superfast performance and a beautiful display, with a less distracting camera cutout than on the larger, pricier S10 Plus. If all you're looking for is a well-rounded, well-crafted Android flagship that can do it all — including work with a pair of good old-fashioned wired headphones — for a price you can sleep easy at night spending, the Galaxy S10 remains an unbeatable proposition."

Samsung Galaxy S21

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Dig into reviews and images

Android Central

Huseman Joe | February 2022
"The Galaxy S21 delivers the flagship Samsung experience in a phone that's much more pocketable (and affordable) than the top-end S21 Ultra.The triple-camera system is incredibly capable, Samsung's One UI 3.1 software is chock-full of features and settings to mess with, and I've not once missed having expandable storage."

Get a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy S10 or the Samsung Galaxy S21

About Samsung

Samsung is one of the most recognizable names in the smartphone industry, standing as the undisputed best-selling brand of Android smartphones in the United States for many years now. Samsung is known for offering a variety of smartphones in all available price points, as well as for implementing cutting-edge technology and innovative features in their flagship devices, ones that often shape the market going forward. The company offers its own unique spin on Android, called One UI, which focuses on offering a multitude of features and is heavily customizable, according to user preference.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

68
Phones evaluated
7,820
Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
139,200
Recommendations made
78,880
Consumer hours saved

About the phone team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Seth Peoples

Phones Expert
Seth is a US-based product expert focusing on smartphones and he is a moderator of one of the largest smartphone subreddits. His tailored recommendations have helped him earn over 87k comment karma, putting him in the top 1% of Redditors.

Efthimis Kotanidis

Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.

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