Comparing Samsung S21 FE Vs Oneplus 9RT Vs Xiaomi 11T Pro – Specs, Price, Features – Which is a Better Choice?
Let’s compare the top three premium smartphones(Samsung S21 FE 5G, Oneplus 9RT, Xiaomi 11T Pro) available or launching soon in India in the 40 to 50K price range.
We’ll dive into details and explore different features and specs to see which one is a better choice for you.
All three smartphones look stunning and come with a center-aligned punch hole selfie camera. The S21 FE is the most compact, whereas Xiaomi is the biggest.
Display
For starters, the Xiaomi 11T Pro comes with a large FHD+ 6.67 inch AMOLED display, in fact, it is larger than the other two phones. The display is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and offers a 120 Hz refresh rate.
All three smartphones have an AMOLED display and offer a high refresh rate (120 Hz) and punchy colors. The Oneplus 9RT has a 6.62-inch display size, whereas the Samsung S21 FE 5G is compact, offers a 6.4-inch display. As far as the display goes, all three options are on par.
Performance
The Xiaomi 11T Pro and the Oneplus 9RT are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Octa-Core processor and the Adreno 660 GPU. On the other hand, the Samsung S21 FE (5G) comes with the Samsung-made Exynos 2100 Octa-Core processor and the Mali-G78 MP4 GPU.
These are all top-of-the-line processors, and you can easily play all modern mobile games and do multi-tasking without any issues. However, the SD 888 has a better performance than the Exynos 2100.
Battery Life & Fast Charging
Xiaomi 11T Pro has an enormous battery capacity, comes with a 5000 mAH Battery, while the other two have a 4500 mAH capacity battery.
Also, the 11T Pro offers a crazy fast 120 Watts Fast charging support, whereas Oneplus offers 65 Watts and Samsung has a meager 25 Watts Charging speed. Egregiously Samsung doesn’t provide a charger in the box, whereas you get a charger with the other two options.
Both the 11T Pro and Oneplus are incredibly fast when it comes to charging, Samsung is the slowest turtle, and the worse thing is that they are not giving that dumb charger with the expensive smartphone. You will have to buy it separately.
However, Samsung offers wireless charging that is not present on the other two phones and could be an excellent feature for many buyers.
Cameras
The cameras on all three phones are excellent, but I will go for the Samsung S21 Fe if I have to choose one. The S21 FE has a remarkable 12 MP Camera with OIS and f/1.8 aperture, ultra-wide with 12 MP lens, and telephoto with 8 MP and OIS. The front camera is also superior and comes with a 32 MP lens capable of shooting 4K videos that non-other can shoot.
The Xiaomi 11T Pro has a 108 MP primary rear camera, and it will shoot detailed images, but the other two smaller lenses and even the front selfie camera are no match for Samsung.
I don’t trust Oneplus for cameras. On my Oneplus 8T/9R, they are as pathetic, even worse than some mid-range mobiles.
Nevertheless, the 9RT has better cameras and it comes with a 50 MP primary camera with OIS, 16 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 16 MP selfie camera.
The 11T Pro and Oneplus have good cameras, but Samsung wins.
OS and Other Features
There was a time I hated Samsung Touch Wiz Os, but the OneUi 4.0 is brilliant, and Samsung has surprised me with fast OS updates. The S21 FE runs Android 12 and the latest OneUi 4.0, while the other two devices are still dragging Android 11. Also, being a Oneplus user, it irks me that they have moved to Color Os instead of the custom Oxygen Os which I was proud of.
I prefer the software experience on the Oneplus and Samsung phones; the MIUI is still too Cartoonish for me. Make your icons better Xiaomi.
Some other noteworthy points are – Samsung S21 Fe (5G) comes with the IP 68 rating and protects against water damage and dust, absent on the other two. A significant factor for many users who work outdoors.
Xiaomi 11T Pro doesn’t have an under-display scanner which is a bummer for the segment. The S21 FE weighs the least (177 grams); the other two are a bit heavy for my liking. I love lightweight smartphones.
Price
The Samsung S21 FE (5G) comes with a price tag of Rs. 54,990 (more than most people earn in a month) for the 8 GB ram and 128 GB storage version. Samsung is offering a Rs. 5000 discount on S21 Fe so it is effectively available for Rs. 49,990.
The Oneplus 9RT is available for Rs. 42,990 for the 8GB/128 GB variant, Rs. 12,000 cheaper than the Samsung S21 Fe 5G.
The Xiaomi 11T Pro is the cheapest and is available for Rs. 39,990 for the 8 GB Ram and 128 GB storage variant. The 12 GB /256 GB model is available for Rs. 43,990.
Comparison Summary – Samsung S21 FE Vs Oneplus 9RT Vs Xiaomi 11T Pro
Specs Comparison | Oneplus 9RT | Samsung S21 FE 5G | Xiaomi 11T PRO |
Display | 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED | 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED | 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED |
Pixels, Aspect Ratio | 2400*1080, 20:9, 120 Hz | 2400*1080, 20:9, 120 Hz | 2400*1080, 20:9, 120 Hz |
Display Protection | Gorilla Glass | Gorilla Glass Victus | Gorilla Glass Victus |
Processor | Snapdragon 888 – Octa-Core | Exynos 2100 | Snapdragon 888 – Octa-Core |
Clock Speed | 2.84 GHz | 2.84 GHz | 2.84 GHz |
GPU | Adreno 660 | Mali G78 MP14 | Adreno 660 |
RAM | 8 GB / 12 GB Ram | 8 GB RAM | 8 GB / 12 GB Ram |
Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1 | 128 GB / 256 GB | 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1 |
OS | Android 11 With Color OS 12 | Android 12 With One UI 4.0 | Android 11 With MIUI 12.5 |
Rear Camera | Triple – 50 MP (f/1.8), 16 MP (f/2.2), 2 MP | Triple – 12 MP (f/1.8), 12 MP (f/2.2), 8 MP (f/2.4) | Triple – 108 MP (f/1.8), 8 MP (f/2.2), 5 MP (f/2.4) |
Camera Features | OIS, 4K Videos @ 60 FPS | Dual Lens OIS, 4K Vidoes @ 60 FPS | Lacks OIS, 4K Vidoes @ 60 FPS |
Front Camera | 16 MP F/2.4 , 1080p Videos | 32 MP F/2.2, 4k 60 FPS Videos | 16 MP F/2.5 , 1080p Videos |
Audio | Stereo Speakers, No-3.5 mm Jack | Stereo Speakers, No-3.5 mm Jack | Stereo Speakers, No-3.5 mm Jack |
Connectivity | WIFI 6, 5G Type C Port, NFC | WIFI 6, 5G Type C Port, NFC | WIFI 6, 5G Type C Port, NFC |
Fingerprint Scanner | Under-Display | Under-Display | Side-Mounted |
Battery Capacity | 4500 mAH | 4500 mAH | 5000 mAH |
Fast Charging Support | 65 Watts | 25 Watts | 120 Watts |
Supplied Charger | Yes, 65 Watts | No | 120 Watts |
Wireless Charging | No | 15 Watts | No |
IP Rating | No | Yes | No |
Thickness | 8.3 mm | 8 mm | 8.8 mm |
Weight | 198 grams | 177 gram | 204 gram |
Starting Price | Rs. 42,990 | Rs 49,990 | Rs. 39,990 |
Launch Date | Jan-22 | Jan-22 | Jan-22 |
Concluding Thoughts
I am not perfect, nor are you, neither are any of these phones. I’m not too fond of Xiaomi because of the OS, but they offer cheap phones with excellent hardware. Oneplus is nothing but Oppo, with a deceiving name.
I like the 9RT and hope they fit good cameras, but they have failed to deliver on cameras in the past, but I have little hope. The S21 FE looks perfect to me but has that stupidly slow charger that you have to buy separately.
Choose your option, wisely 🙂
Now, it’s your turn; share your thoughts in the comments below or let me know which are you buying.
Samsung has also launched the Galaxy S22, S22+, and the S22 ultra recently.