Samsung vs Apple: Who is the winner of 2021?

We look back at which company offered more in 2021.

Samsung and Apple launched big virtual events last year, in two parts, releasing a range of new and exciting gadgets. With Samsung’s new Galaxy Flip 3 and Fold 3 which launched unique and the most-awaited phones yet, Apple launched its beautiful iPhone 13 Pro and Max with the smoothest-running laptop. Reviewing the products from different tech blogs, So who won the year 2021? Let’s take a look. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3

The unique smartphones have a design that allows them to open up like a book called the Fold and another like a compact mirror, called the Flip. The two phones provide users with a mini tablet and a phone that closes into a compact device that can fit into your pocket. The devices have good water-resistance ratings of IPX8, and a protective film on the screen that makes it 80% more durable and scratch resistant. The aluminum frame and hinge provide 10% stronger protection and are light in weight. The hinge of both these phones have been criticized for being stiff and not allowing the phones to be flicked open using one hand. While the phone is water resistant to an extent, it has no official dust protection rating, thus users have to be careful especially with dust collecting in the hinge gap. However, the hinge allows the phone to open and close the phone smoothly without cracking or grinding. One tech reviewer remarked that the phone was not for everyone, and the price for the mobile was the same as a regular Samsung phone. The phone shows that a folding phone can feel like a normal phone once its wow factor fades away.

Samsung Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic

Embracing Google’s OS operating system and working alongside Fitbit, Samsung powered these watches with a 5-nanometer processor. The watches have high-resolution screens, 16 gigs of storage, 40 hours of battery life and wireless charging. The device tracks sleep and blood oxygen data using the device’s sensor. It certainly is a fantastic upgrade from Samsung’s previous Active line. The Wired, reviewed the watches and commented that it was not “quite” the Apple watch alternative but it was getting very very close, especially with concern to access of apps that are available in iwatches but not in the Samsung ones. The devices were criticized for not being iOS compatible, where even ECG is limited to Samsung phones. Battery life on smaller phones was evaluated as being disappointing and the device lacking broad app support. The watches may be attractive but an addition by Samsung to these devices of mechanical bezel and stainless steel bring the price to an extra $100. The watch designs however, have been said to look exactly like Tizen predecessors.

Galaxy Buds 2

The sleek design of these buds makes it 15% smaller and 20% lighter than the Buds Plus, along with active noise-cancellation and better sounding dual-driver array. Just like airpods, their battery lasts for five hours, and comes with a Qi wireless charging case. These are Samsung’s least expensive wireless earbuds and thus don’t offer the full features that are standard on other more expensive models, especially the feature of auto-pause when an earbud is removed. The Verge rated a score of 8.5 only because it found the ambient sound mode mediocre, water-resistance weak, and no auto-pause when removing earbuds. However, the earbuds have been appreciated for its small, discreet design, good quality audio, and wireless charging.

Samsung S21

While the company has focused more on S21 Ultra, this phone has a powerful chipset, a remarkable camera improvement over former models, a longer battery life with effective and wireless charging options. The phone has a lower spec screen in comparison to 2020’s S20 consisting of a full HD+ 6.2 inch display and 120Hz refresh rate with smooth scrolling and fantastic color and brightness results. According to Techradar, there isn’t much difference between the S20 and the recent model to justify paying more money for an upgrade. The top-end tech of the year would be the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, but the S21 sells for much cheaper. The S21 Ultra has better cameras, specs and compatibility with the S Pen. The phone possesses cameras with lasers to fix the auto fix issue in the previous S20 Ultra model of 2020. The amazing camera on the phone takes sharp pictures with 30x and 100x zoom levels. Even though the phone is still expensive, the sleek beautiful design has earned it its title of Samsung’s best-looking-phone ever as quoted by Tech Radar. The phone however, has removed the slot for an external microSD card and doesn’t provide buyers with a charger for the phone in the box as the company cites as being the reason why they don’t do so. 

iPhone 13 and 13 Mini

Awarded CNET Editor’s Choice Award, the new iPhone 13 got significant upgrades from the previous model, like new cameras, bigger battery, more storage and brighter screen. The ceramic shielding of the phones protects it from dust and water, even after being submerged in water 6 meters deep for 30 minutes. While the phones are slightly heavier, it's only because of the bigger battery which can last an entire day on a single charge on both iPhone 13 and 13 Mini. The cameras have been rearranged diagonally for a better and bigger camera. The iPhone 13 has the same main camera as iPhone 12 Pro Max with the same sized pixels. The front camera, on the other hand, has been remarked to be good but not great. The cinematic mode on the phone produces amazing results, which however, cannot be used in the dark and isn’t a professional tool. The iPhone 13 has an A15 Bionic chip which can run games, videos, photo edits, FaceTime calls and AR apps. 

iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro max includes much awaited features like display with high refresh rate. While both the phones have the same camera, they are only different in size, battery life and price. The phones have a robust build, ProMotion display and 3x optical telephoto, it is also heavy, doesn’t have an on-off setting for macro photography, and the cinematic mode is more a novelty than a professional tool. The notch is 20% smaller and has the same squared look as the previous iPhone 12 series. The photo results taken from these phones were brighter and had faster shutter speeds, while the new macro mode which is automatically turned on, when the phone reaches a few centimeters of the subject. In the A15 Bionic chip, the GPU has 5 cores instead of four, which is the case for iPhone 13 and 13 mini. In terms of battery, iPhone 13 Pro lasts a day on a single charge, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max can go two days on a single charge. 

iWatch Series 7

The iWatch has a much larger screen with QWERTY keyboard, new color options, improved durability and faster charging in comparison to Series 6. However, battery life and its sleep tracking still hasn’t improved. The design is dust resistant, with aluminum casing and a 33% faster charging than the Series 6. Timer, alarm and calculator buttons have been made bigger so they're easy to tap, especially tapping in your passcode. The device also allows users to adjust the font size for better visuals, including extra lines on the screen displaying news, clips or notifications. However, at the same time typing on the watch requires a lot of focus for lengthy sentences, and it's preferable to use your phone instead. Apple has added a new watch faces design to this series, the Modular Duo face has two large-format complications that displays information, and the Contour is one where the face features numerals that bleed over the edges. The brightness has also increased in the new series especially in the always-on mode, shining brighter even when inactive. Even though the battery charging is faster than the Series 6, the battery life still hasn’t improved from the previous series.

iPad Mini

The size of this iPad is small enough to allow good convenience of use including a bigger screen, a USB-C and a completely new design from the previous models. However, on the other hand, the iPad Mini has no multiuser support, no jack to plug in headphones and the iPad OS does not seem to have been customized well enough to fit a smaller size. With the A15 Bionic chip inserted, owners can also make use of 5G but not the ultra-fast mmWave flavor. Reviewers at The Verge considered the screen quality to be not as great as previous iPad Pro models, with signs of jelly effect while scrolling in Portrait mode. Moreover, the screen brightness does not seem to adjust well outdoors for use in the sun. The Apple iPad Mini supports the second-generation Apple Pencil which can attach itself and charge magnetically to the side of the device. The volume buttons have moved to a different location and the camera quality has significantly improved. Battery isn’t the best, where full-time use during the day may require charging. An issue highlighted by a reviewer was the support for multiple users on the iPad, with multiple accounts as well. The OS seems to not have been made completely compatible with the iPad Mini, since at some times, users have noticed texts and buttons being cut off, while using the device horizontally makes the keyboard take up the entire length of the screen. In comparison to normal iPads, the mini has been considered to be impractical for multitasking and watching videos because of the small screen, yet it makes the device more portable performing all the functions of a normal iPad. The Mini also doesn’t have a smart connector to keyboards, so they will have to be connected via Bluetooth, using another keyboard. 

iPad 2021

The new iPad may have the dated design and small speakers, but it does have powerful performance, multi-year OS upgrades, more storage and a good solid front-facing camera. This ninth-generation iPad is the most affordable tablet, costing half as much as Android models. It has been granted the Editor’s choice Award by PC Mag and is the most recommended out of all of Apple’s products this year. The iPad supports the original Apple Pencil and the Logitech Crayon, but not the second-generation Apple Pencil. Apple has added True Tone to the device, which adjusts brightness and color temperature. The speakers have a maximum volume of 84db, and the sound quality has been described as ‘tinny’ and ‘without a hint of bass’. However, the iPad does offer a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless audio connections. Additionally, the device box includes a 20W adapter and a USB-C lightning cable for charging. The iPad supports dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11ac) and does not have Wi-Fi 6 incorporated into the device. The gadget can function as a laptop with all the same features, with an additional purchase of Apple Smart Keyboard. This is the only iPad that currently supports the first-generation Pencil, while the gap between its touch screen and display glass makes it a bit less precise than other iPads in terms of touch. At the same time, this iPad has been recommended as the best laptop replacement. In terms of battery, Apple has claimed that the iPad Pro battery will last up to 10 hours, though in the battery drain test conducted by PCMag running high function features, the battery lasted for an approximate of 5 hours instead. The front camera of the gadget has significantly improved to a 12MP ultra-wide lens with a 122-degree field of vision, guaranteeing better video call quality. The rear 8MP camera sensor remains unchanged. The iPad has a lot of multitasking features, an app Library, Universal Control and Focus Mode, to help make work and organizing easier. 

Apple MacBook Pro 14 and 16

Described by The Verge as the fastest laptops they've ever seen, with the longest battery life. The move to Apple silicon chips has been incredible for the gadgets, who’s performance has improved significantly. The Max software ecosystem, however, is still catching up to the new chips, and reviewers predict that it might be a while before it is completely integrated. The Apple laptop has been remarked to also be expensive with an astonishingly absurd RAM pricing. The new MacBooks, both the 14 inch and 16 inch ones, are bigger, heavier and thicker than the previous models. The Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port and a full SDXC slot made a comeback in these recent gadgets. The MagSafe 3 connecting charging is amazing, strong enough to drag the laptop along a desk but also disconnects immediately if pulled at an angle. The charging adapter also includes a USB-C, and a fast charging option for MacBook available with a 100-watt USB-C adaptor and a USB-C cable that supports that much power. On the keyboard, Apple has given up on the hapless Touch-Bar and replaced it with full-height function keys. The laptop displays beautifully at 16:10 with an XDR, but the company failed to add Face ID to the device along with a camera matching iPhones. Reviewers have complained about blooming issues on the screen especially when it is already black. The 14-inch MacBooks have really good speakers but the ones on the 16-inch laptops are excellent, with a battery life that ran for 16 hours of continuous use on a single use. The 14-inch Macbook lasted for 10  and a half hours of continuous use on its battery.

Apple AirPods 

The new AirPods received a rating of 6/10 by The Wired, for good spatial audio support, great integration with Siri, good microphones, instant pairing with devices and punchy bass response and crisp highs. However, reviewers remarked that the audio device had audio leaks with no noise-cancellation, being difficult to fit in ears, stem-based controls causing them to shift while placed in ears, and overall being expensive. With an increase in price for these new earphones, Apple has only added an hour of battery life, spatial audio, and new drivers. Most importantly the design of the earphones hinder the need for proper seal, instead, causing them to fall off from the user's ears most of the time. Despite being expensive, the new AirPods have great sound quality with emphasis on vocals and bass. Apple ditched the tap sensors with touch-capacitive force centres, which makes it easier to use

HomePod Mini

The affordable smart speaker, available in different colors has an S5 processor, 360-degree audio, and a U1 chip. In comparison with Amazon Echo and Google Nest, the HomePod mini has far more features, especially its integration with Apple Music and Siri support. It has been recommended by reviewers from Macrumors, that the device not be used for large places since it is too small. The audio device can maintain a consistent sound and imitate the tones of a larger speaker through computational audio. Using a three-microphone array the HomePod listens for Siri commands, including a fourth microphone facing inward which isolates sound coming from a speaker to detect voice sounds better. Reviewers have applauded Apple for really good sound quality, and creating the feature for charging the device even with a battery pack.

Samsung may have stolen the show with its launch of Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Fold 3, which became the new hype gadget, yet Apple has launched an excellent range of products that has increased its sales in the third Quarter. According to Zdnet, Samsung’s sales went down from 80 million a year to $69 million, while Apple’s sales went up to $48.5 million from $40.5 million. While the global chip shortage could be a reason for these numbers, Samsung’s top phones have equally matched with Apple’s iPhones in price. Samsung seems to have focused entirely on its Flip 3 and Fold 3, but has failed to provide quality and better features for its other released devices, especially its Galaxy Buds 2. The S21 is over-hyped, providing exceptional camera and beautiful design, but for its price the features fall short of expectations. In comparison, the iPhone 13, Pro and Pro Max, have far better features, especially a strong water-resistant IPX rating and amazing camera with different modes for excellent photography. The new MacBook has also won hearts with its smooth performance and long battery life, making Apple a clear winner in all released categories.