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What was the best phone of 2021? It's the grand final for Readers' Choice!
And just like that, there were just two finalists left in Android Authority‘s best phone of 2021: Readers’ Choice award. From a monster list of 33 of the best smartphones of 2022, you’ve reduced it to your two favorites: the Google Pixel 6 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. So what happens now?
Don’t miss: Best phone of 2021: Editor’s Choice | The Best of 2021 Awards
We now take the voting to our audiences on Instagram and Facebook (as well as right here, right below this paragraph) to determine our 2021 Readers’ Choice pick. Voting will be open for 24 hours before we crown our winner. This time the choice is simple: was Google’s return to form in 2021 enough to topple the reigning king of Android, Samsung?
What was the best phone of 2021?
Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
On paper, there are a lot of similarities between the two phones. With similar-sized OLED screens, the same-sized battery, RAM, and storage (at least on the base model), very similar camera setups and update promises, the differences pretty much boil down to the processor, price, and version of Android at launch.
We already know you have strong feelings about these two phones because, well, we’ve asked you.
When we surveyed our readers to ask which product line you’d buy, the result was interesting: more than 70% of respondents said they were more likely to buy one of the Pixel 6 series than any of the S21 lineup. We also did a blind camera shootout with the Pixel 6 Pro, S21 Ultra, and iPhone 13 Pro Max where almost 50% chose the Pixel 6 Pro as the best shooter of the three. So does that mean Google has this one in the bag?
Not necessarily.
We already know you have strong feelings about these two phones because, well, we've asked you.
Samsung has an incredibly loyal fanbase. Even though a lot of fans will report being unhappy about a product when it is announced, over time that sentiment often changes, and support for Samsung’s product lineup solidifies. Year after year Samsung continues to put out great devices and sells tons of phones so it’s doing something right.
Only this last vote will tell us where your loyalties lie: with Samsung’s S21 Ultra, the very definition of the 2021 flagship, or with the Pixel 6 Pro, the phone that shows Google is finally trying. Be sure to vote for your favorite above and hit our social channels for another chance to help your favorite bring it home.