Apple iPhone 16 / Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)

Apple iPhone 16: 6.1-inch iPhone 16; 128, 256 and 512 GB; black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine. The model number varies by region (e.g. India A3287). The 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16e are separate models.

Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B): Galaxy S24, global SM-S921B (8 GB / 128 GB, Nano-SIM + eSIM). The US SM-S921U uses a different processor; the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra are separate models.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)
Release year20242024
ChipA18; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Apple says the A18, built on second-generation 3 nm technology, is up to 30% faster in CPU and 40% in GPU than the A16 Bionic and supports hardware ray tracing. The A18 Pro in iPhone 16 Pro is a different chip.

Apple		—
Display6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2556 × 1179, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island

Typical brightness is 1000 nits, 1600 nits HDR and 2000 nits peak outdoors, with a 1-nit minimum. 2,000,000:1 contrast, P3 wide colour and True Tone. Apple does not list a refresh rate; ProMotion and always-on display are on the Pro models.

Apple		6.2-inch (6.0-inch with rounded corners) Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 2340 × 1080 (FHD+); adaptive 1–120 Hz; Vision Booster

The adaptive refresh rate drops to 1 Hz on static content to save power; Vision Booster adjusts tone and contrast in bright light.

Samsung
Front glassLatest-generation Ceramic Shield

Apple says it is 50% tougher than the first-generation Ceramic Shield. The back is colour-infused glass and the frame is aluminium.

Apple		—
Storage128, 256 or 512 GB Apple—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion main camera (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift stabilisation); 12 MP ultra wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°); 12 MP 2× telephoto from the main sensor

The 2× view comes from the centre of the 48 MP sensor rather than a separate lens. There is a 4× optical zoom range and up to 10× digital zoom; the ultra-wide camera can shoot macro.

Apple		50 MP wide (ƒ/1.8, OIS, 85°); 10 MP 3x telephoto (ƒ/2.4, 36°); 12 MP ultra-wide (ƒ/2.2, 120°)

3x optical zoom uses the separate telephoto lens; the 2x option crops the main sensor at optical quality, and digital zoom reaches 30x.

Samsung
Video4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K 30 fps; Action mode at 2.8K 60 fps; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps Apple8K (7680 × 4320) at 30 fps; slow motion at UHD 120 fps and FHD 240 fps Samsung
Camera Control and Action buttonCamera Control (adjusts exposure, depth, zoom, cameras, styles and tone); customisable Action button

Apple says Camera Control combines a tactile switch for clicks, a force sensor for light presses and a capacitive sensor for swipes. It opens the camera, takes photos and starts video recording.

Apple		—
Front camera and authentication12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID Apple—
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz, 4×4 MIMO); Wi-Fi 7 (2×2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; Thread; NFC

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region. Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite are supported, with service duration and country coverage set by Apple.

Apple		5G; Wi-Fi 6E (2.4 + 5 + 6 GHz); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC; USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)

The 6 GHz band needs a Wi-Fi 6E router.

Samsung
SIMNano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM

SIM layout may vary by country model.

Apple		—
USB-CUSB-C; USB 2 (up to 480 Mbit/s) and DisplayPort

Wired data transfer is limited to USB 2 speed, so moving large video files by cable is slower than on the Pro models.

Apple		—
ChargingMagSafe up to 25 W; Qi2 up to 25 W; about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

Reaching 50% in 30 minutes over MagSafe needs a 30 W or higher adapter. There is no adapter in the box, only a USB-C cable.

Apple		—
Battery lifeUp to 22 hours video, up to 18 hours streamed video, up to 80 hours audio playback

Measured under Apple’s test conditions; real results vary with use and settings. Apple does not publish the capacity in mAh.

Apple		—
DurabilityIP68 (IEC 60529; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes)

Splash, water and dust resistance is not permanent and may decrease over time; liquid damage is not covered by warranty.

Apple		IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes) Samsung
Size and weight147.6 × 71.6 × 7.80 mm; 170 g Apple147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm; 167 g Samsung
SensorsBarometer, high dynamic range gyro, high-g accelerometer, proximity sensor, dual ambient light sensors

The high-g accelerometer is used for Crash Detection.

Apple		—
Model code—SM-S921B/DS; Nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM Samsung
Processor—10 cores; 3.2 GHz, 2.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 1.95 GHz clusters

Samsung notes that the processor varies by market; the US SM-S921U does not use the same chip as this global model.

Samsung
Memory and storage—8 GB RAM; 128 GB (about 103.9 GB available)

The series also has 256 and 512 GB and 12 GB RAM configurations; there is no microSD slot.

Samsung
Front camera—12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 80° Samsung
Battery and charging—4000 mAh typical (3880 mAh rated); about 50% in 30 minutes with a 25 W adapter and 3 A cable; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

Wireless PowerShare lets the back of the phone wirelessly charge small devices such as a watch or earbud case. No adapter is included.

Samsung
Rated battery life—Up to 29 hours of video playback; rated for at least 2000 charge cycles; energy efficiency class A

The 2000-cycle figure comes from the EU label, which targets the battery keeping a set share of its capacity over that span.

Samsung
Location and sensors—GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS; accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall, light and proximity sensors Samsung
Operating system—Shipped with Android 14 and One UI 6.1; seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates

Samsung’s UK page lists security updates for this model until 31 January 2031; timing can vary by market.

Samsung
Colours—Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow; extra online colours Samsung