Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G vs ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra

Full specification and price comparison for Pakistan, updated 18 Aug 2026.

The short answer

The ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 95 against 78 on our combined specification score. It leads on performance, camera and battery & charging. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G still wins on value for money, so it remains the better choice if that is your priority. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is the cheaper of the two at PKR 169,999 against PKR 249,999.

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The verdict

Spec-derived

ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra takes it by 17.9 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra leads

Gaming score where available, otherwise chipset tier plus usable RAM.

Camera ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra leads

Camera Score where available, otherwise sensor resolution and lens count. Megapixels alone do not measure image quality.

Battery & charging ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra leads

Cell capacity in mAh weighted with rated wired charging output.

Display Level

Pixel density, refresh rate and panel technology.

Memory & storage ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra leads

Highest advertised RAM and internal storage configuration.

Value for money Samsung Galaxy S21 5G leads

Combined spec score divided by current Pakistani retail price.

What actually differs

  • Samsung Galaxy S21 5G costs PKR 80,000 less.
  • ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra packs a 3,100 mAh larger battery.
  • ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra charges 65W faster.
  • ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra offers 8 GB more RAM.
  • ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra ships with 768 GB more storage.
  • ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra has a 136 MP higher-resolution main sensor.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G if…

you care most about value for money.

Buy the ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra if…

you care most about performance, camera, battery & charging and memory & storage.

Full specification comparison

Specification Samsung Galaxy S21 5G ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 169,999 Cheaper PKR 249,999
Design & build
Release date January 14, 2021 September 16, 2026
Dimensions 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm 162.1 × 75.7 × 7.6 mm
Weight 169 g Better 208 g
Water resistance IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5 m for 30 minutes) IP68/IP69-rated protection.
Display
Screen size 6.2 inches 6.78 inches Better
Resolution 2400 x 1080 pixels 1260 × 2800 pixels Better
Panel type Dynamic AMOLED 2X Adaptive 120Hz HDR10+ LTPO OLED 144Hz 10-bit, 1 billion colors Up to 4,500 nits
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Not reliably specified
Performance
Chipset Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm), depending on market Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
CPU Octa-core Up to 2.9 GHz on Exynos version Octa-core Qualcomm Oryon, up to 4.6 GHz
GPU Mali-G78 MP14 / Adreno 660, depending on chipset Adreno 840
Operating system Android 11, One UI 3.1 Android 16 Nebula AIOS 2
Memory & storage
RAM 8GB 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X Better
Internal storage 128GB / 256GB LPDDR5 512GB / 1TB Better
Card slot No No
Camera
Main camera 12MP + 64MP + 12MP, OIS, PDAF, 3x Hybrid Optical Zoom, up to 30x Space Zoom 200MP + 50MP Ultra-wide + 64MP Periscope Telephoto, OIS Better
Selfie camera 10MP, f/2.2, Dual Pixel PDAF LED flash, HDR, panorama 32MP OIS, autofocus, LED flash, HDR, panorama, AI Image Master Better
Video recording Up to 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps 4K video recording, OIS, EIS, AI video processing.
Battery & charging
Battery capacity Li-Ion (non-removable) 4000 mAh Li-Po / Silicon-Carbon 7100 mAh, non-removable Better
Wired charging 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless charging 90W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless charging, reverse wired charging. Better
Connectivity & extras
SIM Nano-SIM + eSIM Dual Nano-SIM, Dual Standby (Dual SIM)
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 7, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, tri-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz), 2×2 MIMO.
Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 6.0, A2DP, LE
NFC Yes Yes
Sensors Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Hall Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor Fingerprint (ultrasonic, under-display), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, ambient light sensor, infrared sensor.
USB USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1, OTG

“Better” marks the higher (or, for price and weight, the lower) figure. It is a specification difference, not a judgement about real-world experience.

Questions people ask

Which is better, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra?

ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 17.9 points. It wins on performance, camera, battery & charging and memory & storage. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G can still be the better buy if your priorities sit elsewhere or if you find it at a lower street price.

What is the price of Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra in Pakistan?

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is listed at PKR 169,999 and ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra at PKR 249,999. That makes Samsung Galaxy S21 5G cheaper by PKR 80,000. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra?

ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra scores higher in our camera assessment. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G uses a 64 MP main sensor against 200 MP on ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra, though sensor size and processing matter more than resolution alone.

Which phone has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra?

ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra leads on battery. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G carries a 4000 mAh cell and ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra a 7100 mAh cell, with 25W and 90W wired charging respectively.

Which is better for gaming, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra?

ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra is the stronger gaming phone here. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G runs the Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm), depending on market while ZTE nubia NaviX Ultra runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm).

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Tools that use this data

Camera Score Tool Battery Score Tool Gaming Performance Checker AI Mobile Recommendation Tool All comparisons

Scores are calculated from the published hardware specification of each device using the same formula for every phone on WhatMobilePK — they are not paid placements and they are not laboratory test results. Prices are indicative Pakistani retail prices and change frequently.