If a top-notch camera is highly important to you and you're okay with a smaller screen, the Sony Xperia 5 III would be a better choice due to its overall camera quality. However, it's at a midrange price, which is higher than the budget-priced Samsung Galaxy S21+. Despite its lower camera rating, the Galaxy S21+ offers a larger screen, which might be more enjoyable for media consumption and productivity tasks. The Galaxy S21+ also has a slightly longer battery life and higher peak brightness for the display, useful for outdoor visibility. Both phones have glass backs, are 5G enabled, and do not support expandable storage with an SD card. 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 S21+
Good for taking photos
Fair for recording videos
Very good battery life
Very good display quality
Advantages of the Sony Xperia 5 III
The Sony Xperia 5 III has no clear advantages over the Samsung Galaxy S21+.
Key differences
Overall Camera Quality
7.2/10
6.0/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ has good overall camera quality, while the Sony Xperia 5 III has only fair overall camera quality.
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ has good selfie capabilities as it delivers a good overall selfie experience with its front-facing camera. In contrast, the Sony Xperia 5 III's selfie experience is rated as fair, indicating that its front-facing camera may not perform as well, particularly in areas such as resolution, dynamic range, low light performance, and versatility.
Photo Quality
7.0/10
5.9/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ takes good photos, while the Sony Xperia 5 III takes poor photos.
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ takes better selfies than the Sony Xperia 5 III, as evidenced by its higher self-portrait quality. While both phones have similar camera resolutions for standard photos, the S21+ outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III in low light performance and has a more versatile camera system.
Video Quality
6.6/10
6.0/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Sony Xperia 5 III both have only fair videos, though the Samsung Galaxy S21+ takes somewhat better videos.
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ offers better video capture capabilities due to its higher-rated video stabilization and dynamic range, ensuring smoother footage and better handling of varied lighting conditions. Meanwhile, the Sony Xperia 5 III, while offering fair video quality, has lower-rated stabilization and dynamic range, which might result in less smooth videos and poorer performance in diverse lighting scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.3 Hours
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ has 8 hours of battery life. The Sony Xperia 5 III has 7.3 hours of battery life.
Screen Size
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ has a screen size of 6.7 inches and the Sony Xperia 5 III is 6.1 inches.
Cost
$340
$450
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The Samsung Galaxy S21+ has a price of $340 and the Sony Xperia 5 III costs $450.
"All told, Samsung nailed it with the Galaxy S21 Plus. It has most of the strengths of the smaller S21 in a bigger package. It’s got a lot going for it. If you’re coming from an older device, like the Galaxy S10 series, this is a solid upgrade."
"The Sony Xperia 5 III excels when it comes to rear camera photography, its display and multi-media features, and all-day battery life. Buy the Xperia 5 III if you’re looking for a fun but imperfect camera setup, customizable gaming features, all-day battery life, and all the best multimedia capabilities that Sony has to offer"
Get a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy S21+ or the Sony Xperia 5 III
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.
About Sony
Sony has had a long history in the mobile market, entering the scene all the way back in 1993 with its first commercially available phone, the CM-H333. Nowadays, their Xperia line of phones provide well-rounded and sometimes expensive devices with a focus on camera software that includes extensive support for manual tweaking of settings. Sony's dedication to audio quality is also evident in its smartphones, which often feature high-resolution audio support while also being one of the few remaining manufacturers that consistently provide headphone jacks in their phones. The company's version of Android is also considered to be close to stock, enabling a bloatware-free experience for its users.
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
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About the phone team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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