The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Xiaomi Mi 11 are two flagship smartphones that are worth comparing. The Galaxy S21 was released in January 2021 making it the more recent model, but only slightly since the Xiaomi Mi 11 was released just a month earlier in December 2020. But what sets these phones apart and why should you consider one over the other? Let’s take a look.

Camera

When it comes to camera quality, the Xiaomi Mi 11 has a 20 MP front camera compared to the 10 MP camera on the Galaxy S21. The Xiaomi Mi 11 also has the advantage in main camera performance with 108 MP and 4320 px of video resolution compared to just 64 MP and 3240 px resolution on the Galaxy S21. Overall, you’ll find that the Xiaomi takes noticeably clearer photos and videos compared to the Galaxy S21, but the S21 might have more versatility with better zoom and wide-camera photo capabilities.

Battery

The battery life is also better on the Xiaomi Mi 11 with 4600 mAh compared to 4000 mAh on the Galaxy S21. Neither will likely get you up to 2 days of life on one charge, but both are great options for all-day battery life. You likely won’t notice too big of a difference, but if you tend to use your smartphone heavily for streaming, browsing and social media throughout the day, you’ll likely prefer the higher battery capacity on the Xiaomi Mi 11.

Display

The display size and resolution are also better on the Xiaomi Mi 11 with a 6.81-inch screen and 1440 x 3200 px resolution compared to 6.2 inches and 1080 x 2400 px resolution for the Galaxy S21. This means you’ll get more screen and sharper/smoother display quality from the Xiaomi Mi 11. Although, the 6.8-inch screen tends to be on the larger size for some, so if you prefer a smaller phone that doesn’t feel too bulky, you’ll probably be happier with the Galaxy S21.

Storage Options

Both the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Samsung Galaxy S21 come in the same 2 storage options: 128 GB and 256 GB. While the Xiaomi is priced a bit cheaper for the higher storage option, you’ll likely find similar pricing for the Galaxy S21 with a little extended research.

Processor

In terms of chipset and processor speed, both phones have an octa-core processor, but Samsung's Exynos 2100 CPU falls short of Xiaomi’s Snapdragon 888, which may have been one of the best Android processors at the time of release. This gives the Mi 11 the edge in terms of overall performance, especially when it comes to gaming and general efficiency.

Overall, Xiaomi offers stronger specs, particularly when it comes to the battery life, display and processor. However, the Galaxy S21 isn’t far behind, so it might just come down to price preferences in the end.